Whether you love it or hate it (there really seems to be no in-between),you must admit that Last House on the Left is a powerful film. In my opinion, it may be one of the most important American films ever made. Screw Scream--this is Wes Craven's best. Combining professional and amateurish elements on a low budget, it has the scratchy, over-saturated look of a perverse home movie--and the rough edges make it all the more unforgettable. The actors are very good, especially David A. Hess in his definitive role as sadistic sex murderer Krug and Jeramie Rain as a deranged woman obviously modeled after Sadie Glutz. The brutal rape-murders and scenes of vengeance are staged in a chilling, claustrophobic manner that makes you feel like you're there. Oddly enough, the clash of light (the comically inept cops, the cheery soundtrack) and dark elements creates a juxtaposition that's even more disturbing; despite what's happening, the three nuts are enjoying themselves without remorse and the rest of the world just bounces along obliviously. Also, the cop scenes often provide a necessary break from the brutality, giving you a brief second to breathe before plunging you back in. A tone of grim tension is maintained throughout, and it clings to you long after you've left the Last House. How, you ask, could a person enjoy something like this? Because it does what a horror movie is ultimately supposed to do, and I know that in the end, "It's only a movie...only a movie...only a movie..."

At times, this has the look of something very artistic, starting with the gorgeous setting of the very colorful woodsy area where some of the horrors will later take place. Two girls heading to a concert never come home, and the viewer gets to find out what happened to them in a very graphic manner that will have sensitive viewers reaching for the fast-forward button. While they're on the road heading towards a concert, they hear about a group of prison escapees and their female accessory whose previous violent crimes a repulsive get to listen to. The two women ironically end up in their company, and of course eventually become victims.

The way the crimes are presented is there a torturous because nothing happens immediately, yet the two girls seem to know that they are eventually going to end up something great tortures, even though they are surrounded by the beauty of nature with a gorgeous stream and lush colorful trees. Their efforts to escape indicate that their final moments are going to be very brutal. Local police listen to their radio and like the idiot law enforcers of "The Dukes of Hazzard", end up on the case in a bumbling manner which includes bouncy music, and while the case sequences are nail-biting, the subject matter is truly disturbing and some of the visuals downright disgusting.

In a sense, this reminded me of "The Blair Witch Project", another outdoorsy horror film that I hated, and while I appreciated the photography and tension, it's not a subject matter that I like to see presented in such a gratuitous manner. The fact that the two officers are very close by when the killings actually happened is another disturbing element, although when the blood does appear, the colorful use of red foliage nearby does create an interesting aspect even if I was still grossed out. The best horror films are done with subtlety, and as someone who was never a fan of the slasher films that followed this, I found it disturbing that this is considered a cult film and a classic in the horror genre. For those who don't like disturbing themes, but want to see how it is set up before those situations occur, you have a good half hour before the fast-forward button will be your best friend. Other films of this genre that were mentioned as being similar I can easily pass on after seeing this one.

Wes Craven's first film is without a doubt one of the most brutal, intense and shocking movies you'll ever see. Before our eyes a catalogue of atrocities are carried out through the grainy eye of the unblinking camera. To make matters worse, Craven makes us get to know and care about the characters before the violence begins, which of course makes the eventual bloodshed all the more worse. Indeed this film made me queasy while watching, and it's not an easy film to sit through. It might be a good film, yes, but its definitely not enjoyable. Would you want to watch it again? I don't think so.

The film's low budget merely adds to the overall gritty feel of it. The only thing out of place is the inappropriate cheerful music which keeps popping up all of the time, we could have done without this. All characters are three-dimensional and understandable, even the psychopaths. Yes, they're psychopaths, but these people could be real, such things really do happen in real life. David Hess went on to carve himself a niche in these type of roles, as to portray a cold-blooded sadist was something he did with frightening realism. Cassel and Grantham are likable and heart-breaking as the subjects of the violent attacks, scenes hard to watch. Everybody in this film puts their heart into it.

Craven even experiments with manipulation of the viewer, in the final scenes getting us to cheer on a chainsaw murderer. The film questions violence and the primitive way in which it is a part of human nature. I wouldn't really recommend this film, see it if you have to. One viewing is way more than enough though.