THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT (1972) Blu-ray Review – The Last Release You’ll Ever Have To Buy
Starring David Hess, Fred Lincoln, Jeramie Rain, Marc Sheffler
Directed by Wes Craven
Distributed by Arrow Video
The late, great director Wes Craven’s debut feature, The Last House on the Left (1972), garnered so much notoriety during its release it still wears that battle as a badge today, over 40 years later. The film plays out relatively tame by modern standards, but Craven’s brutal reinterpretation of Ingmar Bergman’s The Virgin Spring (1960) – itself an adaptation of a 1673 Swedish ballad, “Töres döttrar i Wänge” – has enough of a lo-fi edge to deliver an experience equal parts visceral and vicious. I remember watching the film for the first time in 2002, when MGM finally gave the full uncut version a DVD release. How I missed it on VHS for all those years I’ll never know, but it was a title that had been built up in my head because of the slick ‘70s marketing that was effective enough to be remembered – and celebrated – after all these years. It’s only a movie… only a movie… only a movie… And yes, that’s true. It is just a movie, and it played for shocks more than actual scares. Craven would save that component for his next feature.
We’ve all seen this film at least a half dozen times, right? Krug (David Hess) and his trio of cronies – Weasel (Fred Lincoln), Sadie (Jeramie Rain), and Junior (Marc Sheffler), Krug’s son – escape from prison and hole up in a downtown motel. Mari (Sandra Peabody) and her bestie Phyllis (Lucy Grantham) head into that same downtown to see a concert, deciding to score a little jazz cabbage before grooving to some tunes. Unfortunately, the “pot dealer” they meet is Junior, who invites the girls into his shared room where they’re immediately held hostage by Krug and the others. The girls are transported to the nearby woods where the criminals assault, rape, and kill them in horrific ways. Later, the thugs serendipitously wind up at the home of Mari’s parents, who recognize a necklace Junior is wearing as their daughter’s and surmise they are the ones responsible for her disappearance. Brutal retribution at the hands of Mari’s parents follows.
Peabody and Grantham are asked to perform humiliating acts on camera, and it is a testament to their acting both behave like the scared, confused, and desperate teenagers they play on screen. Peabody’s blind stumbling post-assault is pitiful, making the gang’s next move seem extra sadistic. Krug’s backups are one-dimensional pond scum but there’s something extra behind Hess’ eyes, which is why he stands out among the cast. Krug is necessarily a complex character but he has a bit more gray matter than the rest put together. His comeuppance is the most satisfying of them all, naturally. The film’s only true deficiency lies with a couple bumbling cops who appear sporadically and kill tension and pacing. Otherwise, Craven’s film remains potent and primal.
If there is one aspect of Arrow’s releases I can consistently laud, it is their frequent transparency in divulging video and audio sources and the efforts made to restore older pictures. The included booklet has a lengthy write-up on the search for the best possible elements but, long story short, the best they were able to acquire was a 35mm dupe negative, which was scanned in a 2K and meticulously restored. Because Last House was shot on 16mm it’s never going to look pristine, but just like the work done on The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) the lower-resolution image here has been spruced up and tightened up in every possible way. The 1.85:1 1080p image is remarkably remastered, with a near-total lack of damage and dirt to be seen. Softness and occasionally muddiness is an inherent issue that won’t ever be “corrected” but this clearly bests any previous release and, along with the extras, can surely be considered the definitive final word on home video.
Audio comes in the form of an English LPCM 1.0 mono track, which has had all instances of hissing minimized, allowing dialogue and the film’s score, provided by Hess, to be delivered with sonic clarity. The music is a product of the times, sounding like it would be better suited in a hippie nature documentary – but it works; mostly. Subtitles are available in English SDH.
Arrow has loaded this collector’s edition with a crippling amount of content, including the alternate cuts of the film previously only found on Anchor Bay’s U.K. DVD release.
Disc One kicks off with three audio commentary tracks – one, a new track featuring Bill Ackerman and Amanda Reyes; two, with Wes Craven and Sean S. Cunningham; three, with David Hess, Marc Sheffler, and Fred Lincoln.
David Hess’ score is available to hear on an isolated track.
An archival introduction to the film by Wes Craven has been included.
Still Standing: The Legacy of The Last House on the Left is a 2009 interview with Craven.
