Saw Last House on the Left (1972 version.) It was one of those endurance films that are just unpleasant for the sake of unpleasantness. Well, not quite. There is some interesting discussion on revenge vs justice to be had here, some thoughts on reaping and sowing. But in my begrudging post-film attitude, I attribute these solely to The Virgin Spring, the movie which was the basis of this one. This one is a prototypical exploitation film. Nasty, brutish and short, the scenes of rape and carnage have this lurid, leering, are you not entertained quality. I find Wes Craven's style to be as sleazy and gross as the worst of Tarantino's excesses but without any of the redeeming wit or cool.
Then again, was I not entertained? I confess I was and in my vile bestiality (which this film caters to (which is what makes me so uncomfortable)) I wanted the bad guys to suffer more. Home Alone-style hokey traps were not enough. I wanted protracted days of suffering. It really inspires juvenile feelings of 'what would I do?' The film is fascinating and awful, like a train wreck. It does grab the attention and if you're into raw, hard-to-watch stuff this is for you.
Don't get too scared about it though. Much of the film is spent getting you to hate the bad guys and the comic bumbling of the cops is meant to function as simultaneous tension-building and comic relief but winds up being kind of neither. Not the top of the heap, difficulty-to-watch-wise, but a valiant attempt and a real chore to sit through for a normal human being.
PS - keep an eye out for when the character Sadie says 'I can get you out of here.' We never find out if she was lying or not. I love that.
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