Last House on the Left

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Last House on the Left

R

1972

1h 31m

Horror

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

67%

Tomatometer

51 Reviews

50%

Popcornmeter

2,500+ Ratings

Teenagers Mari and Phyllis head to the city for a concert, then afterward go looking for drugs. Instead, they find a gang of escaped convicts who subject them to a night of torture and rape. The gang then kills the girls in the woods, not realizing they're near Mari's house. When they pose as salesmen and are taken in by Mari's mother and father, it doesn't take the parents long to figure out their identities and plot revenge.

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Critics Consensus

Its visceral brutality is more repulsive than engrossing, but The Last House on the Left nevertheless introduces director Wes Craven as a distinctive voice in horror.

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Chuck Bowen

Slant Magazine

Apr 29

This is horror cinema as punk rock.

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Keith Phipps

AV Club

05/13/2025

It wouldn't work without the violence, but the violence alone doesn't make it work.

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Dave Kehr

Chicago Reader

09/26/2007

It isn't artistically adroit, but if success in this genre is counted by squirms, it's a success.

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Bill Gibron

PopMatters

Apr 29

Thanks to the brilliant direction, this film is really two long fuses that are lit one after the other. The audience can only sit back and wait for each volatile circumstance to explode.

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George Anderson

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Apr 29

Recommended only for card-carrying sadists.

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Michael Gingold

Fangoria

Apr 29

Beyond the fact that it pushed violence past any previous boundaries back in 1972, Last House’s power has been attributed to its rough-around-the-edges, documentary-style shooting.

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Rio P

@Ericraymond111 May 16

Disturbing but a good movie

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Sérgio N

@RT03383691 May 6

Awful! Bad performances, completely out-of-context soundtrack, etc. I don't remember the remake, but from the trailer I just watched, it really seems infinitely better. Spoiler alert: Commentary containing parts of the film. And what was that about the guys suddenly showing up at her house? And what was that about the parents suddenly finding her at the lake?

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bret A

@RT57082650 Mar 12

cravens first movie david hess is sexy

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Steven F.

@SteveGotScored Feb 13

Such a brutal classic!

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Robson C

@RT82519826 Nov 1

Mari e sua amiga vão à cidade para assistir um show de rock, porém elas acabam cruzando o caminho de bandidos violentos e sádicos. Primeiro filme de Wes Craven, o filme sofre da inexperiência do seu diretor e do orçamento baixo. Um detalhe que acaba indo contra o filme é o elemento de humor, totalmente desconexo da proposta do filme. Os personagens dos policiais são totalmente inúteis, além de que suas cenas quebram o ritmo do filme. Temos a boa atuação dos bandidos. Outro detalhe risível é todo o planejamento da execução da vingança dos pais de Mari, principalmente o seu pai. Em um determinado momento, me lembrou um Esqueceram de Mim adulto. Ainda bem que Wes Craven pode demonstrar o seu talento para o horror em outros filmes como Quadrilha de Sádicos, Hora do Pesadelo e Pânico. Aniversário Macabro se encaixa mais como curiosidade e cult.

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Meatatarian T

@Meatatarian Sep 13

If your looking for a disturbing film, this isn't it. It's dated and a little silly about a couple of escaped convicts that terrorize some teen girls. It's OK but not what it's claimed to be.

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Synopsis

Teenagers Mari and Phyllis head to the city for a concert, then afterward go looking for drugs. Instead, they find a gang of escaped convicts who subject them to a night of torture and rape. The gang then kills the girls in the woods, not realizing they're near Mari's house. When they pose as salesmen and are taken in by Mari's mother and father, it doesn't take the parents long to figure out their identities and plot revenge.

Director: Wes Craven
Producer: Sean S. Cunningham
Screenwriter: Wes Craven
Distributor: Hallmark Releasing Corp., Vestron Video, MGM Home Entertainment
Production Co: The Night Co, Sean S. Cunningham Films, Lobster Enterprises
Rating: R
Genre: Horror
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 30, 1972, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 10, 2017
Runtime: 1h 31m
Sound Mix: Mono