ETPC

tonight's movie was last house on the left (1972), the directorial debut of the legendary Wes Craven! and, uhhhhhhhhhhh......i don't like it. and before i start, i want to ackowledge that there is a distinct possibility my copy was fucked up in some way, owing to the fact that this movie was cut to shit by everyone back in the day, meaning some sequences are completely lost. i remember watching this back when i was a teen and i remember a dead character being very much alive at the end, for example! and dad remembers watching this in the 80's and it being far more visceral and intense. so, all that in mind, the version i watched may not be reflective of the Best Version. anyway. the movie is a tonal fucking mess. it feels like the most violent and depraved episode of Leave it to Beaver or Hee Haw you've ever seen. almost every time the movie is about to do something fucked up, it immediately cuts to a scene of like...people making a cake, or two cops trying to find a ride. no scenes are allowed to breathe, and the movie suffers for it. the story is that Mari Collingwood (Sandra Peabody) is going out with her friend Phyllis Stone (Lucy Grantham) to go see a band, much to the chagrin of Mari's parents. before going to the show, they also want to get some pot. meanwhile, four killers have escaped from prison and are hiding out in a safe house and trying to keep low. Sadie (Jeramie Rain), the den mother, demands equal representation in the gang before she has sex with anyone again, so Junior (Marc Sheffler) is sent out to sit on the stoop and lure in any unsuspecting women. Mari and Phyllis run into Junior and ask him for weed, which he says they have inside. upon entering the safehouse, Junior locks the door as the killers begin to prey on Mari and Phyllis, and hijinks ensue. i also understand this was among the first movies of it's kind (that of the domestic terror variety) and paved the way for movies like Texas Chainsaw Massacre and I Spit On Your Grave but at the same time.....it's just so fucking cheesy and corny and impossible to take seriously except for a few scenes. i really don't know if the other versions are edited better or something, but i was really disappointed in this. if you watch it, please look up the CW's because boy howdy there are a lot.