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It’s LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT on the beach with a little nunsploitation added to the mix for bad measure! Despite of the obvious fact it’s a EuroSleaze knock-off of the Wes Craven thriller, LAST HOUSE ON THE BEACH still manages to work for the type of movie it is.
3 psychopathic hoodlums on the lam (after a bank robbery that turned into a bloodbath) seek refuge at an isolated beach house where they proceed to assault and victimize its inhabitants: a school teacher nun and her teenage female students. And yes, what takes place is awful, demented and sadistic! And yes, the tables will be turned! And yes, the victims will become the aggressors! And yes, the revenge payoff is satisfying!
Though at the bottom of the food chain for story originality, director Franco (MONDO CANE) Prosperi’s LAST HOUSE ON THE BEACH provides enough insanity and uncomfortable suspense to succeed as this type of movie. Centered around the terrific lead performance of Florinda Bolkan as Sister Cristina, the movie portrays sentiments of great fear and sympathy for the victims, and absolute disgust for the aggressors. The moment where Sister Cristina decides to drastically go against her beliefs and exact punishment on the psychos is totally riveting. I was waiting for this, expecting the revenge portion of the film to happen sooner or later, but it occurred in a way that still managed to surprise me.
LAST HOUSE ON THE BEACH is quite goofy and ridiculous but remains quite disturbing nonetheless. The movie does manage to be clever a few times as well. The way the true super-psycho of the three psychos is revealed is effective. Speaking of the psychos, congrats are in order for the three male leads, for performances so vile and anti-endearing they transcend bad acting and become noteworthy.
Two of the many notable comedy parts amidst the sick madness :
- Aldo explains how making 1 million dollars at kidnapping would be more profitable than his $450 per month job, which would not even come close to amounting to the kidnapping sum even if he cut out smoking, drinking and watching films, and saved all of his money for 100 years.
- Assailants and victims watch a TV together: a naked disco-dancing girl, who boogies the night away on a show. There is nothing more to this TV show. It just features this girl dancing for what feels like an eternity.
Choicest bit of dialogue : After one of the assailants is shot by one of the girls, he screams out, “She meant it! But why?!?” Some sadistic psychopaths truly just don’t understand!
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