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| About Review |
Reviewer
WesCraven
Review Date
3rd May, 2004
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| Movie Credits |
Director
Wes Craven
Cast
David Hess
Sandra Cassel
Lucy Grantham
Fred J. Lincoln
Marc Sheffler
Screenplay
Wes Craven
Tagline
"To avoid fainting, keep repeating "It's only a movie.. It's only a movie...""
Country
USA
Classification
Unrated
Year
1972
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| Errors |
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| DVD Cover Art |
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| DVD Information |
Format
NTSC
Region Coding
1
Aspect Ratio
1.85:1
16x9 Enhanced
Yes
Running Time
84 minutes
Year Released
2002
Packaging
Keep Case
Extra Features
Audio Commentary
Intro by Wes Craven
Making Of Documentary
Featurette
Outtakes and Dailies
Theatrical Trailer
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The Last House On The Left
The Plot
Two girls on their way to a concert get kidnapped by a group of
brutal killers. Horrible things happen to them, and when the killers end up at
the house of one of the girl's parents, it might just be the killers turn to
have the horrible things happen to them.
The Movie
In 1972 Wes Craven unleashed upon the world one of the most
frighteningly powerful, and shocking films that had ever been released. Even to
this day the film maintains that same bold edge. "The Last House on the Left", Wes
Craven's first film, is probably one of the most disturbing movies I have ever
seen. With a story that has been somewhat borrowed from Ingmar Bergman's "The
Virgin Spring", the movie is, as a whole, a pretty unrelenting tale of some
pretty hideous events. More than horror, this movie is sadistic portrayal of
things that truly can and do happen. Which is what makes this film work; it
causes you to realize that we sometimes live in world that is in itself a horror
movie.
This film is pretty low budget, and obviously so. The music (which is
actually mostly done by one of the stars of the film, David Hess) often doesn't
fit the movie. I'm not sure if it's because who's music it was, or if they wanted to
try to lighten up the movie, but in the end it just doesn't work all that well.
The camera work is sometimes shifty, but the most part it's OK. The film stock
itself, is very gritty, which works in favor of the film. The special effects,
for such a low budget movie are pretty good. There's not a whole lot of blood
or gore, but when there is, it's pretty intense.
Along with this movie comes its infamous rape scene. It's not visually
explicit, but it doesnt need to be. The film does a great job of making it a
horrible experience, both for the victim and for the audience. Which Im pretty sure
was Wes Craven's overall point in writing this film: make it as hard to watch as
possible. In that respect, Craven unquestionably succeeded. However, where he
fails is in his inclusion of the local law enforcements, which I guess is an
attempt at comic relief. However, it's nothing more than over the top
cheesiness, that does nothing to help the movie. Yet overall, I did like the
movie. Yes, it can be hard to watch at times, but that's part of its appeal.
Just another fun thing to think about is: the director of this film (Wes Craven)
and the Producer (Sean S. Cunningham), went on to respectively direct the first
in two very big horror series: "A Nightmare on Elm Street" & "Friday the
13th". I find that interesting if nothing else.
So if you're looking for a slasher, this may not be your thing. If you're
looking for a creepy suspenseful thriller, this may not be your thing either.
However, if you're looking for an exploitive film that is as sadistic as a film
can get, then this might be one for you to check out.
The DVD
The DVD is actually a pretty good one. The transfer is really good,
and considering the movie basically had to be pieced together to help create
the most whole movie they could (due to it being heavily cut upon its initial
release), the movie flows pretty good. You can tell there's some parts of the
movie that seem to cut too quick, or are missing a little bit of the scene.
However, it's not too frequent, and it doesnt get in the way of the enjoyment of
the movie.
The DVD also includes an entire truck-load of extras. It includes an audio
commentary from both Wes Craven and Sean S. Cunningham, both of whom remember a
whole lot about making the film (Wes Craven, generally speaking, seems to
always do really good commentaries). The commentary is non-stop, insightful, and
not only increases the enjoyment of the movie, but is pretty interesting as
well. It also includes a really good introduction, again mostly with Craven and
Cunningham. It has the original theatrical trailer, an interview featurette with
the cast, outtakes, and what's described as "forbidden footage". Overall the
extras are really cool, and will keep you busy for a while.
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DVD Rating |
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