Directed by: Wes Craven
Written by: Wes Craven
Starring: Sandra Peabody, Lucy Grantham, David Hess
Release date: 30th August 1972
Runtime: 1:24
BBFC certificate: 18 for strong bloody violence and sexual violence
Summary: Mari (Peabody) and Phyllis (Grantham) are kidnapped and brutalised by a gang of sadistic convicts while on their way to a concert for Mari's birthday. Later, Mari's parents exact revenge on the gang.
Review: The movie begins with one of those bullshit "based on true events" things. As a whole, I found it to be disappointing and too silly to be truly disturbing.
This film is, evidently, cheap as Hell. Not that there's anything wrong with that; the graininess adds to its unsettling atmosphere. Plus, it was Craven's directional debut and the cast is made up of amateurs. Grantham and Peabody are quite good as the victims, but the rest of the cast give wooden to downright bad performances. The soundtrack is awful. It's full of early '70s folk songs that don't fit into the movie at all.
When the girls are first kidnapped, the film cuts between the gang threatening, humiliating, and raping them, and Mari's parents preparing a party for her. I liked that; it heightened the disturbance of the kidnapping scene. Unfortunately, there are also a few stupid scenes involving two incompetent cops. They know a pair of violent criminals have just escaped from prison, and they see a suspicious-looking car next to Mari's house - whose parents have reported her missing - yet they don't report the number plate? If the scenes with the cops are supposed to be funny, then the joke's on me.
The gore is actually pretty impressive-looking for such a low-budget movie. I really like the last 30 or so minutes, in particular the final 15, which are very satisfying. Overall, this film could have been a lot better.
Trivia: This movie was banned in the UK until 2002.
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