Last House on the Left

Play trailer

Last House on the Left

R

Released Aug 30, 1972

1h 31m

Horror

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

64%

Tomatometer

42 Reviews

50%

Popcornmeter

2,500+ Ratings

Teenagers Mari (Sandra Cassel) and Phyllis (Lucy Grantham) head to the city for a concert, then afterward go looking for drugs. Instead, they find a gang of escaped convicts who subject them to a night of torture and rape. The gang then kills the girls in the woods, not realizing they're near Mari's house. When they pose as salesmen and are taken in by Mari's mother (Cynthia Carr) and father (Gaylord St. James), it doesn't take the parents long to figure out their identities and plot revenge.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Buy Now

Critics Consensus

Its visceral brutality is more repulsive than engrossing, but The Last House on the Left nevertheless introduces director Wes Craven as a distinctive voice in horror.

Read Critics Reviews

Keith Phipps

AV Club

It wouldn't work without the violence, but the violence alone doesn't make it work.

May 13, 2025

Full Review

Dave Kehr

Chicago Reader

It isn't artistically adroit, but if success in this genre is counted by squirms, it's a success.

Sep 26, 2007

Full Review

Jo Berry

Empire Magazine

Sartorially dated certainly, but still powerful, disturbing and raw.

Rated: 3/5

Sep 26, 2007

Full Review

Alan Jones

Radio Times

With David Hess giving one of the most evil performances in cinema history as the gang leader, this highly upsetting and uncomfortable viewing experience remains a benchmark in the annals of cinematic offensiveness.

Rated: 3/5

May 23, 2025

Full Review

Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

Craven gives his film an uncomfortable verisimilitude, setting it squarely in the heartland of modern America. While it’s at times awkward and inconsistent, with distracting comic interludes, his handling of the brutal horror scenes is unsettling ...

Oct 27, 2023

Full Review

Dennis Harvey

48 Hills

It struck a nerve at a moment when the Summer of Love already seemed ancient history, when the Manson murders, the never-ending Vietnam War and other factors had curdled idealism into escapism and reactionary paranoia.

Sep 7, 2022

Full Review

Read all reviews

thiago s

Filme bacana, o roteiro é mais ou menos, o filme mostra um grupo de caras e uma garota, que estrupam duas garotas e depois matam as duas, quando a família de um das garotas perceberam que ela estava desaparecida, ouviram uma gritaria na mata e acharam a garota ainda vida, depous no final a família da garota mataram os estrupradores junto com a vagabunda do grupo, e acabou o filme, com tudo isso, o filme tem cenas pesadas de estrupo, e eu meio que recomendo esse filme pela forte violência nele.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

03/17/25

Full Review

Shawn R

Not a good movie at all.. avoid at all costs

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

01/19/25

Full Review

Farah R

A Wes Craven flop that lacks intelligence and goes overboard with depictions of brutality.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

01/01/25

Full Review

Luis Otavio F

The last house on the left manages to be extreme to the limit and at the same time it is a horrible slapstick comedy, yikes.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

12/31/24

Full Review

Brad M

Just f÷%##& dumb. Even in the 70's.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

11/07/24

Full Review

John F

A minor entry for Craven but worth a watch for its depiction of how seemingly ordinary people are capable of doing awful things, for whatever reasons (be it revenge or otherwise).

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

11/01/24

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Wes Craven

Director

Sandra Peabody

Mari Collingwood

Lucy Grantham

Phyllis Stone

David Hess

Krug Stillo

F.J. Lincoln

Fred 'Weasel' Podowski

Jeramie Rain

Sadie

The Blood on Satan's Claw

73%

59%

The Blood on Satan's Claw

Watchlist

The Exorcist

78%

87%

The Exorcist

Watchlist

Friday the 13th

67%

60%

Friday the 13th

Watchlist

And Now the Screaming Starts

40%

43%

And Now the Screaming Starts

Watchlist

The Dunwich Horror

29%

29%

The Dunwich Horror

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Dave Chappelle Specials, Orphan Black, Train to Busan, and More on Netflix and Amazon Prime This Week

Best Reviews of Wes Craven Movies Through the Years

Wes Craven: 1939-2015

View more photos

Synopsis

Teenagers Mari (Sandra Cassel) and Phyllis (Lucy Grantham) head to the city for a concert, then afterward go looking for drugs. Instead, they find a gang of escaped convicts who subject them to a night of torture and rape. The gang then kills the girls in the woods, not realizing they're near Mari's house. When they pose as salesmen and are taken in by Mari's mother (Cynthia Carr) and father (Gaylord St. James), it doesn't take the parents long to figure out their identities and plot revenge.

Director: Wes Craven
Producer: Sean S. Cunningham
Screenwriter: Wes Craven
Distributor: Hallmark Releasing Corp., Vestron Video, MGM Home Entertainment
Production Co: The Night Co, Sean S. Cunningham Films, Lobster Enterprises
Rating: R
Genre: Horror
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 30, 1972, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 10, 2017
Runtime: 1h 31m
Sound Mix: Mono

Most Popular at Home Now