The Last House on the Left

The Last House on the Left is a 1972 American exploitation horror film written and directed by Wes Craven. It stars Sandra Peabody, Lucy Grantham, David Hess, Fred J. Lincoln, Jeramie Rain, and Marc Sheffler. The plot follows Mari Collingwood (Peabody) and Phyllis (Grantham), two teenage girls who are going to a rock concert for Mari's birthday. While searching for marijuana in the city, they are kidnapped and brutalized by a gang of psychopathic convicts. 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 manner. 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. 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. Plot