“The Last House on the Left” endures as a curious oddity from one of the genre’s most sensitive directors. That may seem counterintuitive, with “The Hills Have Eyes” and “A Nightmare on Elm Street” rounding out Wes Craven’s filmography. However, in the horror genre, the late legend was as humanist as they came. Craven was always interested in people, and while his output was often gruesome, it was never needlessly cruel. To Craven, death was never a joke. Admittedly, the same holds for “The Last House on the Left,” an early progenitor for an entire subgenre of rape-revenge features, even if Craven himself would later regret how far the film went.
Broadly, “The Last House on the Left” involves the sexual assault and death of young women. The film was even promoted with the tagline “Can a movie go too far?” In one of his last interviews with the Front, Craven admitted that the legacy of his horror classic had indeed gone too far. It’s a brutal, unforgiving film. Because of the low budget, its verisimilitude is frighteningly raw. Craven’s later career would be defined by his commitment to empathic, humanistic ideals, even if he pushed boundaries to their limit early on.
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN’s National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
Early in “Assault on Precinct 13,” the gang shoots a little girl after approaching her in an ice cream truck. Although Carpenter has contended the death was needed to illustrate how senselessly violent the gang is, he has also hinted at regretting the death. As standards have shifted, it’s likely a bit too shocking. Still, it’s the most talked about moment in one of Carpenter’s best.
Spike Lee is one of the most compelling voices in contemporary cinema. Lee ceaselessly reinvents himself, shifting from comedy to war to the minutiae of Black urban life to broad blockbuster crime thrillers. His first feature, “She’s Gotta Have It,” starring Tracy Camilla Johns, is one of his best. He even won the Prix de la Jeunesse (Award for the Youth) at the 1986 Cannes Film Festival, an honor that accelerated his cinematic career. Principally a comedy, “She’s Gotta Have It” nonetheless contains a sexual assault the director would later regret.
The movie follows Johns’ Nola Darling as she juggles three suitors. It’s an affable performance, and Lee proves himself an astute observer of distinctly Black interpersonal relationships — material that contemporary film still doesn’t depict often enough. Speaking with Deadline in 2014, Lee noted one regret in his career — the aforementioned assault. “It made light of rape, and that’s the one thing I would take back,” Lee says. It’s a laudable admission indicative of Lee’s ability to reflect upon himself, cinema, and storytelling. “She’s Gotta Have It” is a perfect calling card for a moviemaking powerhouse, even if that regrettable scene stands out.
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN’s National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
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