A to Z Horror: “The Last House on the Left” (1972)

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I have finally seen The Last House on the Left (1972) (“L” of #AtoZHorror in August) and this movie took me by surprise, in a very good way actually. This was Wes Craven’s directorial debut and I gotta say this is some of his finest work. This has gotta be one of the most intense, shocking and twisted horror movies I have seen in my life.

In my eyes, the original is vastly superior to the remake, which I remember liking. The characters were very well developed, and at some points it felt so raw that it looked like a documentary that had a realistic shock value to it. I do think that at some scenes this movie went too far, and it just came over to me highly controversial, which is probably why it isn’t perfect. The score and soundtrack is really moody and terrifying and the kills and amounts of blood and gore were very insane. The ending literally leaves the viewer haunted and just shows that this movie had a very dramatic, shocking and sad feel to it.

Its a fairly memorable exploitation film, but its also a movie you either LOVE or HATE. And I am on the former side, I admit it had some problems but in a way this movie also blew my mind. I would still recommend this to any (horror) movie lover and to see what opinion others make from it. The remake, which I liked, wasn’t as shocking and haunting as the controversial original. I am happy Wes Craven made it big after this movie.

–Ferdi Akkulak

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