Last House on the Beach (1978)

Original title: La Settima Donna

Director: Franco Prosperi

Writers: Ettore Sanzo, Romano Migliorini, Gianbattista Mussetto

Composer: Roberto Pregadio

Staring: Florinda Bolkan, Ray Lovelock, Flavio Andreini, Sherry Buchanan, Stefano Cedrati, Laura Tanziani, Laura Trotter, Karina Verlier, Luisa Maneri

More info: IMDb


Plot: Sister Cristina (Bolkan) plays a nun who takes the teenage girls in her care to a remote house where they rehearse A Midsummer Night's Dream. Three thugs show up, brutally raping and terrorizing the girls, killing one by raping her with a cane, until Bolkan renounces her teachings and seeks bloody revenge.

My rating: 6.5/10

Will I watch it again?  Nah.

We've all seen these kinds of pictures before, the ruthless criminals invade some innocents' home, terrorize them until the residents fight back with a few casualties along the way including rape, torture and death.  No?  Well you should!  The US title is clearly trying to cash in on the LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT (1972) fame.  I suppose in some ways this is a better film.  The bad guys do some nasty stuff to the house full of hot women including a nun with a past (LHotL didn't have that).  The vengeance is fun but I really dug the location the most. The villa on the beach is beautiful, inside and out.  I thoroughly enjoyed staying there for an hour and a half.  It's bright and well-lit and it really helped sell the film. The performances are fine but there is some questionable English dubbing. The widescreen print was nice and it's a pretty good Italian thriller/horror picture with a very satisfying ending.