The Last House on the Left

Plot synopsis:
Mari Collingwood (Sandra Cassel) plans to celebrate her 17th birthday by attending a rock concert in New York City with her friend, Phyllis Stone (Lucy Grantham). Her parents express concern both at the band Bloodlust and Mari's friendship with Phyllis, who is implied to be of a lower social class. They let her go, however, and give her a gift before she leaves: a peace symbol necklace.On the way to the city, Mari and Phyllis hear a radio report of a recent prison break, involving violent criminals by the names of Krug Stillo (David A. Hess), his drug-addicted teenage son Junior (Marc Sheffler), Krug's slutish bisexual girlfriend Sadie (Jeramie Rain) and Krug's cousin and partner-in-crime Fred "Weasel" Podowski (Fred J. Lincoln). Upon arrival in the city, Mari and Phyllis stroll the streets, seeking someone who might sell marijuana. Eventually, they run into Junior, who leads them back to Sadie's apartment, where the two teenage girls are immediately entrapped by the criminals. Phyllis, who resists, is punched in the stomach and gang raped by Krug and Weasel, as Mari watches in horror. Mari's parents, meanwhile, prepare a surprise party for her.The next morning, the girls are locked in a car trunk and driven to the countryside as the gang intends to leave the state. The villains' vehicle breaks down right in front of Mari's house while the cops are talking to Mari's parents about her disappearance. Unable to get their car fixed, they drag the kidnapped girls into the woods. Removed from the trunk, Phyllis is beaten after biting Krug's hand. Mari, bound and gagged, realizes that they are coincidentally right near her own home. As she is helplessly dragged to the woods, her parents sit inside with two bumbling local police officers who assure them that Mari is probably fine. The officers disregard the gang's broken-down car when driving back to the police station.In the woods, the girls are untied and subjected to several tortures, including Phyllis forced to urinate into her own jeans, then stripping herself completely naked followed by stripping Mari completely naked as the gang watches.At the police station, the bumbling police officers eventually realize their mistake in disregarding the car in front of the Collingwoods' home and quickly set out. Their car breaks down en route, however, and the cops unsuccessfully try to hitch a ride with a group of hippies and a Mammy chicken farmer.After Phyllis and Mari are forced to have sex with each other, Sadie molests Mari. Phyllis whispers to Mari she will make a break for it to distract the kidnappers and thus, offer Mari an opportunity to escape. Phyllis takes off, chased by Sadie and Weasel, while Junior stays behind to guard Mari, who makes a desperate attempt to convince the troubled addict that he doesn't need to listen to his abusive father because Dr. Collingwood, her father, can help him instead. She also gives him her peace symbol necklace as a symbol of her trust. Meanwhile, Phyllis is eventually cornered at a cemetery, where Weasel stabs her in the back. The defeated Phyllis attempts to crawl away, but the gang inevitably catches up with her and repeatedly stab and disembowel her.Mari eventually convinces Junior to let her go, though their timing is too late, as they are immediately halted by Krug. He presents Phyllis' severed hand and proceeds to carve his name into Mari's chest before sexually violating her. Following this act, Mari, sick from the shock of being raped, vomits and then walks in a daze over to the nearby lake. Krug shoots at Mari and her body floats on the top of the lake. Seemingly shocked by their own actions that has led to the death of their two hostages, Krug, Junior, Sadie and Weasel wash up and change out of their bloody clothes.In their formal new attire, the gang shows up at the Collingwoods' home, masquerading as traveling salesmen. Mari's parents agree to let them stay overnight. However, Junior exposes their identity, when his heroin withdrawal symptoms cause him to end up vomiting in the bathroom, where Mari's mother, Estelle, sees Mari's peace symbol necklace dangling around his neck. Later that night she listens in on the gang while they are spending the night in Mari's bedroom and finds blood-soaked clothing in their luggage. She and Dr. Collingwood rush out into the woods, where the couple finds Mari's body by the lake, still barely breathing, and place it on their couch for consolement.Outside, Estelle has duped Weasel into a sex game, which concludes with her biting off the criminal's genitals. Weasel collapses in agony. Inside the house, Dr. Collingwood carries his shotgun into his daughter's bedroom, where two of the criminals are sleeping. Krug turns out the lights, and gets gazed on the arm by the shotgun blast. Krug escapes into the living room and overpowers the doctor, but the criminal is then confronted by his own son, who now brandishes a firearm. Junior threatens to kill his father. However, Krug psychologically manipulates the already troubled young man, and Junior commits suicide with the weapon. As soon as Krug notices that Dr. Collingwood is missing, the doctor runs into the basement and attacks Krug with a chainsaw.Dr. Collingwood continues approaching Krug with the chainsaw, as the sheriff arrives and pleads with the doctor not to go through with it. Dr. Collingwood murders Krug with the chainsaw anyway by beheading him. Sadie runs outside to escape, where she trips and drops her weapon. Estelle tackles Sadie, and after a struggle, Sadie punches Estelle but trips once again and falls into the family's swimming pool. Estelle grabs Sadie's switchblade knife, catches up with Sadie and slits her throat. All four of the criminals now lay dead; Weasel lays by the lake's edge having bled to death; Sadie is floating face down in the pool; Junior in the house beside a wall with the back of his head blown out; and the beheaded Krug also lays nearby as well.The shaken and exhausted couple reunites in their living room in their blood-spattered clothes as the police look at the family and their four murdered guests.

Tags: cruelty, murder, cult, horror, violence, insanity, revenge, sadist

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