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Wes Craven’s early filmmaking technique, to me, feels very scattered. Scattered in the sense that he never knows exactly where he’s taking his projects. At least that’s my experience of him. Though, “The Hills Have Eyes” was brilliant, and another brilliant remake was released in 2006. For that, I may have brought my expectations a little too high, as I personally loved both the original, and the re-telling. His last successful tidbit came in the way of the “Scream” franchise, the first two being seriously entertaining pieces of work, and also hitting it big around the world. I, as well, am a big fan of them. I didn’t get the chance to see his most recent picture, in “My Soul To Take”, but now I’m sort of relieved, as the first ten minutes were brutal to watch, just terrible, and clearly portrayed just how rusty Craven is becoming.
The Last House On the Left was recognized as completely horrifying, shocking, and absolutely controversial. Back in the 70’s, certain lines weren’t to be crossed, as viewers hadn’t yet been exposed to the gory, sadistic way of Hollywood. Nevertheless, “Last House” crossed all the lines, setting a new standard in the way of horror, which, we all know, would be done hundreds of times not long thereafter, including most modern day takes on “Horror”. Of course, it’s not always good to include gut-wrenchingly wrong scenes, but sometimes it works just fine, adding to the intensity, entertainment value, and so on. Since “Last House” was made so long ago, I almost completely ignore the fact that, indeed violence is a higher priority than most anything else in this film. Also, the fact that it worked relatively well for what Craven was aiming for. He aimed to shock audiences, and he succeeded admirably, setting a new precedent for the next wave of terror.
If you’re from the new generation, you more then likely saw the remake first, just a couple years ago upon release. I don’t blame you, as once upon a time, I went straight for the “easy” stuff that didn’t require a whole lot of you’re attention. I think it’s always a good thing, going back to the roots of when, how, and what exactly the dawn of a franchise was. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a major one to note, and I highly recommend seeing that at you’re earliest convenience. Not to be missed. I wouldn’t call “House on the left” a must see by any means whatsoever. It may be a cult classic to a lot of people, but it’s not actually a very good film, and I will probably get it out of my head within the next couple of days. I’m not calling this a bad flick, more so just a typical, sadistic horror. Perhaps in 1972 I would have respected it a lot more. Unfortunately, today’s audience have been exposed to so much crap, it’s a shock that we even get “scared” anymore during a viewing experience. On the bright side, Craven’s vision still holds up relatively well, and the clichés are few and far between. I was also surprised by the father/criminal fight towards the end, as it actually impressed me, not seeming too cheesy in the process.
What lacks in the acting department, is easily overshadowed by the somewhat intense sequences of desperation that had me entertained for the most part. Another thing to note is the premise. While the execution may be nothing special, it’s the whole idea that appears genius in my book, and I hadn’t seen anything like it before viewing the remake, or this version. The plot says it all. The soundtrack is a wee bit cheesy, but I think Craven wanted that, as this film has a lot of comedic value as well. If you’re looking for a general revenge flick filled with some nasty stuff, then look no further. Just don’t think you’ll be that shocked at what you see, because, chances are, you wont be. Have fun with it, as it’s a decent little 80 minutes.
5.8/10
