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| This following interview is with "Last House" fan James Edwards. He is an online expert on the 'Video Nasties' era of the 1980's, in which "Last House on the Left" was featured |
| All interviews published on the site, become the property of 'The Last House on the Left UK Resource'. They were all conducted by site founder David James Nock. |
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| Q1) We all know that 'Last House' was one of the most notorious "Video Nasties" of the 1980's era, but what do you think of the film now, compared to other title's such as 'I Spit On Your Grave', or 'The Texas Chain Saw Massacre'? 'Last House' possesses many of it's own qualities, such as it's atmosphere, and presentation of the rape as a subject. But when you compare it to others you must look at what they have to offer. 'Texas Chain Saw Massacre' has a good atmosphere, but lacks in it's ability to shock unlike 'Last House'. But 'I Spit On Your Grave' is a different story. In terms of sickness and disgust propelled on the viewer, 'I Spit' is far superior. But when it comes to the atmosphere and the ability to disturb, 'Last House' has my vote, when it happens to the two girls, and the way the film was made. 'Last House on the Left' is one of those classic nasties. Q2) In your own mind, do you label 'Last House on the Left' as an exploitation movie, or as a conventional horror flick? Sex and violence are usually two topics mixed together to create films which are as disturbing as possible. 'Last House' is aimed almost entirely at sexual violence, in which it exploits the reality of rape as a real topic. So as rape is a matter which effects the world, yes 'Last House' is an exploitation film, but that's what makes it so disturbing. Q3) Some say that 'Last House on the Left' is Wes Craven's best film. How do you feel about that statement? As a fan of video nasties, I would rate the films which had the biggest effect as the best, so 'Last House' would be his best. But when we look beyond the nastiness of a film, 'Last House' may not have been the best script, acting or soundtrack, but it has this attractive pull on it. Which makes it totally enjoyable. I would rate it supreme over others such as 'A Nightmare on Elm Street'. Q4) Do you believe that the film will ever see an authorised video release in Britain? If so, how do you think the BBFC will go about it? With films like 'I Spit On Your Grave' and 'House on the Edge of the Park' getting released, 'Last House' has an almost certain chance of release. But it may suffer from heavy cuts. But with changes in BBFC legislation and an increase in violence in our society, chances are it may be cut far less than you think. I believe 'Last House' will have a 2002 release, with cuts, and an uncut re-release several years later. Q5) Because of your knowledge on 'Video Nasties' in general, how do you think that 'Last House' has changed the retail market? Due to the period in which 'Last House' was released, a film of such dark nature was bound to be hated by society. But once people were beginning to forget the international problems of the time, the film would suddenly be seen 'not as bad'. It was this fact, that a film so bad could be made during that period. So overall, 'Last House' has had a big effect on the toughness of censorship, and will benefit many other films to come. Q6) How do you feel about the film's graphic violence? Do you agree with it? Any film which uses scenes of rape as entertainment is quite sick. But the reason it uses this subject, is because of it's impact upon the viewer. So if someone disagree's with the graphic violence, they shouldn't watch it. So I think it's up to the film makers upon how bad it's going to be (so long as it's not real), and it's up to the viewer if they want to see the film or not. And if they do, they can't complain since they supported the film by viewing it. Q7) If the film was to be released in Britain, how many cuts do you think might be made to it? I think that the scenes of force on the girls to degrade themselves will be cut. Scenes of extreme sexual violence will also be cut. And violence towards people with illegal items (e.g. knife), as it is considered an influence, may be cut. For 'Last House', I would have thought at least 2 minutes of cuts would be required. Q8) Finally, what other movies in the genre do you think had their inspiration from 'Last House', if any? 'I Spit On Your Grave' and 'Last Night Trains' would be the most likely influenced films, especially 'Last Night Trains', as the film runs almost identical to 'Last House'. The 'Last House on the Left: UK Resource' thanks James Edwards for this exclusive interview Contact James at: videonasties_online@hotmail.com |
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