Review of The Last House on the Left (1972) by Kenny N — 05 Nov 2015

The ultimate exploitation picture. But nobody did it with as much style, panache, gusto, bravery, intelligence, and structure than a young up and comer named Wes Craven. Long before he created Freddy Kreuger and proved himself to be one of horror film making's greatest auteurs.

(while also proving himself to be skilled at non-horror movies such as the criminally underrated superhero movie "Swamp Thing" and the heartfelt and touching "Music of the Heart), he was just an anonymous porno director who sought to break out of the underground with something big and terrifying.

The fruit of his labor is this film. The plot is bare bones: two girls go to concert, get kidnapped by an escaped group of psycho convicts, are tortured and raped and left to die, the criminals head down to a house not far from the scene of their horrific crimes, not knowing the occupants are the Mom and Dad of one of the dead girls, they make themselves at home, the parents discover who they are and what they've done, and decide to avenge their daughter.

To me, the most shocking scenes of violence and terror are the ones in which the formerly meek and mild mannered average white parents turn into brutal and ruthless vigilantes in their personal quest for justice.

The Mom's a good Christian woman, but after seeing her daughter's bloated bloody corpse wash up on the shores of the lake near their home, she decides to put into action one of the Good Book's oldest principals: an eye for an eye.

That's a deepness the average exploitation flick (your "Reefer Madness" or your "I Spit On Your Grave") doesn't have the brains to achieve. Yes this movie is sick and twisted, and yes, you will wonder what is the true meaning of "right and wrong.

" But just like the trailer said, you'll witness the shocking events and calm yourself by repeating "It's only a movie. It's only a movie...".