New Acquisition: The Last House on the Left (1972)

 

Shocker (1989)

The Hills Have Eyes (1977)

On the way to California, a family has the misfortune to have their car break down in an area closed to the public, and inhabited by violent savages ready to attack.

From memory: Effective low-budget shocker has its moments, but is generally overrated with its cult status.

Halliwell (no star): "Low-grade shocker which mysteriously achieved some cult status."

Maltin**1/2: "Above average of its type, with compact direction and plenty of amusing plot twists. Extremely gory film has acquired a cult following."

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

Several people are hunted by a cruel serial killer who kills his victims in their dreams.

My Soul to Take (2010)

A serial killer returns to his hometown to stalk seven children who share the same birthday as the date he was allegedly put to rest.

Standard slasher horror movie doesn't add anything new to the genre.

Maltin BOMB: "Boring, routine slasher film with unappealing characters; a real comedown for horror vet Craven..."

The Last House on the Left (2009)

After kidnapping and brutally assaulting two young women, a gang unknowingly finds refuge at a vacation home belonging to the parents of one of the victims: a mother and father who devise an increasingly gruesome series of revenge tactics.

More a reimagination than a remake of Wes Craven's classic shocker this version is effectively produced (on a larger budget) and delivers some gritty shocks of its own.

Maltin*1/2: "Remake of the 1972  horror film is better made but lacks its crude, direct power; this wastes such good actors as Dillahunt and Goldwyn. Not as violent as the original, but still more gruesome than some recent slasher movies."

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

On the set: Amanda Wyss and Wes Craven

R.I.P. Wes Craven

Eulogy:

http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/sep/01/wes-craven-brutal-truths-sex-death-childhood

The Last House on the Left (1972)

Two teenage girls head to the city for a concert, then afterward go looking for drugs, but they find a gang of escaped convicts who subject them to a night of torture and rape.

Highly influential low-budget slasher that replaces suspense with effective shocks and presents an uncanny cast of depraved characters.

Halliwell (no star): "Low-budget shocker, updating and debasing Ingmar Bergman's Virgin Spring."

Maltin*1/2: "Cheap, and looks it. Repellent but admittedly powerful and (for better or worse) influential horror shocker."