PISS YOUR PANTS

David A. Hess

September 19, 1942 - October 8, 2011

It may seem quaint in these days of live streaming hardcore porn and jihad decapitations but when I was a kid Last House On The Left (1972) hit me hard and was one of the few pieces of cinematic art that nearly knocked the wind out of my young gorehound guts. I can still remember watching it in awestruck silence for the first time with my older brother and by the time the screen finally faded to black we both felt like our eyeballs had just been rolled slowly through some rank Stygian sewer. It was a mean spirited anti-joy ride into the shadow side of the dawning of the Age of Aquarius and even the eventual parental retribution by chainsaw and toothy fallatio could not restore goodness or equilibrium to the world. Things go from bad to worse and everyone is complicit, especially the viewer. One of the main reasons this re-imagining of Ingmar Bergman's Virgin Spring (1960) worked so well was the absolutely unflinching performance by a rugged unknown named David Hess. Hess' seething portrayal of "Krug", the ultimate freewheelin' sociopath, was so unnerving that his greasy grimace would forever be associated with celluloid scumbaggery and he would go on to terrorize audiences with nearly identical roles in Hitch Hike (1978) and Ruggero Deodato's essential House On The Edge Of The Park (1980). I never had the opportunity to meet David Hess but my guess is that his real life temperament had very little in common with his violent onscreen rampages. By all accounts he was a laid back acoustic guitar slinger and a loving dad and husband. I sorta prefer to think he was Krug 24-7. Sadly, today we bid farewell to this cult actor, singer-songwriter and honorary eyeball rapist. In memory of David Hess' legacy I humbly offer up his original soundtrack for Last House On The Left, a film that was released the year I was born and had such an impact on me as a kid that I named my regular DJ gig in respectful homage, forever causing all manner of confusion among people who don't get the reference and believe every fucking month is my last month of spinning records (they should be so lucky). R.I.P. Krug. Enjoy:

The Road Leads To Nowhere...