The Last House on the Left is a 1972 American exploitation horror film written, directed and edited by Wes Craven in his directorial debut. The film follows Mari Collingwood (Sandra Peabody), a hippie teenager who is abducted, raped, and tortured by a fugitive family on her seventeenth birthday. When they unwittingly seek refuge in her home, the killers face the vengeance of her parents.
Craven based the film on the 1960 Swedish film The Virgin Spring, directed by Ingmar Bergman, which in turn is an adaptation of the Swedish ballad "Töres döttrar i Wänge". Craven developed the film with producer Sean S. Cunningham after working with him on Together (1971) and once the filmmakers obtained small funding from Hallmark Releasing to make another feature film. Craven wrote a script (originally overtly pornographic) on the concept of shock factor, wanting to depict violence in a realistic matter. Once casting began, Craven promised the actors auditioning that the film would instead be a traditional horror film.
The film was initially damaging to Craven's career and was controversial for its marketing, with the tagline "Can a movie go too far?", advertising its violence. While not being a massive box office draw at drive-ins, it grossed $3 million against a budget of under $90,000. Critics derided the film for its confrontational violence and Craven's use of black comedy—scenes of slapstick comedy intercut with scenes of rape and humiliation. However, it has since achieved a cult following and was nominated for AFI's 100 Years...100 Thrills. The film was particularly troubling for lead actress Peabody, who recalled struggling filming due to a constantly changing script and suffering abuse from her male co-stars. Many of the other actors involved in the film have expressed regret for starring in it decades after its release.
Plot[]
Mari Collingwood plans to attend a concert with her friend Phyllis Stone, for her seventeenth birthday. Her parents, Estelle and John, express their concern about her friendship with Phyllis, but let her go and give her a peace symbol necklace. Phyllis and Mari head into the city and on the way, they hear a news report of a recent prison escape involving criminals Krug Stillo, a sadistic rapist and serial killer; his heroin-addicted son, Junior; Sadie, a promiscuous psychopath and sadist; and Fred "Weasel" Podowski, a child molester, peeping Tom and murderer. Before the concert, Mari and Phyllis encounter Junior while he is trying to buy marijuana. He leads them to an apartment where they are trapped by the criminals. Phyllis tries to escape and reason with them, but she fails and is gang-raped. Meanwhile, Mari's unsuspecting parents prepare a surprise party for her.
The next morning, Mari and Phyllis are bound, gagged and put in the trunk of Krug's car and transported to the woods. Mari recognizes that the road is near her home. Phyllis is forced to urinate in her jeans and Mari and Phyllis are forced to perform sexual acts on each other. Phyllis distracts the kidnappers to give Mari an opportunity to escape but is chased by Sadie and Weasel, while Junior stays behind to guard Mari. Mari tries gaining Junior's trust by giving him her necklace and calling him "Willow". Phyllis stumbles across a cemetery where she is cornered and stabbed by Weasel. She crawls to a nearby tree and is stabbed multiple times, dying in the process. Mari convinces Junior to let her go, but her escape is halted by Krug. Krug carves his name into her chest, then rapes her. Mari vomits, quietly says a prayer and walks into a nearby lake, where Krug fatally shoots her.
After they change out of their bloody clothes, the gang goes to the Collingwoods' home, masquerading as traveling salesmen. Mari's parents let them stay overnight. The gang finds photos of Mari and realize it is her home. Later, when Junior is in the midst of a heroin withdrawal, Estelle enters the bathroom to check on him and sees Mari's peace symbol necklace around his neck. She finds blood-soaked clothing in their luggage and overhears them talking about Mari's death, and of her disposal in a nearby lake.
Estelle and her husband rush into the woods, where they find Mari's body and decide to take revenge. Estelle seduces Weasel, bites off his penis and swallows it, and then leaves him to bleed to death. John takes his shotgun and shoots at Krug and Sadie. Krug escapes into the living room and overpowers John, before manipulating Junior into killing himself. John fetches a chainsaw, and Krug attempts to flee but is incapacitated by an electrocution booby-trap. Sadie rushes outside and falls into the backyard swimming pool where Estelle slits her throat. The sheriff arrives just as John kills Krug with the chainsaw.