Hard to believe this was directed by the same man who brought us such overrated works as 'A Nightmare On Elm Street' and 'Scream.' 'The Last House On The Left' is a nasty piece of work when it comes to film-making - it being Craven's first film as director and one that leaves a horrible taste in the mouth after viewing. It's exploitation horror at its finest and has the feel of a horrid snuff movie inspired by the Manson murders and concerns two teenage girls who are planning to go to a concert together, but who end up in the clutches of a group of prison escapees, including the delightful Krug (whose name I'm sure would inspire Craven's Freddy Krueger character years later) who is played with venom by David Hess. From here on it's a roller-coaster ride of seediness, sex and slashing as the girls are subjected to all manner of sordid acts, resulting eventually in the death of one of them and a gory climax. It's hard to describe the dirty attitude of this film, but it's much preferred to the less adequate and equally controversial 'I Spit On Your Grave' but belongs in the same grotty pit. The acting is extremely realistic and the effects will have you at times turning away such is the depraved nature of things, and when accompanied by an almost contradictory soundtrack, 'The Last House...' plays out like a serial killer documentary at times.
It's no wonder 'The Last House...' caused such controversy during its release and ended up on the 'video nasties' list in 1982. Even today the film has suffered so many cuts that it's not really worth viewing, but despite its flaws and its bitter taste it is actually a good horror film that, like so many good horror films, spawned a terrible remake. Even so, whilst very much of its time one can see a quality amidst the horrible scenes and realise that this isn't just one of those films made to shock, but something with more depth but it's not the sort of flick you'll be slapping on during tea-time.
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