The stupid music in the film ruins the intensity of the movie. - The Last House on the Left (1972) Discussion

[–] another242 16 years ago

It kept breaking the mood! They'd switch from the girls being tortured and abused in the forest to the Tweedledee and Tweedledum police officers and their brand of retarded redneck moron commentary. Also the acting was HORRIBLE, I didn't notice that when I first saw this years and years ago. They're like the cast from a high school play.

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[–] roses888 16 years ago

I agree I didn't think the movie was that great. It was too corny!

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[–] lonniemac 16 years ago

The music really irratated me. And the cops were a joke and really took away from the movie.

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[–] SaporoIchibanYo 16 years ago

It is just a little dated.

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[–] Mr_Carl_Spackler 13 years ago

Agreed! Should have been deeply disturbing, then suddely "the farmer in the dell" tunes. Bizarre!

my dad, never liked you..

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[–] highschoolkiller 16 years ago

i hate the "and the road leads to nowhere" song. aargghhh!

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[–] horrorreviews123 16 years ago

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nbd8oBVias

If you people thought that this song was cheery and happy then you guys are mentaly unfit.

The music fit with what was going on screen. What Wes Craven was trying to do was keep the viewer on edge (with the cop scenes). You were waiting to see what happens next, then all of a sudden you'd be looking at cops falling off cars. He DID FAIL at this, but it's the only thing that really hurt the film.

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[–] arkida 16 years ago

I'm pretty sure everyone here is talking about the "sadie & krug" song. It's kinda bouncy & uptempo with the banjo's in it. It plays somewhere near the beginning i think. The other songs are a little more dark & do fit with the theme of the movie.

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[–] arkida 16 years ago

I'm pretty sure everyone here is talking about the "sadie & krug" song. It's kinda bouncy & uptempo with the banjo's in it. It plays somewhere near the beginning i think. The other songs are a little more dark & do fit with the theme of the movie.

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[–] horrorreviews123 16 years ago

The Sadie and Krug song went perfect with what was going on screen. It's not like it was being played during the rape.

It was played while the gang was having a good time, and if you listen, the music speaks abotu what their idea is of a good time. ("Let's have some fun with those two lovley children and off with them when we're done" "Krug ya know that this foolin around is getting us outa the state")

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[–] shannonphoenix 16 years ago

David Hess actually did the soundtrack or part of it. That is what Wes Craven and David Hess said, that the point of the movie is that in the days of hippies and flower children, there is also a horrible war going on. They did that on purpose to show the contrary difference between the two. I think David Hess will feel great knowing that you hated his music.

That is what makes this movie a marvel. They are playing "60s love" music while hacking these two girls to bits. Just out of curiosity, were you alive in the 1970s? A lot of 70 and 80 films had music similar. See "Fear no Evil."

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[–] horrorreviews123 16 years ago

David Hess actually wrote the song "All Shook Up" for Elvis.

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[–] RynoII 12 years ago

Tarantino has upbeat music going on in his movies, even though bad things are happening on the screen, and I think this movie is trying to do the same thing.

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[–] soco-81 16 years ago

Agreed.

Alone with Her 8/10
Plague Town 8/10
Hatchet for the Honeymoon 9/10
It's Alive 7/10

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[–] FinnurE 16 years ago

The music ruined it for me. It wasn't necessarily bad but it was such a mood killer. Everytime I was about to get involved with what was happening on screen the music would come and completely distance me from the events that were taking place. The film would have been better had it no music at all.

http://www.imdb.com/mymovies/list?l=5184666

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[–] Oddark123 13 years ago

Pretty terrible music taste in here, but it's IMDB the monument to human stupidity so not surprised.

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[–] ShadowsGathered 13 years ago

How'd that work out for you?

... the hardest thing in this world is to live in it...

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[–] Gus-69 12 years ago

I agree, Oddark.

But YOU are the monument to stupidity.

----------------------
http://mulhollandcinelog.wordpress.com/

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[–] Doctor_Mongoose 16 years ago

I think the music is awesome and so are the cops! The other scenes are so brutal and shocking when the fun music comes on it reminds you that its only a movie! If it had been all so brutal it would have been extremely depressing, but in my opinion with the music and the cops it makes it more entertaining rather than just disturbing.

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[–] roachmiesterc 16 years ago

I have mixed feelings about The Last House On The Left’s soundtrack. Some of the songs - the slower ones - are quite good and work very well within the movie (the one with the line “the road leads to nowhere” being a great example). However, the bad-guys theme, which unless I’m mistaken featured a kazoo (yes that staple of the horror / exploitation soundtrack lol) was pretty ill-fitting even though I thought it was kinda’ catchy.

I’m sure that the soundtrack - along with the cop’s comedy capers - was intended to contrast the horrific ordeal the girls suffered but I have to conclude it didn’t work as well as it could.

However, the horrible jarring synth sample with the low background rumble that plays when the girl is stabbed was a near perfect cue IMO.

"It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society" - J Krishnamurti

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[–] 16 years ago

[deleted]

[–] Joseph_J_Wood 16 years ago

i think because the music cheapens the movie, it makes it easier to consume the autrocities. that then makes you uncomfortable for finding such autrocities easy to consume.

although that might be wishful thinking. could it have been cencorship issues? they might have had to tone down the soundtrack to please someone, make it less intense.

or maybe it was poorly judged juxtaposition, cos i don't think it works as that.

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[–] 16 years ago

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[–] bokibongbing 15 years ago

There's a whole essay about the soundtrack of LHotL, titled Pop Goes the Horror Score: Left Alone in the Last House on the Left, by Joe Tompkins.

It's in a book called Music in the Horror Film: Listening to Fear edited by Neil Lerner.

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