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‘Last House on the Left’ 45 Years Later

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Before the term “torture porn” was even created there was the big bad grand-daddy film they all stemmed from, The Last House on the Left.  Not only was this movie extremely controversial for its time, as it still is now, it set the bar for the following trend of torture and revenge films in the years to follow; and it set it high.

Forty-five years have passed since the master of the macabre Wes Craven released The Last House on the Left, a movie so shocking it is still seen as taboo almost half a century later.  It’s also a movie so crude few others have come close to meeting its level of intensity and vulgarity without exceeding the atmosphere of reality… as disturbing as that reality may be.  Many who have tried either overshot the reality bar completely or just made a really, really disturbing rape movie with no plot, empty characters (victim and perpetrator alike) and no progression of a story line.


Aside from the movie itself the marketing for the film is one of the most intriguing and beautiful pieces I’ve ever seen in the genre.  Instead of the polished, glossy looks of movie posters from its day, The Last House on the Left went with a black and white gritty feel that very much resembled the movie.  It prepared the viewer for their upcoming experience.  Well, as prepared as you could be for a movie about rape and murder, when in reality nothing could really prepare mainstream audiences of 1972 for the events that would transpire on screen.

The tagline blatantly placed in the bottom right corner of the poster stated “To avoid fainting keep repeating it’s only a movie …only a movie …only a movie ….only a move.”  The poster’s ability to lure the unsuspecting audience into an uneasy mindset is very reminiscent of director William Castle’s days in the 1950’s.  Castle was a horror director known for using on and off screen gimmicks to capture the audience’s imagination and induce terror before the reel even began to roll.  He would offer refunds for those who were not brave enough to sit through his films.  He would claim the audience could influence the ending of a movie through a vote.  He was a marketing genius to the young and vulnerable crowds of early cinema.

The real beauty behind this movie is the staying power it has retained over the years.  Even forty five years later the scenes that caused audiences to cringe, wince, turn away, and awkwardly shift in their seat still plays the same today.  It is extremely rare for a horror movie to have this kind of staying power, especially with competition among horror movie creators being so high.

However, Craven had something very special about this movie that resonated with audiences and achieved him the crown of Scare Master; his monsters did not wear masks.  His monsters were real flesh and blood humans just like the people sitting in the audience watching them.  They did not suffer from a mental illness nor were they being forced at gunpoint to commit these acts.  They enjoyed the violence they created, plain and simple.  This human connection is one of the reasons Last House chilled viewers to the bone and continue to do so.

With the Manson Family crimes only a few years earlier and the trials still ongoing at the time of the movie’s release the era of cults and real life monsters was on the minds of many movie goers who sat in the darkened theater.  Monsters were no longer mythical figures who wore capes and had fangs, nor were they re-animated bodies with bolts in their neck or the flesh eating undead.  They weren’t even all male!  By throwing the female character of Sadie into this mix as a sadist and a driving force behind the violence blew minds everywhere!  It was finally becoming apparent in the media, and now in the cinema, monsters are as real as you and I.  They could be your neighbor, your child’s teacher, or even your brother.

In an era where the boogeyman didn’t need a mask to hide behind the atmosphere was ripe with fear, and Craven capitalized on this in The Last House on the Left whether he intended to or not.  These flesh and blood killers are still sensationalized in the media and relevant in the media today which is one of the main reasons this film still resonates with audiences worldwide and is still terrifying moviegoers today.

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Brad Dourif Says He’s Retiring Except For One Important Role

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Brad Dourif has been doing movies for nearly 50 years. Now it seems he is walking away from the industry at 74 to enjoy his golden years. Except, there is a caveat.

Recently, digital entertainment publication JoBlo’s Tyler Nichols talked to some of the Chucky television series cast members. During the interview, Dourif made an announcement.

“Dourif said that he’s retired from acting,” says Nichols. “The only reason he came back for the show was because of his daughter Fiona and he considers Chucky creator Don Mancini to be family. But for non-Chucky stuff, he considers himself retired.”

