The Last House on the Left

Rating:
Summary: ZERO STARS!!! This movie [was bad]
Review: I love horror films, other Wes Craven movies, and realy sick and twisted stuff; but I can't stand this movie. I sat and watched it for the entire 1 hour and 24 minutes of it only to see what all the hype was about. I thought that since some people praised it so much that it was going to get better but I was dead wrong. The acting is bad, the editing is horrible, the sound is [poor], the plot [is bad], and I've heard better sound tracks out of every single porno movie I've ever seen! Some movies are so bad that the're funny; this movie is so bad the only thing that's funny is the idiots that say this movie is good. The uncut DVD version (the one I've seen) just means you have to waste more of your life watching this garbage. DON'T bother wasting your time with this ...!

Rating:
Summary: Not worth your time
Review: I know we can't like or hate the same movies, but this movie is not worth anybody's time of day. It could have been so much better if the atmosphere and music had been arranged more effectively. The music used is so bad that it's hard to imagine what the director was thinking - it's supposed to be a horror story, not a love story. Possibly, the use of nightime in some scenes would have created a more scary atmosphere. Nearly all scenes are daylight . Aside from that, the acting from the girls does not present any fear from their side. It gets worse though, the parent's acting doesn't show them as grief stricken,and the actor who played the mother was totally miscast. A very amateurish effect overall. While it remains banned in some countries (and may be the reason why it is considered a cult-classic), it was made way back when censorship laws were very tough. I had always wanted to see this, because it was a Wes Craven movie - but be warned, it's not at all as scary as they promise on the back cover. Wes Craven really hasn't made a decent movie when you think about it. Just rent this one if you have to see it. Definitely not worthy of cult-classic status. DVD has some features which are its only saving grace.

Rating:
Summary: HALLOWEEN, FRIDAY THE 13th, SCREAM...It all started here!
Review: THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT is certainly not the best thriller ever filmed, nor is it horror maven Wes Craven's best effort. It is, however, Craven's first feature-length stab (pun intended) at the horror genre, and for that reason alone, it will be of interest to any horror fan. Also, it is a groundbreaking piece, the first slasher-type flick to realistically and graphically depict stabbing, evisceration, and other such nasties. It should be easy for any horror fan to spot the influences of THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT in later films such as HALLOWEEN, FRIDAY THE 13th, and Craven's own masterpiece(s), the SCREAM trilogy.

In spite of the palpable bargain-basement production values, and regardless of the fact that some of the acting is far from Oscar calibre--to be fair, some of the acting in this film IS excellent, and besides, not all Oscar-winning performances are necessarily Oscar calibre, either--this film is nonetheless quite engaging, often repulsive, and relentlessly frightening. In fact, sometimes the cheapie quality works to advantage, evoking a gritty realism that makes the film seem more like a documentary than a work of fiction.

The new MGM DVD version of this movie is well worth the very reasonable price. According to Wes Craven in the newly added optional-play intro, this is the first time since its original release that the film has been made available in the original, uncut (or as restored as much as possible) form. And it comes with lots of cool extras, too, not the least of which are a couple of documentaries featuring interviews with most of the cast, some of the crew, and Wes Craven himself.

Be forewarned that THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT is most certainly not every viewer's cup o' tea...not even every horror buff's. The raw sense of realism, the inexorable graphic violence, and the ambiguous morality of even the film's protagonists create a psychological intensity that can be a bit hard to take. Viewers who are weak of stomach or weak of mind may do well to heed the advice of the movie's trailer and repeat to themselves, "It's only a movie...it's only a movie...it's only a movie...."

NOTE: THE FOUR-STAR RATING IS FOR FANS OF THE GENRE. Non-genre fans will probably get sick, throw up, and pass out while watching this film.

Rating:
Summary: Don't Believe the Hype
Review: The Last House on the Left fell horribly short. Lines are awkward, acting terrible, and the plot was that of a third grader. . This movie is not scarey, not explicit or even half GOOD! I would have given it less stars but factoring in that it was Wes Cravens first movie and filmed in the early seventies it was probably scarey and horrible to audiences.

Rating:
Summary: Exploitation ...
Review: ...This is not a
Horror" movie but rather a cheply made exploitation film ...The acting is bad, the script is bad and this film is horrible except for the rather campy ending of revenge with the father who weilds a chainsaw and buzzes the maniac who raped his daughter. The extras on the dvd were better than the movie...

Rating:
Summary: A Million Laughs in this Horror Flick
Review: My father picked up this movie this past weekend and brought it home claiming that when he saw it, he remembered that it was scary. Let me clarify this, there are no scary parts to this movie or no parts in the movie that can be considered scary. It does have to be said that there are some gore scenes, but they are truly not a scare.

Now if you will please look at the cover to the movie, and you will note the house on it. Well let me say that, this house in NOT in the movie. I don't understand why they decided to put that house on the cover.

