Review of The Last House on the Left (1972) by Jesus H — 20 Nov 2009

This is a raw film. Like rough near documentary raw. Actually, scratch that, documentaries don't attempt at style like this one does and doesn't have several unfunny comical cop duo things to soften up the rape scenes.

I saw this in a theater with an original print from 1972 which is apparently the only one in North America. It was a decent print and I haven't seen this film before. Like most horror films of the 1970s for me, it's another lackluster effort that got some sort of a cult audience somehow. It's not scary as it is trying to be disturbing which just comes off as lame to me when the film wants to have it both ways and try to find a meaning in it all.

It sounds like i'm trashing this film and in a way I am, but the film also isn't boring or made me just want to leave like it's rip-off's such as Death Weekend do. This is decent trash but I refuse to place it next to better 1970s efforts like The Exorcist or Halloween. Oh, did I mention this movie has a theme song at the end where someone sings what happens in the film? Who takes this film seriously.