10 Times Horror Directors Admitted They Went Too Far
9. The Last House On The Left
Long before The Hills Have Eyes or Scream, Wes Craven was just another up-and-coming filmmaker, eager to make a name for himself. In the wake of Night of the Living Dead, Craven felt his work needed to break the mould to leave a lasting impression.
Thus, this was the mentality while putting together his first full-length feature, The Last House on the Left, which centres around two teenage girls who are sexually assaulted and murdered by a gang of psychopaths.
Craven's intention was to expose audiences to violence in a way that didn't sanitise it, unlike mainstream Hollywood films at the time. However, the depiction of torture, murder, and revenge was so graphic, The Last House on the Left was regularly perceived as exploitative.
Rather than getting defensive about it, Craven admitted he depicted the violence sensationally rather than artistically. In interviews, he's mentioned the assault scene is "not pleasant to watch", calling it "repulsive" and "hard to take".
Although controversial movies can be tame by modern standards, The Last House on the Left has maintained its contention for decades, considering it took 36 years for it to be released in theatres uncut.