A brutal masterpiece that shocked and captivated audiences, “The Last House on the Left” introduced Wes Craven to the genre with ferocity.
On this episode of The Final Girl on 6th Ave, host Carolyn Smith-Hilmmer takes us on a journey back in time for a deep dive into a brutal horror classic. Not only are we going back to the foundations of modern horror with a look at Wes Craven‘s controversial directorial debut, the 1972 exploitation horror film The Last House on the Left, but we’re going back to the beginning of this exceptional Morbidly Beautiful podcast to hear where it all began: episode one! Based on the 1960 Swedish film The Virgin Spring by my favorite director, Ingmar Bergman, Craven’s polarizing rape revenge nightmare was a box office smash and has earned a significant cult following and retrospective critical acclaim. – Stephanie (Editor-in-Chief)
SHOW NOTES FROM HOST CAROLYN SMITH-HILLMER:
The holiday season often makes me feel sentimental. Because of that, I present to you all, dear listeners, a very special episode.
It is not special in the way that it is my best work or in the way that it is a particularly “good” analysis. This episode is special to me because it is the first podcast episode I have ever recorded. It is a small piece of history and an example of how far this show has come. I recorded this only to share it with two to three people as an example of a show that I might start to publish regularly. And now, I would like to share it with you all for the first time.
Please be kind and know that we all start from somewhere. Being that this episode was a practice exercise for myself, it is nowhere near the product of what I would hope to release. The audio quality is not great. I was nervous. I had no idea what I was doing. But we all start somewhere, right?
Additionally, I would like to say that this will be the last episode of The Final Girl on 6th Ave for the year 2023. I will be taking the month of December off to spend time with family and relax. I look forward to bringing you all of the spooky arthouse content you enjoy with a fresh mind in January 2024!
ABOUT THE SHOW:
The Final Girl on 6th Ave is a weekly show where host, Carolyn Smith-Hillmer, dissects an arthouse/elevated horror film. Each episode includes a detailed play-by-play of the film itself and a subsequent deep dive into the thematic elements and symbolism. Because elevated horror is sometimes viewed within the horror community as pretentious, Carolyn makes sure to use her down-to-earth tone and unique perspective to make these films less intimidating for the casual horror viewer and less ostentatious for the genre lover.
Listen to more episodes on the show’s website here.
The Final Girl on 6th Ave is a bi-weekly podcast where host Carolyn Smith-Hillmer reviews arthouse horror films in a non-pretentious way.
Lars von Tier and Horror
Lars von Trier has been called a visionary, a sadist, and a self‑mythologizing provocateur—sometimes all in the same breath. In this episode, we unpack how an anxious kid from Copenhagen became one of the most controversial figures in world cinema, and why his work looms so large over modern horror and “extreme” art‑film. Focusing on Antichrist, Melancholia, Nymphomaniac, and The House That Jack Built, we explore von Trier’s “Depression Trilogy,” his use of grief, sex, and violence, and the ongoing debates about misogyny, ethics, and audience complicity. Along the way, we bring in film scholarship, critical essays, and production histories to ask a simple but uncomfortable question: when von Trier pushes horror this far, is he revealing something profound about suffering—or just building a house out of pain?
SOURCES/INFORMATION
Biographical and career overviews
“Lars von Trier.” Wikipedia.wikipedia
“Lars von Trier – Simple English Wikipedia.” Simple Wikipedia.wikipedia
“Lars von Trier.” Encyclopaedia Britannica (biography, awards, filmography).britannica
“Lars von Trier filmography.” Wikipedia.wikipedia
“Lars von Trier – IMDb.” IMDb.imdb
“List of awards and nominations received by Lars von Trier.” Wikipedia.wikipedia
Context and Danish film culture
“Lars von Trier and Cultural Liberalism.” Danish Film Institute.dfi
Excerpt from Regional and Global Dimensions of Danish Film Culture and Film Policy (on Dogme 95 and Danish film branding).catalogimages.wiley
Critical profiles and interviews
“Lars von Trier: Behind the Curtain.” The New Yorker (profile on von Trier’s persona and controversies).mubi+1
“Lars von Trier: A Problematic Sort of Ladies’ Man?” NPR radio piece and transcript (Pat Dowell, with Caroline Bainbridge).npr+1
“The Many Faces of Lars von Trier.” BFI feature.bfi
“Lars von Trier: An Overview.” Film Festival Today (career overview).filmfestivaltoday
Horror‑specific and film‑specific sources
“The Immersive Examination of Depression and Grief in ‘Antichrist’ [Unveiling the Mind].” Bloody Disgusting.bloody-disgusting+1
“Antichrist (2009)” – film entry and production details. IMDb and Wikipedia.imdb+1
“The House That Jack Built (2018).” IMDb (plot, reception).imdb
“Manically Macabre: Lars von Trier as Horror Icon.” Horror Obsessive.horrorobsessive
“‘Terrifier 2’ and 9 Other Horror Movies Which Famously Made Audiences Sick.” Collider (section on Antichrist).collider
Scholarly / analytical work
“Lars von Trier – The ‘Sex’pression Ideology.” Academic essay (via Academia.edu PDF).academia
Caroline Bainbridge, The Cinema of Lars von Trier (discussed in NPR and academic contexts).npr+1
Career primers
“Notebook Primer: Lars von Trier.” MUBI Notebook.
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