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Late to the Party: The Last House on the Left (1972)

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Welcome back to another edition of Late to the Party! This week, I finally watched Wes Craven’s 1972 debut film, The Last House on the Left.

For the uninitiated, The Last House on the Left tells the unfortunate tale of two young girls who head to “the city” for a concert. They get caught up with a gang of recently escaped convicts who tear them away for a brutal and horrific escapade. But that’s just the beginning; it continues on in a dark and vaguely-Straw Dogs inspired tale of vicious vengeance that truly satisfies.

via IMDb

Right from the start, I was taken with the film’s opening. The mailman’s monologue (dialogue, if you consider the fact that he’s talking to a dog I guess) immediately establishes the age, name, and popularity of young protagonist and future victim Mari (Sandra Peabody). It personalizes her, so even though we don’t spend a lot of time with her character, we connect with her as a “real” person who others care a great deal about.

via IMDb

As Mari and her friend Phyllis (Lucy Grantham) begin their joyful jaunt to the city, the car radio warns them of the sinister escapees. As the audio plays, the shot cuts to each character as they are mentioned in turn. We are given a confirming glance at each of them, providing the harsh details of their capabilities.

via IMDb

The real MVPs of The Last House on the Left are Mari’s parents, John (Richard Towers aka Gaylord St. James) and Estelle (Cynthia Carr). While Estelle connects the dots and discovers their daughter’s fate, John is kind of an O.G. Kevin McCallister, building a series of sophisticated booby traps using household resources. Estelle has a fantastically gnarly moment of manipulation, using her feminine wiles to go hard on one of the criminals in his most vulnerable state. It’s great.

via IMDb

The Last House on the Left was hugely successful, grossing over $3 million domestically on a humble budget of $87,000. Most critics found it too disturbing and didn’t quite know what to make of it – except Roger Ebert, who unexpectedly gave it three-and-a-half out of four stars.

Due to the controversially violent nature of the film it was broadly censored. The United Kingdom actually banned the film, adding it to their list of “video nasties” (which – in its own way – is a kind of status symbol). Over the years, The Last House on the Left has gained an impressive cult following. A sequel was planned, but never came to fruition, though a remake was released in 2009.

via IMDb

Although there are a few soundtrack choices that don’t quite age well (they create a contrast to the film’s overall tone and acts on screen, but perhaps the music is a touch too relaxed), The Last House on the Left is an absolute classic. It’s a shocking revenge tale that holds up over time.

 

For more Late to the Party posts, see our full list here

Featured image via Chris Fischer

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Watch ‘The Burning’ At The Location Where It Was Filmed

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Fangoria is reporting that fans of the 1981 slasher The Burning will be able to have a screening of the film at the location where it was filmed. The movie is set at Camp Blackfoot which is actually the Stonehaven Nature Preserve in Ransomville, New York.

This ticketed event will take place on August 3. Guests will be able to take a tour of the grounds as well as enjoy some campfire snacks along with the screening of The Burning.

The Burning

The film came out in the early ’80s when teen slashers were being churned out in magnum force. Thanks to Sean S. Cunningham’s Friday the 13th, filmmakers wanted to get in on the low-budget, high-profit movie market and a casket load of these types of films were produced, some better than others.

The Burning is one of the good ones, mostly because of the special effects from Tom Savini who had just come off of his groundbreaking work on Dawn of the Dead and Friday the 13th. He declined to do the sequel because of its illogical premise and instead signed on to do this movie. Also, a young Jason Alexander who would later go on to play George in Seinfeld is a featured player.

Because of its practical gore, The Burning had to be heavily edited before it received an R-rating. The MPAA was under the thumb of protest groups and political bigwigs to censor violent films at the time because slashers were just so graphic and detailed in their gore.

Tickets are $50, and if you want a special t-shirt, that will cost you another $25, You can get all the information by visiting the On Set Cinema webpage.

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‘Longlegs’ Creepy “Part 2” Teaser Appears on Instagram

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Longlegs

Neon Films released an Insta-teaser for their horror film Longlegs today. Titled Dirty: Part 2, the clip only furthers the mystery of what we are in for when this movie is finally released on July 12.

The official logline is: FBI Agent Lee Harker is assigned to an unsolved serial killer case that takes unexpected turns, revealing evidence of the occult. Harker discovers a personal connection to the killer and must stop him before he strikes again.

Directed by former actor Oz Perkins who also gave us The Blackcoat’s Daughter and Gretel & Hansel, Longlegs is already creating buzz with its moody images and cryptic hints. The film is rated R for bloody violence, and disturbing images.

Longlegs stars Nicolas Cage, Maika Monroe, and Alicia Witt.

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Exclusive Sneak Peek: Eli Roth and Crypt TV’s VR Series ‘The Faceless Lady’ Episode Five

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Eli Roth (Cabin Fever) and Crypt TV are knocking it out of the park with their new VR show, The Faceless Lady. For those unaware, this is the first fully scripted VR horror show on the market.

Even for masters of horror like Eli Roth and Crypt TV, this is a monumental undertaking. However, if I trust anyone to change the way that we experience horror, it would be these two legends.

The Faceless Lady

Ripped from the pages of Irish folklore, The Faceless Lady tells the story of a tragic spirit cursed to wander the halls of her castle for all of eternity. However, when three young couples are invited to the castle for a series of games, their fates may soon change.

So far, the story has provided horror fans with a gripping game of life or death that doesn’t look as if it will slow down in episode five. Luckily, we have an exclusive clip that may be able to satiate your appetites until the new premiere.

Airing on 4/25 at 5pmPT/8pmET, episode five follows our final three contestants in this wicked game. As the stakes are raised ever higher, will Ella be able to fully awaken her connection with Lady Margaret?

The faceless lady

The newest episode can be found on Meta Quest TV. If you haven’t already, follow this link to subscribe to the series. Make sure to check out the new clip below.

Eli Roth Present’s THE FACELESS LADY S1E5 Clip: THE DUEL – YouTube

To view in the highest resolution, adjust the quality settings in the bottom right corner of the clip.

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