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The Last House on the Left (1972)
Country of Origin: USA
Year of Production: 1972
Running Times: 82m (Australia (video), USA (cut version))/84m
(USA - unrated version)/85m (Japan)/91m (Canada)
Length:
Format: Super 16mm (blown up to 35 mm)
Colour Format: colour
Ratio: 1.85:1
Sound: mono
DIRECTION
Directed by: Wes
Craven
CREW
 PRODUCTION
Production Companies: Sean S. Cunningham Films Ltd. present a film
from Lobster Enterprises
Copyright: © 1972 The Night Co.
Produced by: Sean S. Cunningham
Associate Producer: Katherine D'Amato
Unit Production Manager: Larry Beinhart
SCRIPT
Written by: Wes Craven
DIRECTION
Assistant Director: Yvonne Hanneman
PHOTOGRAPHY
Director of Cinematography: Victor Hurwitz
Gaffer: Dick Donovan
Stills: Steve Dwork (uncredited)
EDITING AND POST-PRODUCTION
Film Editor: Wes Craven
Assistant Editor: Stephen Miner
MUSIC
Original Music by: David Alexander Hess, Steve Chapin (uncredited)
SONGS AND ADDITIONAL MUSIC
"The Road Leads to Nowhere"
Steve Chapin & David Hess
"Wait for the Rain"
David Hess
"Sadie and Krug (Baddies' Theme)"
David Hess
"Now You're All Alone"
David Hess
SOUND
Sound: Jim Hubbard
Sound Mixer: Gary Leibman
Mix: R.S.I.
COSTUMES AND MAKE-UP
Costume Design: Susan E. Cunningham
Wardrobe & Make-up: Anne Paul
SPECIAL MAKE-UP
Special Make Up Effects: Troy Roberts (uncredited)
SPECIAL EFFECTS
Special Effects: Troy Roberts
TITLES AND OPTICALS
Title Design: David Miner
Opticals and Blow-up: The Optical House
OTHER CREW
Production Assistants: Steve Miner, Steve
Dwork
LOCATIONS
Locations: Long Island, New York, USA; Westport, Connecticut, USA; West
87th Street, New York, USA; 21st Street, New York, USA; Redding, Connecticut,
USA
CAST
Sandra Cassell (real name: Sandra Peabody) (Mari
Collingwood)
Lucy Grantham (Phyllis Stone)
David A. Hess (Krug Stillo)
Fred Lincoln (Fred "Weasel" Padowski)
Jeramie Rain (Sadie)
Marc Sheffler (Junior Stillo)
Gaylord St James (real name: Dick Towers) (Dr John Collingwood)
Cynthia Carr (real name: Eleanor Shaw) (Estelle Collingwood)
Ada Washington (Ada (driver of chicken truck))
Marshall Anker (Sheriff)
Martin Kove (Deputy)
Ray Edwards (real name: Ray Lovering) (mail man)
UNCREDITED
CAST
Jonathan Craven (kid with balloon)
Anthony J. Forcelli (ice cream store clerk)
PLOT SUMMARY
A gang of violent criminals, led by the appalling
Krug Stillo, escape from prison and hide out in a New York apartment.
They lure in two teenage girls with the promise of drugs and abduct
them. Out in the woods, they humiliate, rape, murder and mutilate the
girls, then find themselves seeking lodging in the home of one of their
victims. When her parents realise what the gang has done, they prepare
to take bloody revenge...
CAPSULE REVIEW
An influential but over-rated shocker that launched
Craven's career
and trailed controversy wherever it went. The grainy photography and
naturalistic performances add to the raw, powerful savagery of the piece
and there's certainly a lot more intelligence and commitment here than
in most films of its kind. But it's not a terribly good film - away
from the violence, it's often dull and uninvolving and the attempts
at comic relief are embarrassing. An important film, but not a great
one by any means.
