He would go on to be regarded as one of the most prolific horror movie directors of all time, bringing iconic horror movie villains, such as Freddy Krueger and Ghostface, to the big screen. The Last House on the Left, however, would be more than just a stepping stone for his career, but also launched Sean Cunningham’s career. Serving as a producer for the film, Sean Cunningham would go on to create the Friday the 13th franchise, which he continues to oversee today. It’s fitting that both would go on to have prominent roles in horror considering the effect The Last House on the Left had on the genre. The film is regarded as one of the original films to give rise to the horror exploitation genre, as well as fright films. These two genres joined forces in the 1980s and helped launch the slasher film’s popularity, a genre that both Craven and Cunningham would find their success in (A Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th, …show more content…
By design, the film is a b-movie, so the cast consists of unheard actors, even at the time of filming. However, none of the actors would go on to have major careers in film, with some, such as Lucy Grantham, not having any other acting roles again. The stark contrast between the futures of the actors and Craven and Cunningham helps add to the realism for viewers today. When the film was released in 1972, it was expected that no one would know these actors. However, in 2016, viewers still don’t know these actors outside this role, making the brutal death scenes in the film seem like it could truly be the death of some of these actors, even if we know it’s not. By having a cast of that continues to be unknown, viewers are able to still get lost in this film and it’s heightened