The Last House on the Left Review

Review of The Last House on the Left (1972) by screenqueeen: 👍 3/5

With such a weird mix of tones it's easy to see how people lead on a crusade to censor and even ban the film. The songs and intercuts to the family (pre-finale) and cops make sense as an illustration to show a more real-world (and real time) reaction to the film's most vile criminal actions. The cops only know they need to get there but their incompetence leads to their stranding themselves in a cartoonish subplot that feels equal parts ridiculous yet completely believable. I suppose the meat of the film has this aimless quality because the group of kids Mari run into are just so, their toxic bravado overriding any sort of "master plan" that would come naturally to more charismatic folk, effectively justifying the grossest of acts not only for them but for their myopic and susceptible followers. There's a lot in this but it feels so close to saying what it wants to say yet doesn't get there. This is one to revisit for me.