Wes Craven's first film is guaranteed to not be for all tastes or all viewers. Still to this day almost 50 years later disturbing and at times hard to swallow.
It is Mari Collingwood's (Sandra Cassel) birthday, so along with her friend Phyllis Stone (Lucy Grantam) is going to the city to see a concert. Looking to score some drugs on the way they ask junkie Junior Stillo (Marc Sheffler) if he might know where they can get some marijuana. He brings them back to his apartment only for the two teenage girls to meet one of the worst, vile and disgusting gangs in film history. Led by Junior's father Krug (David Hess in the stand out performance of the film) they kidnap, torture and rape the two teenagers. In their escape from their hideous acts they end up back at Mari's house for a final confrontation with her parents (Gaylord St. James and Cynthia Carr).
I really can not imagine what the reaction to this film was like back in 1972. Not saying it was the only film to ruffle any feathers, but writer/directer Craven and producer Sean S. Cunningham (who would later go on to direct FRIDAY THE 13TH) were deliberately trying to show the audience something new no matter how vile. Because of that this film should stick with you.
Do not expect amazing acting. Not to say that there is brutal performances that hamper the film, but really the performances that stand out to me are of the villains in Krug, Fred Lincoln as the aptly named Weasel and Jeramie Rain as Sadie. Hess is quite believable as the venomous gang leader. Almost too good. He also did the music for the film which is pretty good and shows that Hess had some talents.
Super low budget horror flick did quite well at the box office. It is also filmed in a documentary style by Craven that to me is really a wonderful low-budget style to show this real grindhouse type material to an audience.
Sadly there are things that do in fact hamper the film to me and bring the rating down a notch or two. The big one to me is any of other characters in the film like the dolt cops (including a young Martin Kove) really bring the film down. Their scenes while comedic just don't work for me. They really rip you out of the horrific scenes, which maybe back in 1972 Craven felt they needed to do that to give the audience a break, but it would have worked much better if it was perhaps a more relentless horror film.
In the end though, a must-see for Craven fans. Steve Miner who went on to direct some horror films in his own right like FRIDAY THE 13TH PART 2 AND 3 worked as assistant editor (with Craven who edited) and production assistant.
It is Mari Collingwood's (Sandra Cassel) birthday, so along with her friend Phyllis Stone (Lucy Grantam) is going to the city to see a concert. Looking to score some drugs on the way they ask junkie Junior Stillo (Marc Sheffler) if he might know where they can get some marijuana. He brings them back to his apartment only for the two teenage girls to meet one of the worst, vile and disgusting gangs in film history. Led by Junior's father Krug (David Hess in the stand out performance of the film) they kidnap, torture and rape the two teenagers. In their escape from their hideous acts they end up back at Mari's house for a final confrontation with her parents (Gaylord St. James and Cynthia Carr).
I really can not imagine what the reaction to this film was like back in 1972. Not saying it was the only film to ruffle any feathers, but writer/directer Craven and producer Sean S. Cunningham (who would later go on to direct FRIDAY THE 13TH) were deliberately trying to show the audience something new no matter how vile. Because of that this film should stick with you.
Do not expect amazing acting. Not to say that there is brutal performances that hamper the film, but really the performances that stand out to me are of the villains in Krug, Fred Lincoln as the aptly named Weasel and Jeramie Rain as Sadie. Hess is quite believable as the venomous gang leader. Almost too good. He also did the music for the film which is pretty good and shows that Hess had some talents.
Super low budget horror flick did quite well at the box office. It is also filmed in a documentary style by Craven that to me is really a wonderful low-budget style to show this real grindhouse type material to an audience.
Sadly there are things that do in fact hamper the film to me and bring the rating down a notch or two. The big one to me is any of other characters in the film like the dolt cops (including a young Martin Kove) really bring the film down. Their scenes while comedic just don't work for me. They really rip you out of the horrific scenes, which maybe back in 1972 Craven felt they needed to do that to give the audience a break, but it would have worked much better if it was perhaps a more relentless horror film.
In the end though, a must-see for Craven fans. Steve Miner who went on to direct some horror films in his own right like FRIDAY THE 13TH PART 2 AND 3 worked as assistant editor (with Craven who edited) and production assistant.