Films from the Horror Age: THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT

Something I’ve been thinking about a lot since posting on MS.45 is my dissatisfaction with the films ultimate approval of the philosophy of “redemption through revenge”. Thana’s transformation into clerically attired vigilante assassin represents her soul being cleansed through violence; passing on pain to those who have wronged her relieves her suffering. While I am drawn to the intensity of the narrative of redemption through revenge, I find it a morally dubious philosophy and dislike seeing it romanticized. The validity of revenge is generally embraced by our culture and at many levels of governance, especially so in the distribution of force needed for waging war and keeping the peace. How you view the ethics of revenge filters your view of retaliation and justice.

While it is rarely mentioned overtly, a central argument in favor of the death penalty is revenge. I’m against the death penalty for many reasons but part of it is that I don’t believe it really helps victim’s families by replacing one act of violence with another. They must face the truth that any justice served by execution only really helps in the abstract; it will not change what has happened to their loved ones. Victims must also suffer through another transgression, even if only by tragic association. Murder is murder, state sponsored or not.

I believe the soul is corroded by violence, not redeemed. I’m drawn to films that reflect this philosophy and paint a bleak and unrewarding picture of revenge. Even though I admit I enjoy sharing in the visceral thrill and fantasy of cinema violence, I abhor it in real life. A film that makes it impossible for me to reconcile these conflicting allegiances is Wes Craven’s 1971 directorial debut THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT, A horror movie that attacks the idea of redemptive violence with a laser-like precision that transcends the films low-budget sleaze.

THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT follows very closely in plot to Ingmar Bergman’s 1960 film THE VIRGIN SPRING about a medieval Swedish family that avenges the rape and murder of their teenage daughter by taking justice into their own hands. In both films the families unknowingly invite criminals who defiled their daughter into their homes, discover their true identities, and then kill them in the night. While the surviving family of THE VIRGIN SPRING is blessed after their revenge by a divine miracle, the family in THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT truly becomes more monstrous than their prey and finds no salvation through their deeds. They’re left with nothing but themselves and the horrible memory of what they’ve done.

Craven continued this theme of middle-class revenge throughout his celebrated career, but would never again create a film that would challenge the audience as directly as THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT. In part a comment on the Vietnam War being brought home to suburbia through television and the draft, THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT displays violence as thoroughly repugnant and without virtue. This approach runs counter the tantalizing thrill of voyeuristic violence that horror films bank on (and whole-heartedly exploited in the marketing of the film). There is a subversive nature to horror films like THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT in that they peek the curiosity of the id and then scold the ego for indulging in such transgressions. To see a horror film that is so brutal and unromantic lays bare the pathetic reality of violence and forces us to re-examine our views of revenge and justice.

This is not a movie I would want to watch again, or even really enjoyed. I maintain, however, that watching the film was ultimately a therapeutic experience. While the common argument made is that these types of films only perpetuate further violence and perversion, I would argue they have the opposite effect and in fact humanize their audiences. I have no scientific or statistical evidence to back this hypothesis but I do plan on future posts utilizing theoretical analysis and image search to address the issue.


(The father in THE VIRGIN SPRING (Max von Sydow) post-murder but pre-divine miracle. This is the scene THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT ends on. The father in THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT is played by the guy holding a chainsaw in the poster at the top.)