The Firelight Shocks DVD Review Section

The Last House on the Left Distributor: Imatim Diffusion (France) Region: 2 Ratio: 1:85:1 (Anamorphically enhanced) Sound: Mono

I'm sure you know all about this one. Wes Craven's directorial debut, produced by the creator of Jason Voorhess ­ Sean Cunningham, banned in the UK. Yes, Last House on the Left is one of the most controversial horror films ever made. The story is a take off from Bergman's The Virgin Spring, but what that film only hinted at is shown here in graphic unflinching detail, and Bergman's religious connotations are thrown out of the window entirely in favour of chainsaws and carnivorous blow jobs! Obviously aimed at the Grindhouse market, but with ambitions and philosophies well above its target thrill seekers, Last House remains a truly nerve jangling experience. Two teenage girls are captured, raped and killed by a gang of thugs (three guys, one girl), said group of psychos take refuge in a nearby house shortly thereafter. The house turns out to be owned by one of the dead girl's parents who go on to wreak a horrific vengeance! In the midst of all of this two comical police officers crack jokes and fall in mud as they try and get to the scene of the crime. So you have over the top scenes of comedy mixed with grim sequences of rape and murder. Does it work? Oh God yeah, it seems so insensitive and this perfectly evokes the mentality of the time. It's as if to say that no one cares about the atrocities that are unfolding (this was the Vietnam generation incidentally), and the different styles of music (a jovial country ditty is in perfect contrast to a heartbreaking folk tune) in the film prey upon your mindset perfectly. Very powerful stuff, however this does not take away from the voyeurism of the rape and torture scenes... As much as we may want to shower unconditional praise on Last House, its nastiest scenes are filmed in a documentary style manner and our emotions are not fed to us. It is feasible that the viewer can get whatever they want out the scenes where the two girls are forced to wet themselves, hit each other, make out and then face a horrific demise. Many will find such scenes unbearable to watch, but the camera is static, unflinching and, dare I say it, even unfazed by these atrocities and it is also perfectly imaginable that someone, somewhere is going to find this amusing or attractive. I don't agree with the BBFC's decision to ban this film, but it is undeniably problematic. That said, and far too many horror fans dare not to consider the 'other side' of many arguments, I find Last House a very difficult film to watch. It is a bit too rough and unpleasant for my liking, but in the same breath I also consider it to be a masterpiece of pure terror and one of the most unnerving films ever made. Until I saw The Blair Witch Project this was the only film which had kept me up at night. There's your recommendation. This is essential stuff and a strong indictment of the death penalty itself.

The Disc: This release has now been overshadowed by the Dutch Filmworks release, however for collectors this is going to be one very valuable disc (and no you can't have mine!). Extra wise you get a booklet with a Wes Craven/ Sean Cunningham biography and the disc itself contains a theatrical trailer. You cannot remove the French subtitles (why I do not know this was a very stupid decision because if you want you can view the film in French without any subs!) but the print is enhanced! The picture quality is very good too ­ showing Last House in a very clean light, probably making it look even better than it's supposed to! The sound is also perfectly acceptable, and the synching looks better than it ever did on video (some of Last House's dialogue was looped). Not a bad disc all in all then, but I bet it's not long before a Yank disc kicks this out of the water...