Last House on the Left

It wouldn't work without the violence, but the violence alone doesn't make it work.

It isn't artistically adroit, but if success in this genre is counted by squirms, it's a success.

Sartorially dated certainly, but still powerful, disturbing and raw.

Craven's cold, flat style of filming emphasises the fact that the violence dehumanises not only the victims but the aggressors.

The party who wrote this sickening tripe and also directed the inept actors is Wes Craven.

A tough, bitter little sleeper of a movie that's about four times as good as you'd expect.

With David Hess giving one of the most evil performances in cinema history as the gang leader, this highly upsetting and uncomfortable viewing experience remains a benchmark in the annals of cinematic offensiveness.

Craven gives his film an uncomfortable verisimilitude, setting it squarely in the heartland of modern America. While it’s at times awkward and inconsistent, with distracting comic interludes, his handling of the brutal horror scenes is unsettling ...

It struck a nerve at a moment when the Summer of Love already seemed ancient history, when the Manson murders, the never-ending Vietnam War and other factors had curdled idealism into escapism and reactionary paranoia.

Beyond clumsy and amateurish, Craven dispenses with such niceties as plot logic and character development .