“The Last House on the Left” endures as a curious oddity from one of the genre’s most sensitive directors. It may seem counterintuitive, with “The Hills Have Eyes” and “A Nightmare on Elm Street” rounding out Wes Craven’s filmography. But in the horror genre, the late legend was as humanistic as they come. Craven was always interested in people, and while his output was often gruesome, it was never unnecessarily gruesome. For Craven, death was never a joke. Admittedly, the same is true of “The Last House on the Left,” an early progenitor of an entire subgenre of rape-revenge flicks, though Craven himself would later regret how far the film went.
Broadly, “The Last House on the Left” involves the sexual assault and death of young women. The film was even promoted with the slogan “Can a film go too far?” In one of his last interviews with The Front, Craven admitted that the legacy of his horror classic had indeed gone too far. It is a brutal, unforgiving film. Because of the low budget, its truth is frighteningly raw. Craven’s later career would be defined by his commitment to empathic, humanistic ideals, even as he pushed boundaries early on.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, there is help available. Visit Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network website or contact RAINN’s national helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).