It is time for a quote from the back of the dvd, "The Last House on the Left will make you deadbolt your doors and frantically mutter It's only a movie...it's only a movie." Besides the deadbolting doors, the rest is true. This movie is so incredibly bad that you might not think it is a movie.

The reason for 2 stars might be going through you mind. That is because of the hilarious incidents involving the police officers and the happy music throughout the picture, even through the death scenes. One of my favorite examples is when the chief of police is interviewing the missings girls parents and he states that the "cake" that he is eating is superb. Then another officer comes into the house saying that the girls are still not found and asks, "Is there any more cake?" Another classic example is when the cops realized that they left the kidnappers car on the side of the road, so on their way back to the car they ran out of gas.

I would not recommend this movie for anyone. Except if they are willing to waste 1 hour and 24 minutes of their lives.

Rating:
Summary: Wes Craven's stomach-turning debuts on DVD.
Review: The term "Cult Classic" was made for movies like this, since it got more notoriety among horror fans than any other movie. It's reputation for raw brutality and uninhibited violence still stands 30 years after the movie being made. "Last House On The Left" is one of those movies you enjoy, even though the probably shouldn't.

"Last House On The Left" follows the standard revenge formula, in which two teenagers are murdered, and the parents execute a terrible revenge on the killers. The characters are surprisingly well developed, considering that characters in movies like this usually exist for the sole purpose of dying a bloody death. The cast contains largely unknown actors who had little subsequent success after "Last House On The Left", and as the commentary suggests, this movie might have been the reason for that. "Last House On The Left" looks like what it is, an ambitious amateur movie, which tried hard to push the envelope, and succeeded. The acting and writing is all amateur night, and there are areas where the movie suffers from ill-timed humor. The police characters were totally unnecessary, and only adds screwball, "Dukes of Hazzard" style comedy where it is neither needed nor wanted. One thing I will give kudos for is the music score, which is the best example of juxtaposition I have seen in a horror movie. Watch it and you'll see what I mean.

This is the closest thing to the completed version that has ever been released. The original cut ran 91 minutes, but with much of the scenes edited out to meet the sensitivities of the public at large, and much of the audio for the cut scenes being lost, a full version would be impossible. The DVD runs 84 minutes, which amounts to roughly 1-2 minutes of gore, but believe me, you will notice the difference if you've seen the edited version. The picture quality brings the best out of a bad print. The picture is grainy and dirty at times, but like all low-budget movies, it is hard to make it look like it was shot in 35mm. The DVD extras are plentiful, and should more that appease horror fans. It has a 28 minute documentary aptly titled "It's Only A Movie", and it features Wes Craven et all giving their insights into the impact and appeal of the movie. The commentary by Craven and Sean S. Cunningham is inspired, funny, and thought provoking. The reel of deleted scenes is the real gold mine for collectors. Included at all the violent bits that they cut out, including the infamous disemboweling scenes. People with weak stomachs should avoid this movie at all costs. To the curious, be warned.

Rating:
Summary: Yikes!
Review: I have seen many, many horror movies and this has got to be the most terrifying one I have ever seen! The realistic, low-budget style is perfectly suited for the genre (nothing mysterious or supernatural going on here, just straight-up violence).

It certainly is not the kind of movie you'll want to see again and again (assuming you're normal), but if you are really interested in horror films, you should see it at least once.

Rating:
Summary: How to see the full uncut intestines scene on this DVD
Review: First of all this is a good movie by Wes Craven. This was
his first movie. Anyway all you need to do is go on to the documentary "Forbidden Footage" while Wes is talking it goes into
that seen and you see a lot more than you do on the movie. So this DVD is basically uncut but to get a pinch more go on to "Forbidden Footage". Most people should know this but if you don't than know you know. Just so you know the VHS IS cut and the DVD is pretty much uncut...

Rating:
Summary: Excellent!
Review: No spoilers in this review :)

This film is still banned in Australia, so ordering from Amazon is a must to import it. While the DVD has the pan&scan transfer making it double-sided which it didn't need, and doesn't include a chapter-list insert the movie itself is presented very well.

This movie is about the horrors of real life, and about the people who create these horrors. The scenes in this movie are utterly compelling and chillingly real. The picture has some grain, however much better quality then previous releases and adds to the film's atmosphere (gives it a real life feel like the stilted effect used in war movies).

The film which most closely resembles this one is Saving Private Ryan and has several similarities - it is about the real-life horrors of war and like Last House On The Left doesn't show the characters or the audience any mercy. The footage is very real and you can feel the character's pain.

If you can sit through one you can sit through the other, so in closing I'd just like to say that this is defiantly the second-best horror film I've seen (The Exorcist is the best horror film). So I recommend The Exorcist and Saving Private Ryan if you like this film, I recommend this film if you like Saving Private Ryan or The Exorcist.