AVAILABILITY
Belgium
Video Distributors: Hollywood Video
Canada
Theatrical Distributors: Cinéma International Corporation
Netherlands
Video Distributors: Empire (041)
DVD Distributors: Dutch Filmworks (DVD 009103 - includes: The Story
about the Making of Last House on the Left featurette; stills gallery)
UK
Theatrical Distributors: Oppidan (UK) Ltd (release cancelled after the
film was refused a certificate by the BBFC)
Video Distributors: Replay
USA
Theatrical Distributors: Hallmark Releasing Corp
Video Distributors: Vestron Video (1985)
DVD Distributors: MGM Home Entertainment
CENSORSHIP HISTORY
Australia
Rating: banned; R (1984 (uncut))
Canada
Rating: R
France
Rating: -16
Germany
Rating: 18
New Zealand
Rating: banned
Norway
Rating: banned
UK
Rating: banned; 18 (2002 (with cuts))
In November 2001, UK based video label Exploited submitted the film
to the BBFC who demanded 22 seconds of cuts. Exploited decided against
releasing the film in a compromised form. The film was eventually released
by Anchor Bay with no cuts from the BBFC but with some pre-cutting
USA
Rating: R (with cuts); unrated (director's cut)
West Germany
Rating: banned
TIMELINE
1971
September
17: USA - the screenplay is readied for shooting.
October
2: USA - shooting begins under the title Night of Vengeance in Westport,
Connecticut
1972
August
23: USA - theatrical release (as The Last House on the Left)
1974
July
4: UK - refused a certificate by the BBFC (for theatrical release)
2000
February
11: UK - refused a certificate by the BBFC (for theatrical
release)
1983
February
Day Unknown: UK - Video Viewer and Monthly TV Movie Guide vol 2 no 8
publishes a rare behind the scenes still of David Hess posing with a
machete for the first time.
2001
January
22: Netherlands - DVD release (Dutch Filmworks (DVD 009103))
POSTER TAGS
To avoid fainting keep repeating, it's only a movie.. only
a movie ... only a movie ... only a movie
Mari, seventeen, is dying. Even for her the worst is yet
to come.
Warning! Not recommended for persons over 30!
It's just across the street from "Joe"
Can a movie go too far?
Mari, diecisiete anos, se esta muriendo. Oero lo peor aun
no habia llegado para ella!
La casa estaba situada en una parcela sobre el mismo centro
del infierno...!
It rests on 13 acres of earth over the very center of hell...!
ALTERNATIVE TITLES
Derniere maison sur la gauche, La - French
title
Grim Company - US 16mm title
Krug and Company - early title
Men's Room, The- alternative title
Mondo brutale - West German title
Night of Vengeance - shooting title
Ostatni dom po lewej stronie - Polish title
Sex Crime of the Century - shooting title
Ultima casa a la izquierda, La- Spanish title
Ultima casa a sinistra, L' - Italian title
LINKS
SEE ALSO
Asylum of Satan (1972)
Jungfrukällan (1960)
Ecologia del delitto
(1971)
Ultimo treno
della notte, L' (1975)
FOOTAGE INCLUDED IN
American Nightmare,
The (2000)
Evolution of Snuff,
The (1977)
Mad Ron's
Prevue's from Hell (1987)
REFERENCES
MAGAZINES
Cinefantastique vol.3 no.1 (Autumn 1973)
p.35 (USA)
review (by David Bartholomew)
Film Comment vol.14 no.4 (July / August
1978) p.51 (USA)
illustrated review (Guilty Pleasures by Roger Ebert)
Filmfacts vol.15 no.24 (1972) pp.655 -
657 (USA)
illustrated synopsis, credits
Image et Son n327 (April 1978) pp.21-22
(France)
review
Is It Uncut? 4 pp.12-15 (UK)
illustrated review
Monthly Film Bulletin v49 n583 (August
1982) p.178 (UK)
credits, review (by Kim Newman)
Starburst 44 p.59 (UK)
review
Take One v4 N3 (January / February 1973)
p.33 (USA)
review
Video Week 5 January 1987 p.8 (UK)
note (about the banning of the film)
Video World June 1982 (UK)
note
Video World July 1982 (UK)
note
BOOKS
Hoffman's Guide to SF, Horror and Fantasy Movies
1991 - 1992 p.210
credits, review
Wes Craven's Last House on the Left: The Making
of a Cult Classic
book-length article
OTHER SOURCES
screen
credits
KEYWORDS
castration, chainsaws, criminals, drugs, escaped
prisoners, kidnapping, rape, revenge, suicide, teenagers, throat slitting,
torture, video nasties
Last Updated:
22 October, 2008
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