Having made the decision to re-watch
and review this film, I realized on the way home that I was actually
dreading it. This isn't a film that's meant to be enjoyed. It
exists as a dare. And I don't blame the people who've chickened out
of that dare.
Lots of horror movies have tried to
market themselves as an experience rather than a story: Psycho,
Paranormal Activity, House on Haunted Hill, and The Tingler
to name just a few. But what's unusual about The Last House on
the Left is that it's actually kept this status. I've rarely
heard anyone discuss the film, except in terms of its ability to
horrify. Documentaries about horror movies rarely show anything
other than the original trailer. And I can see why, as most of the
memorable scenes have no place on television.
The basic plot is quite simple. Two
girls, Mari and Phyllis (Sandra Cassel and Lucy Grantham) go to a
concert. They are lured to a hotel room with promises of cheap pot,
and then kidnapped by two prison escapees along with their two
accomplices. The girls are raped and left for dead in the woods.
Then, through a remarkable coincidence, their killers stay at the
home of one of the victim's parents (Cynthia Carr and Gaylord St.
James). And upon discovering what the killers have done, the parents
take their revenge.
While disturbing, this film is
definitely a reminder of why the 70s are regarded as the greatest
decade of American cinema. A generation of filmmakers, freed of the
Hayes Code at long last, were ready to really experiment. It's
unlikely this film could have been made at any other time. It's
disturbing, but much of its action takes place in broad daylight, and
there's no hesitation to contrast brutality with humor. Even as Mari
and Phyllis are being humiliated, tortured, and raped, we get scenes
of Mari's parents fooling around at home. Later in the film, we
watch of two bumbling policemen trying to chase the criminals.
Of the four criminals, two are
basically filler characters. One of the escapees, Weasel (Fred
Lincoln), seems to be there mainly to give the villains a little more
muscle and the heroes one more gory death to cause. And Sadie
(Jeramie Rain), the female accomplice, is there because... well,
criminals in movies have their love interests with them. Also, she's
bi-sexual, and assaults the girls along with the men.
The two villain characters who actually
matter are Krug (David A Hess) and his son Junior (Marc Sheffler).
Krug is a monster, leading all the others without dispute. We're
told early in the film that he's hooked his own son on heroin to
control him. This makes Junior a character who you can't help but
have mixed feelings about. He never takes part in the rape and
murder of the girls, but he lures the girls in on his father's
orders. However, his ultimate fate, being ordered by his own father
to commit suicide, and doing it because he's lost all hope, makes you
feel sorry for him.
While both the girls, and eventually
all four gang members, meet their fates, there are only really three
scenes that stand out as truly shocking. The first is, of course,
the rape of the two women. I challenge anyone to watch this film's
depiction of rape and call it “glorified.” I've never seen two
women undressing each other in a manner that's less erotic. Krug
acts as a dictator for this scene, controlling their actions, and
leaving them completely powerless. It's notable that after finally
completing the act, Krug shows the only signs of remorse he displays
in the entire film… a few moments of looking uneasy. Even he knew
that what he'd done was horrific!
The second scene is Weasel's death.
Not knowing that the parents are on to them, he attempts to seduce
Mari's mother, bragging how he can “take a woman with my hands tied
behind my back.” The scene involves him letting her tie his hands
behind his back, and placing his cock in her mouth. Three guesses
how that ends.
The final scene is, of course, Junior's
death. The actors playing Krug and Junior give performances that can
really make you cringe. Selling a scene in which a young man kills
himself on his father's orders certainly isn't easy, especially when
that young man had already been shown turning on his father moments
before, pulling a gun on him. But Junior is disturbed enough, and
Krug manipulative enough, that we buy it.
Krug's death is actually a bit too
over-the-top to be truly disturbing. Having finished off his
minions, the father confronts him with a chainsaw. Krug is unable to
escape because they've electrocuted the doorknob. Finally, after a
long period of Krug holding pieces of furniture in front of him to
protect himself, he's beheaded. Then the cops arrive, and happy
banjo music starts playing as we see the credits.
This is a film for people who can
handle it. Watch it if you want the bragging rights of having seen
it, not because you want to be entertained. If you want to be
entertained, you might want to watch the remake, which is
substantially watered down but not a terrible film in and of itself.
The original... well, don't use it for date night.
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