Susan's History with this movie: I have an extensive history with this movie. I feel it is one of Wes Craven's best films. He took a story previously told and made it his own. It's not a film I enjoy watching but one I respect.
The Last House on the Left was the breakthrough film for horror movie legend Wes Craven. This film is based on the 1960 Ingmar Bergman film “the Virgin Spring”.
The story begins with a young girl named Mari who sets out on an night out on the town. She is portrayed as an innocent girl, the daughter of a physician and the golden girl of her town.
The story then flashes to four convicts, three males and a women. The youngest male entices Mary and her friend up to his apartment for what it seems is a fairly innocent marijuana exchange. As the two girls enter the door is locked behind them and they struggle to leave the apartment . The next scene does not show any physical violence but leaves the audience with the knowledge that Mari’s friend is being raped by the two older men and the woman in the apartment. The next scene shows the two girls being thrown into the trunk of the convicts car. The music during this scene is very disturbing…..it’s an upbeat tempo which could be found in any romantic comedy of this time.
The convict’s car then breaks down and the two women are pulled into the woods right across from where Mari’s family lives. The next 30 minutes of this film are the most vile and misogynistic scenes I’ve ever witnessed in any movie. The two women are not only raped and violated by two of the older male convicts but also by the woman convict.
This film continues into a violent and bloody story of vigilantism on the part of Mari’s parents.
The Last House on the Left is not a typical slasher movie. The last 30 minutes of the film show Wes Craven’s imagination for the gruesome but the reality of the beginning of the film keeps you in a state of shock until the end. Mr. Craven tries to lighten the mood but all his attempts, in my opinion, are overshadowed by the horrific story told earlier.
Feminist Slasher Review:
While I think this is one of Wes Craven’s greatest films, it’s also one of the most disturbing movies I’ve ever seen. While Mari shows great strength through this film she cannot be considered a heroine. The other strong female character is Mari’s mother Estelle who feels so much pain for her daughter that she assists in the torture of those that are responsible for Mari’s fate.
This film does not exploit or objectify women in any way, if anything it makes people more aware of the horrors of life for our gender. That being said, I cannot give this a green light for this project. The reasons behind this are because of the blind hatred and understandable vengeance of the “heroes”. Unfortunately, that’s not a strength, it’s an impulse. This may be met with some objection, but I give this film a Red Light for the Feminist Slasher Project.
loved this post!
ReplyDelete