The typically suburban Carter family goes on vacation and are terrorized by a family of mountain cannibals.

The movie doesn't pull any punches, and like Craven's earlier The Last House on the Left (1972), the remaining victims of the Carter family eventually avenge the deaths of their loved ones.

We're fond of desert locations in '70s films, and it's used quite effectively here.

Early on, when the family's trailer home breaks down and night falls, the fear is palpable and very real.

The great Dee Wallace plays one of the daughters travelling with her baby, and her presence in any movie is always welcome.

Based on the real life story of Sawney Bean and his clan of cannibals, who lived in Scotland in the 15th century. When caught, their punishment was as severe as the horrors they had inflicted.