Dourif has voiced the possessed doll since 1988 (minus the 2019 reboot). The original movie “Child’s Play” has become such a cult classic it’s at the top of some people’s best chillers of all time. Chucky himself is ingrained in pop culture history much like Frankenstein or Jason Voorhees.

While Dourif may be known for his famous voiceover, he is also an Oscar-nominated actor for his part in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Another famous horror role is The Gemini Killer in William Peter Blatty’s Exorcist III. And who can forget Betazoid Lon Suder in Star Trek: Voyager?

The good news is that Don Mancini is already pitching a concept for season four of Chucky which might also include a feature-length movie with a series tie-in. So, Although Dourif says he is retiring from the industry, ironically he is Chucky’s friend till the end.

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Editorial

7 Great ‘Scream’ Fan Films & Shorts Worth a Watch

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The Scream franchise is such an iconic series, that many budding filmmakers take inspiration from it and make their own sequels or, at least, build upon the original universe created by screenwriter Kevin Williamson. YouTube is the perfect medium to showcase these talents (and budgets) with fan-made homages with their own personal twists.

The great thing about Ghostface is that he can appear anywhere, in any town, he just needs the signature mask, knife, and unhinged motive. Thanks to Fair Use laws it’s possible to expand upon Wes Craven’s creation by simply getting a group of young adults together and killing them off one by one. Oh, and don’t forget the twist. You’ll notice that Roger Jackson’s famous Ghostface voice is uncanny valley, but you get the gist.

We have gathered five fan films/shorts related to Scream that we thought were pretty good. Although they can’t possibly match the beats of a $33 million blockbuster, they get by on what they have. But who needs money? If you’re talented and motivated anything is possible as proven by these filmmakers who are well on their way to the big leagues.

Take a look at the below films and let us know what you think. And while you’re at it, leave these young filmmakers a thumbs up, or leave them a comment to encourage them to create more films. Besides, where else are you going to see Ghostface vs. a Katana all set to a hip-hop soundtrack?

Scream Live (2023)

Scream Live

Ghostface (2021)

Ghostface

Ghost Face (2023)

Ghost Face

Don’t Scream (2022)

Don’t Scream

Scream: A Fan Film (2023)

Scream: A Fan Film

The Scream (2023)

The Scream

A Scream Fan Film (2023)

A Scream Fan Film
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Another Creepy Spider Movie Hits Shudder This Month

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Good spider films are a theme this year. First, we had Sting and then there was Infested. The former is still in theaters and the latter is coming to Shudder starting April 26.

Infested has been getting some good reviews. People are saying that it’s not only a great creature feature but also a social commentary on racism in France.

According to IMDb: Writer/director Sébastien Vanicek was looking for ideas around the discrimination faced by black and Arab-looking people in France, and that led him to spiders, which are rarely welcome in homes; whenever they’re spotted, they’re swatted. As everyone in the story (people and spiders) is treated like vermin by society, the title came to him naturally.

Shudder has become the gold standard for streaming horror content. Since 2016, the service has been offering fans an expansive library of genre movies. in 2017, they began to stream exclusive content.

Since then Shudder has become a powerhouse in the film festival circuit, buying distribution rights to movies, or just producing some of their own. Just like Netflix, they give a film a short theatrical run before adding it to their library exclusively for subscribers.

Late Night With the Devil is a great example. It was released theatrically on March 22 and will begin streaming on the platform starting April 19.

While not getting the same buzz as Late Night, Infested is a festival favorite and many have said if you suffer from arachnophobia, you might want to take heed before watching it.

Infested

According to the synopsis, our main character, Kalib is turning 30 and dealing with some family issues. “He’s fighting with his sister over an inheritance and has cut ties with his best friend. Fascinated by exotic animals, he finds a venomous spider in a shop and brings it back to his apartment. It only takes a moment for the spider to escape and reproduce, turning the whole building into a dreadful web trap. The only option for Kaleb and his friends is to find a way out and survive.”

The film will be available to watch on Shudder starting April 26.

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