The Last House on the Left (1972)

Two teenage girls heading to a rock concert for one's birthday try to score marijuana in the city, where they are kidnapped and brutalized by a gang of psychotic convicts.

Director:

Wes Craven

Writer:

Wes Craven

Stars:

Sandra Peabody, Lucy Grantham, David Hess

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Sandra Peabody	...	Mari Collingwood (as Sandra Cassell)
Lucy Grantham	...	Phyllis Stone
David Hess	...	Krug Stillo (as David A. Hess)
Fred J. Lincoln	...	Fred 'Weasel' Podowski (as Fred Lincoln)
Jeramie Rain	...	Sadie
Marc Sheffler	...	Junior Stillo
Richard Towers	...	Dr. John Collingwood (as Gaylord St. James)
Cynthia Carr	...	Estelle Collingwood
Ada Washington	...	Ada
Marshall Anker	...	Sheriff
Martin Kove	...	Deputy
Ray Edwards	...	Postman

Storyline

On the eve of her seventeenth birthday, Mari Collingwood tells her parents that she is going to the concert of underground band Bloodlust in New York with her friend Phyllis Stone. She borrows the family's car and heads with her friend to a dangerous neighborhood in the city. Meanwhile, the sadistic and cruel escapees Krug Stillo and Fred 'Weasel' Podowski are hidden in a hideout with their partners Sadie (Jeramie Rain) and Krug's addicted son Junior Stillo (Marc Sheffler) after killing two guards and one shepherd in their runaway. The two girls seek marijuana near the theater and meet Junior that offers some Colombian grass to them. They go to his apartment and are subdued by the criminals that rape Phyllis. On the next morning, they hide the girls in the trunk of their convertible and head to Canada. However, they have a problem with the car's rod and they stop on the road close to Mari's house. When Phyllis tries to escape, the gang stabs her to death and shots Mari after ...

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Plot Keywords:

serial killer | female pubic hair | female full frontal nudity | female frontal nudity | maniac | 

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Taglines:

It's just across the street from "Joe".

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Genres:

Horror | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

Wes Craven: [Blurring of dreams and reality] Krug has an ominous dream sequence.

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Goofs

The Collingwoods' mouths don't move when they speak after finding Mari's body (again caused by editing when changes were made to the ending).

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Quotes

[first lines]
Postman: [to dog] Hello, Cassie! Hiya, girl! Hello, there! Now, let's see.
[looks through mail]
Postman: Ah, it looks like Mari's getting cards from half the civilized world. Mari Collingwood. Mari Collingwood. Mari Collingwood. You'd think she's the only kid to reach the age of 17. Of course she is probably the prettiest piece I've ever seen.

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Crazy Credits

In the 1980s, the American video versions contained additional text after the film had ended, reading: "Coming soon to a theatre near you. From the producers of Last House On The Left, and the director of Friday the 13th Part V, ... The Last House On The Left, Part II. You won't believe your eyes!" (No sequel ever materialized)

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Alternate Versions

The 1982 British release on the Replay video label omitted the scene where the sheriff and the deputy try to hitch a ride on Ada's chicken wagon, and the end credits were missing - though the now familiar 'freeze frames' of the principal actors appear, no credits are superimposed over them, and the final song continues to play over a completely black screen. In terms of gore and violence, the print Replay used was uncut.

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Connections

Referenced in The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs: Dinners of Death: The Hills Have Eyes (2018)

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Soundtracks

The Road Leads to Nowhere
Lyrics and Music by Steve Chapin & David Hess
Performed by David Hess

User Reviews

Haunting movie

I first saw Last House on the Left at the age of 18 at the drive in with my best girlfriend. This movie, an early outing by horror maven Wes Craven was so disturbing to me that 26 years later I am still haunted by the images on the screen. The story, of 2 young girls, approximately the same age I was when I saw the film, of being abducted, tortured, raped and then murdered is not for the faint of heart. The brutality and violence was staggering, and the film spoke volumes of the depravity of the human soul. I remember driving home with my girlfriend after watching this, and both of us were dead silent, each contemplating what we had watched and knowing that something like that could happen to us. This movie is one I know without a doubt, that I will never again watch, and now, being the parent of a daughter myself, I could never watch it and then allow her out of the house again. This is not a monster movie, the MONSTERS are human and all too real, especially in today's society filled with Ted Bundy's and The Green River Killer, this movie hits too close to home and leaves the viewer depressed and saddened at what human beings are capable of doing to other innocent people. Watch it if you dare, but be prepared to be left with a very hollow feeling after it is over.

Details

Official Sites:

MGM Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 August 1972 (USA)

Also Known As:

Last House on the Left

Filming Locations:

121st Street and 2nd Avenue, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$90,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Sean S. Cunningham Films, The Night Co., Lobster Enterprises

Technical Specs

Runtime:

84 min 64 min (heavily cut) 91 min (original cut) 82 min (R-rated)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1