obliviousally_lj

So last night we watched the original Last House on the Left.

To say it was disappointing from all the hype it has would be an understatement. We just....really weren't scared or horrified by it at all. I mean, the girls were stupid enough to go in some stranger's house for pot when there were already radio warnings about VIOLENT CONVICTS who were escaped from prison. Yeah, whatever, it's the seventies, BUT STILL. Common sense, bitches.

Then you have the first of two rape scenes, which wasn't even anything special in terms of a horror movie. Even the other girl, who's looking on, isn't even all too concerned. Okay, the argument can be made for 'shock', but I was just bored by it.

Yes, I just said I was bored by a rape scene. What I mean by that (aside from the obvious) is that it didn't affect me on any level. Yeah, yeah, I know I'm not taking rape ~seriously~, but when it's hyped in a movie to be ~terrible~ or ~brutal~, maybe it should make me feel something.

Then they drive out to the middle of nowhere (convientely near Mari's home). There's an awkward forced lesbian scene/lesbian rape scene, which wasn't shocking either. The one girl makes a run for it, but really just ends up dying because she couldn't run fast enough.

Another bad rape scene, for a number of reasons, mostly pretaining to the fact that all the dude was doing was laying on top of her and grunting. It's like people don't know how sex works and the penis is not going to get any action from that angle.

There's a long scene with Mari walking to a pond and then being shot. Ectera, ectera.

Then, of course, the killers/rapists/convicts go to a nearby house because their car is fucked and, OF COURSE, it's Mari's house. Her parents, worried about her and all because she hasn't returned home after the concert the other night. Her parents offer them a place to stay until morning and, to be honest, the last half hour was probably more interesting that the beginning of the movie.

The killers discover that it was Mari's house and play it cool. However, her parents think something's up with their guests and then discover Mari's body near the lake. They return to the house and the father puts together some elaborate booby traps while the mother seduces (then bites off the penis of) one of the killers.

Queue ten to fifteen minutes of the father swinging around a chainsaw and people screaming a lot.

The ending was forgettable, as I don't even remember it.

Now, this is the movie everyone remembers and the parts that are always talked about. BUT FOR SOME REASON, there's the parts with the police officers whose car has broken down. They're trying to get to town (or somewhere, I don't remember) and it all comes off as badly preformed comedy relief in a movie which seems like it's supposed to be serious business.

Overall, it was a pretty big letdown.

THE SOUNDTRACK, however, gets an A+ because it was amazing.

The film's soundtrack was written—and partially sung—by David Hess, who also played the main antagonist Krug. It is particularly notable for being heavily contrasted with the events on screen. For example, as the gang drives the two girls out into the countryside, the upbeat, almost comical, tune Baddies Theme plays and, after the rape scene, a soothing ballad plays. This counterpointing was also used elsewhere in the film, with the slapstick antics of the two police officers occurring in between scenes of torture.

In contrast, the other night we also watched Isolation, which was quite good and reminded me of The Thing.