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The Last House
on the Left
(Wes Craven, 1972)
Wes Craven's notorious debut feature was banned in Australia for several decades after its initial release, only coming onto DVD a few years back, never enjoying a proper theatrical release. Until now...
The plot's simple enough - a pair of young girls, Mari and Phyllis, head out to a rock concert. On their way, they cross paths with a bizarre family unit - escaped convicts Krug and Weasel, their woman Sadie, and Krug's son Junior. Unfortunately for Mari and Phyllis, Krug and his "family" are sadistic sickos who have their own plans for the two girls that've wandered into their midst...and it's at that point where I think I should leave the plot alone. I had the plot spoiled for me beforehand, and this did make the film a bit less shocking than it already was, but yeah, if you haven't yet had the "pleasure" of seeing this, I'll leave it at that. Needless to say, you could probably predict it rather easily as The Last House on the Left doesn't really have much priority thrown into its plot. The priority seems to be on the behaviour of the various individual characters as they are put through a simple yet no less horrifying ordeal.
As with a lot of the movies I've seen at the theatres recently, The Last House on the Left was an incredibly hilarious film for both the audience and I. The banal dialogue, pantomime acting and incredibly cheesy selection of soft rock from the era (late-1960s/early-1970s) set a surprisingly different tone to what I was expecting from this supposedly terrifying product of one of modern horror's best-known auteurs. Even when the film moved into more controversial territory, the fact that the filmmakers still utilised very corny audio cues made it quite interesting to watch. I wasn't entirely sure whether to be shocked to my core or laughing my arse off when Craven decided to lay a sugary pop single over the coercion of the two girls into a variety of humiliating acts such as intentionally wetting themselves. I didn't really feel strongly one way or the other, funnily enough. If I had been amongst the initial crowds who laid eyes on this film during its theatrical run back in the 70s, who knows how I'd have felt about such a bizarre juxtaposition of joy and horror - it invited comparisons to a certain scene in Reservoir Dogs. It makes me wonder what Craven was going for here.
The story's third act is probably the best, where Mari's parents find out about the quartet's actions and decide to take revenge in a variety of nasty ways (which I really feel tempted to spoil as it's quite a climax to the story). It all comes to a conclusion that is your average bittersweet revenge ending, where the parents have avenged their daughter at the cost of their humanity, and then cuts to a ridiculously bouncy pop song playing over the credits - a decision that caused everyone in the theatre to crack up. It was a gut laugh that was needed after the brutal climax of the story (which had various parts that caused the audience to collectively groan as one). I wonder if this makes the feeling of The Last House on the Left rub off at all - I'm sitting here now and I have to admit, I'm not really losing sleep over the events of the film. The tagline does tell you to think that "it's just a movie" as a means of lessening its effect on you, although considering the constantly humourous vibe of the film (intentional or not), maybe the film doesn't really need this kind of advice. Perhaps it didn't have this effect because I'm desensitised to this kind of thing, but I can imagine it having that kind of effect on somebody. Oh, well. In that case, I just have to enjoy what I felt - a laughably trashy yet still somewhat poignant exploitation film that's lost quite a bit of its impact, but not really much of its entertainment value.
GRADE: B-
The Texas Chain
Saw Massacre
(Tobe Hooper, 1974)
Unlike the previous film, I've seen The Texas Chain Saw Massacre before (this marks my third viewing) and had a better idea of what I was getting into. You should all know the drill for this film - a handful of youths are on a trip in Texas when they come across a house. Living in the house is a family of slaughterhouse workers turned cannibalistic serial killers, the most iconic of which is Leatherface (Gunnar Hansen) an oversized manchild who wears masks made of human flesh and chases his prey with a chainsaw that never runs out of petrol.
First things first - Texas Chain Saw Massacre is a superior film to The Last House in the Left. They share various similarities (grainy amateur look, a crazed family, use of a chainsaw, etc etc) but when it comes to being an effective horror, the Saw is king. While there were still quite a few moments where, by the filmmakers' intention or not, the audience were compelled to laugh at how ridiculous the onscreen action was, these were few and far between and, even though I'd seen it before, it was still very scary. Hell, maybe even scarier. I think that's the mark of a good horror film - one that not only manages to scare you well the first time you watch it, but on repeated viewings as well. Watching it in a theatre (as opposed to a TV screen that's only about a foot or two wide) also puts the film's distinct jarring style directly into your face (the same goes for the film's unusual sound design, which wreaks havoc on one's nerves). Whether that's to your delight or not is up to you, but I found it really did work in the film's favour, making it just that little bit more unnerving.
And unnerving it is. While it's pretty easy to see each kid's death coming from a mile off (even on first viewing), it still does nothing to stop tension building up. Not being able to tell exactly when Leatherface is going to lash out from around a corner (or even being able to predict the actions of the crazed hitch-hiker closer to the start of the film) works a treat for the film. The film maintains its edge the whole way through, right up to its incredibly abrupt conclusion (with the unforgettable image of Leatherface's frustration-filled "chainsaw dance" against the piercing orange sunrise).
I realise that Texas Chain Saw Massacre is a real "love it or hate it" proposition - I know members feel one way or the other around here, and you'll just have to put me in the former category, for I reckon that The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is a damned fine film. Feel free to point out whatever problems you have with the film - lame acting, irritating style, whatever - for I take them in stride when I lock myself in for a trip into the film's gritty world, where a roaring chainsaw motor is never far off in the distance...
