There are landmark films that arrive on the scene that change the way films are made and seen. Some arrive with great fanfare, while others simply are filmed on a limited budget, completed and exhibited — sometimes on a market-by-market basis (limited prints) — and the audiences who find them at their local theatre know that something is special in what they’ve just witnessed … the word spreads, the legend grows.
Such is the case with the 1972 film release of The Last House on the Left and its first-time director Wes Craven. Shot on a production budget for under $100,000 on 16mm (blown-up to 35mm for exhibition), with the cast serving dual-capacities as members of the crew — David Hess (in his film debut), the chief villain of the piece, also was the composer of the film’s soundtrack — The Last House on the Left opened in the fall of 1972 on a sporadic market-by-market basis.
Reviews at the time ranged from savage to glowing. It is now legend … a turning point in how horror films would be made.
Arrow Video, with domestic sales and distribution expertise provided by MVD Entertainment Group, has a new 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo Pack presentation lined up for release on Aug. 29.
During the exhibition rollout back in 1972 various cuts were made here and there to get the film into theatres (a fact of life). Arrow Video gives us two viewing options for The Last House on the Left … the theatrical cut and the 2009 uncut restoration.
Other bonus nuggets include commentary by authors and film scholars David Flint (“Babylon Blue: An Illustrated History of Adult Cinema 1960-1998,” “Zombie Holocaust: How the Living Dead Devoured Pop Culture”) and Adrian Smith, deleted scenes, four featurettes — “A River of Blood,” “The Notorious Krug,” “Suspending Disbelief” and “Reviving the Legend” — and more.
There will also be a double-disc Blu-ray purchasing options featuring both of the aforementioned cuts of the film.
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