Rating: 
Summary: Future "Scream" and "Friday the 13th" directors collaborate
Review: On the eve of her 17th birthday, Mari Collingwood (Sandra Cassel) and her more streetwise friend Phyllis Stone (Lucy Grantham) hit a seedy NYC neighborhood to score some grass and attend a concert. Things go awry when sadistic prison escapees Krug Stillo (David A. Hess) and Fred "Weasel" Padovsky (Fred Lincoln) along with Krug's junkie son Junior (Marc Sheffler) and their tough bisexual girlfriend Sadie (Jeramie Rain) kidnap the two, leaving Mari's parents baffled by her disappearance as they were planning her a surprise birthday party. While the police reassure them that "lots of kids stay out all night," the murderous bunch - and I'll leave out graphic details for those not yet initiated - rape, torture, humiliate, and finally murder the two helpless girls. But the thugs soon have their own run of bad luck as they turn up at Mari's parent's house seeking shelter, and as soon as the worried parents find out what happened to their daughter - and by whom - they hand out some discipline of their own.Shot in Westport Connecticut in the fall of 1971 (a lot of it in producer Sean S. Cunningham's mother's house and yard) this grisly little item with the working title Night of Vengeance pulls no punches and never gives the terrified viewer a break. This is a true horror film that you won't laugh off as the end credits roll, and writer/director Wes Craven himself is still startled by it even though he achieved his goal to make a movie that would scare the hell out of people. Many different cuts of this movie have been circulated due to the fact that irate theater managers and projectionists to name a few excised anything they found objectionable, and as a result Craven and Cunningham were hard pressed to come across a version that was virgin territory. Craven claimed that at the time he wasn't aware that legalities could force his hand when it came to the final cut, so the 1972 theatrical release and subsequent VHS release lost some footage. For the DVD release thirty years later, the film has been assembled in its complete form for the first time ever on home video. MGM certainly went all out to please the fans here. The DVD is at last presented uncut and in a new 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen (fullscreen on the other side) transfer which looks surprising good for a movie shot on 16 mm. We get a fair to poor 1.0 mono soundtrack as the sound on this movie wasn't recorded all that well. For those who can't make out some of the dialogue, theres also English, French, and Spanish subtitles and English Closed Captions. There's an entertaining and often amusing audio commentary by Wes Craven and Sean S. Cunningham, who seem to genuinely enjoy reliving the experience and poking fun at themselves. A definite high-point of the supplements is the featurette It's Only A Movie: The Making of the Last House on the Left, which features new interviews with Wes Craven, Sean S. Cunningham, Steve Miner, along with cast members David A. Hess, Fred Lincoln, Marc Sheffler, Martin Kove and Lucy Grantham. Like the commentary there's lots of information here, and a few amusing moments like when Fred Lincoln razzes David A. Hess for daring to say "[pee]your pants" to a girl. There's also the option of starting the movie with an introduction by Wes Craven, where he nervously informs us we're about to see the uncut version of the film, and how removing small children and pets from the room would be in our best interest. The theatrical trailer is included, and a silent ten minute montage of outtakes and dailies which includes the never used disembowelment scene, save for a few seconds in the final cut. Last but not least there's a short featurette titled Forbidden Footage, where cast and crew discuss the filming of some of the more violent scenes. A great package for the fans of this cult classic, and do send the kids to bed and the in-laws home first. And remember: To avoid fainting, keep repeating It's only a movie, only a movie, only a movie...
Rating: 
Summary: Wes Craven's Directoral Debut
Review: Though this movie is for the most part, a very low-budget, amateurish, & slightly comedic, LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT is also a very disturbing, twisted, & nightmarish horror film. Wes Craven's first effort, along with Tobe Hooper's TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE & George Romero's NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, ushered in a new breed of horror film. Films that leaves the audience sick to their stomachs & makes them feel very dirty after watching them. When PSYCHO made audiences stay away from the showers, LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT made them RUN TO the showers. This movie featured very graphic details of horror & violence. Though not as polished as his later films, LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT introduced Wes Craven to the unsuspecting world as a very imaginative & talented filmmaker.
Rating:
Summary: The most depressing movie ever made by a talented person
Review: I can't really "recommend" this film since it truly depressed me beyond description. But could it have had such a profound effect on me if there weren't some real skill involved in making it? I wouldn't see this--EVER--if you're weak of heart but it has certain qualities that make it noteworthy. The acting isn't all that great--no one here was ever seen again except the bumbling deputy--but it's not all that bad, either. And the brutality is so naked and raw, that you sometimes feel you're watching a snuff film. The cheap film stock only adds to that feeling--a feeling I never want to experience again.
