18. The Last House On The Left (1972)
It's hard to put this film on a list because, at its essence, it is a nasty, machine of a film. Directed by Wes Craven and produced by Sean S. Cunningham, this was at the centre of the video nasty debate of the eighties in the UK. The film has a strong artistic lineage though being derived from Ingmar Bergman's The Virgin Spring, itself a variation of a 13th century Swedish ballad. It deserves its place on this list though because, for anyone who is a parent, this is the ultimate nightmare movie. Mari and Phyllis go to the big city for a concert and, after trying to buy some marijuana, are trapped by recent prison escapee Krug Stillo and his gang. The girls are raped and degraded before being led into the forest near Mari realises they are near her home. The girls, however, are murdered after trying to escape. The killers, however, descend upon Mari's parents home, pretending to be travelling salesmen. Only after seeing their daughter's peace symbol necklace around Krug's 'girlfriend's' neck, do they realise what has happened. After finding their daughter's body, the Collingwood's exact a violent, bloody revenge on the killers before the police arrive. This is a hard watch and, even to that end, not particularly recommended. The jarring tone (the film even has two comedy cops with their own soundtrack) doesn't sit well a lot of the time but the performances are worryingly realistic. What Craven does do, however, is truly terrify our own sensibilities as to how far we would go to protect our children, and what we would do if someone hurt them. If nothing else, this film has more merit than I Spit On Your Grave and the recent pointless remake. A hard watch, but a nightmare movie all the same.