Celluloid Crime of the Century is a 2002 documentary on the making of the film, featuring interviews with the cast & crew.
Scoring Last House is a 2002 interview with Hess, discussing his other contribution to the picture.
It’s Only a Movie: The Making of The Last House on the Left is another 2002 featurette about the production.
Forbidden Footage has the cast & crew discussing the film’s more graphic elements.
Junior’s Story is a 2017 interview with actor Marc Sheffler.
Blood and Guts: A Conversation with Anne Paul is a new interview with the film’s makeup artist.
The Road Leads to Terror – The Locations of Last House is a revisit of filming locations with Michael Gingold.
A deleted scene, “Mari Dying at the Lake”, is included. I always thought it should have been left in the movie.
A lengthy reel of outtakes & dailies is included, though it runs for over 45 minutes, looks rough, and contains no sound.
The disc is rounded out with trailers, TV spots, radio spots, and a couple of extensive image galleries.
Disc Two is where fans can find both the R-Rated Cut of the film, as well as the alternate Krug & Company edit. It’s great to have these as curiosities but my preference is always going to be for the most complete version possible.
The Craven Touch is a new compilation of Craven contemporaries discussing what made the late director’s films so memorable.
Early Days and Night of Vengeance is a new trip down Memory Lane, this time with filmmaker Roy Frumkes.
Tales That’ll Tear Your Heart Out is a 1976 unfinished anthology film by Craven. It does not contain sound.
Marc Sheffler Q&A” was taken from a 2017 screening of the film in Los Angeles.
Songs in the Key of Krug features previously unseen footage from a Hess interview.
Krug Conquers England is another archival piece, this one covering the film’s first fully uncut screening in the U.K.
Additionally, this attractive set also includes a copy of David Hess’ score on CD, a two-sided fold-out poster, six lobby card postcards, reversible cover artwork, and a60-page perfect bound booklet with writing on the film, photos, and technical information. It doesn’t get any more definitive than this.
Special Features:
- Three cuts of the film newly restored in 2K from original film elements
- Original Uncompressed Mono Audio
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- Double-sided poster featuring original and newly commissioned artwork
- 6 x lobby card reproductions
- Limited edition perfect-bound book featuring new writing on the film by author Stephen Thrower
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Paul Shipper
DISC ONE THE UNCUT VERSION
- High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation of the Uncut Version
- Brand new audio commentary by podcasters Bill Ackerman and Amanda Reyes
- Archival audio commentary with writer/director Wes Craven and producer Sean S. Cunningham
- Archival audio commentary with stars David Hess, Marc Sheffler and Fred Lincoln
- Junior s Story a brand new interview with actor Marc Sheffler
- Marc Sheffler in Conversation at the American Cinematheque
- Brand new interview with wardrobe and make-up artist Anne Paul
- Songs in the Key of Krug never-before-seen archive interview with David Hess
- Celluloid Crime of the Century archival documentary featuring interviews with Wes Craven, Sean S. Cunningham, actors David Hess, Fred Lincoln, Jeramie Rain, Marc Sheffler and Martin Kove
- Still Standing: The Legacy of The Last House on The Left archival interview with Wes Craven
- Scoring Last House on the Left archival interview with actor/composer David Hess
- It’s Only a Movie: The Making of The Last House on the Left archival documentary
- Forbidden Footage the cast and crew of Last House on the film s most controversial sequences
- Deleted Scene
- Outtakes and Dailies
- Trailers, TV Spot & Radio Spots
- Image Gallery
DISC TWO THE KRUG & COMPANY & R-RATED CUTS
- High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation of the Krug and Company and R-rated cuts of the film
- The Craven Touch brand new featurette bringing together interviews with a number of Wes Craven s collaborators, including Sean S. Cunningham, composer Charles Bernstein, producer Peter Locke, cinematographer Mark Irwin and actress Amanda Wyss
Early Days and Night of Vengeance filmmaker Roy Frumkes remembers Wes Craven and Last House on the Left - Tales That’ll Tear Your Heart Out excerpts from an unfinished Wes Craven short
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The Last House on the Left (1972)
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Special Features
Summary
Arrow Video’s collector’s editions are often the final word on home video for horror classics and this impressive release for one of the ’70s most infamous grindhouse features is unquestionably as good as it gets. Buy it.
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