Rating:
Summary: for genre fans
Review: Try to remember a time when horror movies weren't demographic-driven teenage slashers and actually took risks and you get "Last House on the Left," an early outing from director Wes Craven. The gritty story--about two girls who are abducted by a sadistic gang of thugs--is told with poignant realism and is benefitted by somewhat natural (read: bad) acting. The unnecessary goofiness of two dumb cops and the out-of-place soundtrack bring this one down a bit, but the realistic torture and murder snap things into perspective. This is generally nihilistic stuff, but represents an era when Craven wasn't pandering to get the youth vote.
Rating: 
Summary: This is not the version you want
Review: Any commercially released video of this Wes Craven classic is going to be a cut version. The so-called "uncut" Vestron issue wasn't uncut, and this new MGM version sure isn't. Whether there will ever be a definitive LAST HOUSE print is open to debate. As Michael Weldon wrote, "LAST HOUSE has been cut, recut, and had scenes replaced and removed so many times that stories about various legendary shocking scenes are hard to disprove." Regardless, more complete prints are available; I'm not at liberty to say where, but do some looking on the web. No wonder this movie has gotten so many negative reviews here. People are judging it by seeing a watered-down version. Don't impulse-buy this (here or elsewhere) because you're surprised to finally see LAST HOUSE back on video. It ain't the real deal. [NOTE: This review applies to the VIDEOCASSETTE version, NOT the August 2002 DVD, which is reasonably complete.]
Rating: 
Summary: Blow Your Brains Out!!!
Review: I am a huge fan of horror films. That being understood,I would not classify this as a horror movie. In fact, I don't know what I would classify this as. It's part horror, part exploitation, part action, part drama, and part slapstick. I found it very disturbing and graphic in its depictions of humiliation and savagery. The violence in this film is so gritty and in your face that you can't help but feel as helpless as the films young victims. The film shows no remorse at all for the torture inflicted on the helpless young women, and that is probably why people have such a strong response to this movie. Do yourself a favor and buy this film. It pushes all of the right buttons in your psyche to make you writhe at the torture of the victims, and at the same time love the villans as only a true horror fan can.
Rating:
Summary: What's the hype?
Review: Being a fan of horror movies and a horror writer, I took upon myself to buy this cult classic. First off, I applaud Wes Craven for his imaginative and rare plot. Too many filmmakers these days think shock and controversy are untouchable. The film was different, shockingly true, but definitely not as frightening as I expected. Many people found this movie disturbing, I found it too short, much more to expand on and the music has got to go! The quirky campy music took away from the suspence of the film. Maybe I would've enjoyed it more if I saw the uncut version. Very few horror films scare me...this one left me guessing whether to return it or treasure it just as it is...a rare cult classic!
Rating:
Summary: Definitely not a Great One
Review: Wes Craven's first movie may have started a great career, but I'm glad that Nightmare on Elm Street wasn't like Last House on the Left. The plot of this movie was weak and the gore wasn't that good. Being a guy, there was a part in the movie that did make me cross my legs, but if it weren't done by Wes Craven, I wouldn't suggest it at all.
Rating: 
Summary: Commentary on a cult classic...
Review: No question, this is a cult classic. But it's a cult classic because, first, it hasn't been the easiest film to find over the last 28 years. Run-down video rentals would have it, some rare mail-order houses...but until this re-release, it wasn't easy to find. That automatically raises the appeal of the film...so few people have actually seen it. Second, few films have such a questionable history of cuts-versions-editions. As one film reviewer put it, "a full print may no longer even exist". This re-release is significantly cut from the previous (out of print) video version to eliminate gore. It's not for the squeamish. It fits well though into the whole early 1970's bleak world view (Clockwork Orange, Exorcist, etc.) But if you're looking for a rare (and here I mean very very rare) complete print of a cult classic, find "The Wicker Man"...it's scarier than Last House and won't make you gag gore-wise. Gore in this movie is gratuitous (it's more artful and purposeful, for example, in Argento's "Suspiria"). Watch this one if you've never seen it...but I recommend renting an old copy rather than buying a new (cut) one.
Rating:
Summary: last house on the left...last time i watch a wes craven film
Review: last house on the left was complete and utter garbage. wes craven could have done better than this swampy trash people are actually calling a good film. it looks cheap, the acting is horrible and it has no real story. this is a horror movie alright...its a horror to watch that is, especially if your expecting to watch a good film. please i beg you, dont watch this movie.
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