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| Scene 3 Continued... The girls remain trapped at the hands of the gang. They begin to spout verbal abuse at Mari and Phyllis, and Krug threatens Phyllis not to make a sound. What happens next is a segment of the scene which many people disapprove of. We cut to an inappropriate scene of the Collingwood's preparing Mari's birthday cake at home. The whole thing is done in an incredibly light hearted way, and detracts from the seriousness posed by the threat that lingers over their daughter and her friend. What Craven was probably trying to achieve, was the viewpoint that people can be so oblivious to what is happening. However, this segment of the film isn't successful, and has no real place in the ongoing events. It clearly shows Craven's inexperience (at that time) of handling scenes of a diverse nature. We then cut immediately back to the hideout, where the gang begin to pick on the strong-willed Phyllis. The bi-sexual Sadie has her hands under Phyllis's shirt, as an aroused Krug unbuttons it. In an angry manner, Krug orders Sadie to remove her hands, and the helpless girl is left topless. A disgusted Phyllis spits at Weasel, who lunges at her with a knife. Krug stops him, but an angered Weasel tells her that if she does it again, he'll kill her (a promise that he keeps later on in the movie). With a certain amount of force, Krug punches Phyllis in the stomach, and she drops to the floor. Without further hesitation, the three thugs round on Phyllis, as Mari and a disgusted Junior look on. |
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| Weasel (Fred Lincoln) and Sadie round on Phyllis |
| David Hess as Krug Stillo |
| Scene 4: The Getaway Early the next morning, the gang escape their hideout, and place a bound and gagged Mari and Phyllis in the back of their car. This scene caused much stress for the crew. The characters make their descent down an old fire escape, which doesn't look very safe at all. The crew had been looking for a perfect area to shoot this scene, and after much scouting they had to use the next best thing. It wasn't planned too well, and due to the nature of low-budget productions, they had to go along with it. This scene, like other parts set in the city, were all shot in downtown Manhattan.This section of the scene ends as the criminals screech away in their vehicle, under David Hess's pumping soundtrack. We then cut back to suburbia, where a worried Mrs Collingwood talks on the phone. She tells her husband that the concert ended hours ago, and that Mari should have been back by now. John merely dismisses the situation, stating that Mari is just having a 'fling' and that all kids do it. Estelle blames the rebellious Phyllis for her lateness. The following montage is done with panache by Craven. We see various shots of the forest next to the Collingwood home, where the most important segment of the film will transpire. It is tranquil and calm, and Hess's soundtrack suits the mood. It is a significant contrast to what happens later on. As the music swells, we cut brilliantly to the road, where the criminals speed down the highway to Hess's "Baddies Theme". Krug, Weasel and Sadie sit in the back, while Junior drives. There is another inclination to the original style of Craven's first screenplay draft, as Krug enjoys Sadie's company, as she rides him in the back seat. It isn't explicit, but it adds to character, since we are really dealing with a bunch of low-lives here. Weasel mumbles on about how they "got into the sex crime business", and a following piece of dialogue betrays the film's original title: "I wonder what the nastiest sex crime ever was?" Krug goes onto talk about the Boston Strangler - "I always admired him!". However, the crooks show little concern to the idea that the cops are closing in on them. After all, they are driving towards the Canadian border. |
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| John Collingwood (Gaylord St. James) and Estelle Collingwood (Cynthia Carr) discuss their daughter's dissappearance with the local Sheriff (Marshall Anker). |
| Scene 5: The Cartoon Cops A factor of Last House on the Left, which has been talked about a lot in the past, is the subsequent inclusion of the 'comic relief cops'. Craven felt that they were necessary, in order to lighten up the audience's mood, between the scenes of terror. If you disagree with the peurile cartoon antics of the two bumbling lawmen or not, you can't help but feel that Craven's motive was not without reason. Finally upset over their daughter's dissappearance (it's about bloody time!), the Collingwood's have enlisted the help of the local Sheriff. |
| The moronic cop sits in the Collingwood living room, happily munching away on Mari's cake. He assures them that they have nothing to worry about, and that this sort of thing goes on all the time (an echo of John Collingwood's thoughts earlier). The Sheriff's Deputy (played by Martin Kove) returns from the squad car, to tell them that the Coroner hasn't received anyone with Mari's description. The Sheriff promises to get on the case |
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