If you walk into this man’s home, you’ll hear a scream from the people under the stairs. You’ll run out thinking it was a nightmare, when you were just inside the last house on the left. Scream, People Under the Stairs, Nightmare on Elm Street, and Last House on the Left are a few of the titles that make up Wes Craven’s filmography.
About to turn 30, he took a
risk and moved to California in pursuit of his new found passion, film-making. His earliest
work goes back to writing and editing porn. Which no one from his family saw
coming, since he was raised in a strict Baptist household. In 1972, Wes Craven
released his first full-length film as a director, Last House on the Left. Last
House on the Left follows 17-year-olds Mari and Phyllis as they’re kidnapped, degraded,
and raped by escaped convicts. Phyllis eventually dies in an attempt to save
her best friend. Mari, trying to escape, befriends the leader’s son by giving
him a nickname and her necklace. He lets her runaway. Hope fills Mari’s eyes as
she runs as fast as she can. The criminals catch up to her. They rape her, and
carve their names into her chest. That little glimmer of hope she had
disappears.
The escaped convicts are ashamed of what they’ve
done, they stare at their blood stained hands and give her space. Mari,
extremely weak, manages to push herself off the ground, throws up, and says a
prayer under her breath. She no longer tries to run, she walks towards the
lake, and knows this is the end of the road for her. They shoot her. The water
carries her body away. The escaped convicts take refuge in a lake house thanks
to a married couple. The married couple turns out to be Mari’s parents. They
manage to figure out what happened to their daughter and take vengeance into
their own hands.
I have an admiration for independent
filmmakers, because they don’t have the big budget that Hollywood movies have,
they can’t rely on stunning special effects, A-List celebrities, or worldwide
promotion. Independent filmmakers have to make sure the storyline has a good
flow, the acting is believable, and the editing shows continuity. The film, for
me, is an example of how hard work does pay off. With a budget of
$90,000, they were able to make a profit of $3.1 million at the box office.
The
story itself reminds me of something my Dad once said, that a person isn’t born
bad, that it’s life and society that turns people a certain way. An upbringing
filled with poverty led three people to find pleasure in causing others pain. A
doctor and his wife mutilated three people in name of revenge. This story is
filled with human beings being driven to unleash the darkest side of them. Last
House on the Left shines a clean light into the dingy corners of the human
psyche, which is what I believe a film should do. Now, I encourage you all to
support independent films by visiting a film festival. And for my fellow
filmmakers, keep writing! Keep directing! Keep going! Feel free to check out this short documentary on "The Last House on the Left."
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