The Last House on the Left (1972)

The Last House on the Left (UR) - Review

"Knock Knock"

Wes Craven's debut, a dirty nasty rape and revenge tale, put him on the map.  Purely exploitative and amateurish to the point of almost being in snuff film territory, TLHOTL has a hostile reality that can't be denied but is probably unwanted.  Torture scenes are long and torturish, both for the young girls and us their audience.  One of the first slasher pics, the movie is also famous for switching gears and turning the victim's parents loose on their tormentors for some sadistically evil revenge.  Raw and shocking even now, TLHOTL is perhaps best left to history; how it launched Craven out of his then career as a film pornography director, and how close House on the Left is to those dark roots.

4 Drool Stains out of 10 (BAD)