GRADE: B+
The Last House
on the Left
(Wes Craven, 1972)
Wes Craven's notorious debut feature was banned in Australia for several decades after its initial release, only coming onto DVD a few years back, never enjoying a proper theatrical release. Until now...
The plot's simple enough - a pair of young girls, Mari and Phyllis, head out to a rock concert. On their way, they cross paths with a bizarre family unit - escaped convicts Krug and Weasel, their woman Sadie, and Krug's son Junior. Unfortunately for Mari and Phyllis, Krug and his "family" are sadistic sickos who have their own plans for the two girls that've wandered into their midst...and it's at that point where I think I should leave the plot alone. I had the plot spoiled for me beforehand, and this did make the film a bit less shocking than it already was, but yeah, if you haven't yet had the "pleasure" of seeing this, I'll leave it at that. Needless to say, you could probably predict it rather easily as The Last House on the Left doesn't really have much priority thrown into its plot. The priority seems to be on the behaviour of the various individual characters as they are put through a simple yet no less horrifying ordeal.
As with a lot of the movies I've seen at the theatres recently, The Last House on the Left was an incredibly hilarious film for both the audience and I. The banal dialogue, pantomime acting and incredibly cheesy selection of soft rock from the era (late-1960s/early-1970s) set a surprisingly different tone to what I was expecting from this supposedly terrifying product of one of modern horror's best-known auteurs. Even when the film moved into more controversial territory, the fact that the filmmakers still utilised very corny audio cues made it quite interesting to watch. I wasn't entirely sure whether to be shocked to my core or laughing my arse off when Craven decided to lay a sugary pop single over the coercion of the two girls into a variety of humiliating acts such as intentionally wetting themselves. I didn't really feel strongly one way or the other, funnily enough. If I had been amongst the initial crowds who laid eyes on this film during its theatrical run back in the 70s, who knows how I'd have felt about such a bizarre juxtaposition of joy and horror - it invited comparisons to a certain scene in Reservoir Dogs. It makes me wonder what Craven was going for here.
The story's third act is probably the best, where Mari's parents find out about the quartet's actions and decide to take revenge in a variety of nasty ways (which I really feel tempted to spoil as it's quite a climax to the story). It all comes to a conclusion that is your average bittersweet revenge ending, where the parents have avenged their daughter at the cost of their humanity, and then cuts to a ridiculously bouncy pop song playing over the credits - a decision that caused everyone in the theatre to crack up. It was a gut laugh that was needed after the brutal climax of the story (which had various parts that caused the audience to collectively groan as one). I wonder if this makes the feeling of The Last House on the Left rub off at all - I'm sitting here now and I have to admit, I'm not really losing sleep over the events of the film. The tagline does tell you to think that "it's just a movie" as a means of lessening its effect on you, although considering the constantly humourous vibe of the film (intentional or not), maybe the film doesn't really need this kind of advice. Perhaps it didn't have this effect because I'm desensitised to this kind of thing, but I can imagine it having that kind of effect on somebody. Oh, well. In that case, I just have to enjoy what I felt - a laughably trashy yet still somewhat poignant exploitation film that's lost quite a bit of its impact, but not really much of its entertainment value.
GRADE: B-
The Texas Chain
Saw Massacre
(Tobe Hooper, 1974)
Unlike the previous film, I've seen The Texas Chain Saw Massacre before (this marks my third viewing) and had a better idea of what I was getting into. You should all know the drill for this film - a handful of youths are on a trip in Texas when they come across a house. Living in the house is a family of slaughterhouse workers turned cannibalistic serial killers, the most iconic of which is Leatherface (Gunnar Hansen) an oversized manchild who wears masks made of human flesh and chases his prey with a chainsaw that never runs out of petrol.
First things first - Texas Chain Saw Massacre is a superior film to The Last House in the Left. They share various similarities (grainy amateur look, a crazed family, use of a chainsaw, etc etc) but when it comes to being an effective horror, the Saw is king. While there were still quite a few moments where, by the filmmakers' intention or not, the audience were compelled to laugh at how ridiculous the onscreen action was, these were few and far between and, even though I'd seen it before, it was still very scary. Hell, maybe even scarier. I think that's the mark of a good horror film - one that not only manages to scare you well the first time you watch it, but on repeated viewings as well. Watching it in a theatre (as opposed to a TV screen that's only about a foot or two wide) also puts the film's distinct jarring style directly into your face (the same goes for the film's unusual sound design, which wreaks havoc on one's nerves). Whether that's to your delight or not is up to you, but I found it really did work in the film's favour, making it just that little bit more unnerving.
And unnerving it is. While it's pretty easy to see each kid's death coming from a mile off (even on first viewing), it still does nothing to stop tension building up. Not being able to tell exactly when Leatherface is going to lash out from around a corner (or even being able to predict the actions of the crazed hitch-hiker closer to the start of the film) works a treat for the film. The film maintains its edge the whole way through, right up to its incredibly abrupt conclusion (with the unforgettable image of Leatherface's frustration-filled "chainsaw dance" against the piercing orange sunrise).
I realise that Texas Chain Saw Massacre is a real "love it or hate it" proposition - I know members feel one way or the other around here, and you'll just have to put me in the former category, for I reckon that The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is a damned fine film. Feel free to point out whatever problems you have with the film - lame acting, irritating style, whatever - for I take them in stride when I lock myself in for a trip into the film's gritty world, where a roaring chainsaw motor is never far off in the distance...
GRADE: B+