Chaos is about two young girls who go to a rave party located deep within the woods. They meet a stranger named “Swan” (Sage Stallone) and try to score some ecstacy. Swan convinces the naive girls to follow him to a cabin on the other side of the woods to meet up with some of his friends. When they reach the cabin, the girls find that Swan’s friends are depraved criminals. The deviants proceed to torment the girls, which eventually escalates into sexual assault and torture.

Much of the controversy surrounding this film appears to be self-generating for promotional purposes. After all, what exploitation film couldn’t use some controversy to help boost ticket and DVD sales? Producer Steven Jay Bernheim, and writer/director David DeFalco dedicate a special feature commentary on the DVD to debate the zero star review given by film critic, Roger Ebert.

If Rogert Ebert truly wanted to discount this film, he shouldn’t have reviewed the movie at all. But instead he chose to validate the “controversy” by debasing the film and calling it “ugly, nihilistic, and cruel.” What I would like to know from Mr. Ebert is how he can justify giving 3 ½ stars to The Last House on the Left, but degrade Chaos and give it 0 stars when the movies are virtually identical in story and content?

But there’s no such thing as “bad press” right? Bernheim and DeFalco take Roger Ebert’s negative review and use it to their advantage by using it to fuel the fire of controversy.

There have been several copycat movies made since the release of The Last House on the Left, particularly in the 70's when exploitation films were at the height of their popularity. And the theme of “sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll” leading to a cruel and violent end is certainly not a new concept to the horror movie world. So the question remains, how does Chaos stand up?

Well I believe that most die-hard horror fans would take issue with the claim made by DeFalco that it is “Possibly the most brutal film ever made”. While it is indeed brutal and at times disturbing, it falls well-short of being the most brutal film ever made. Indeed, The Last House on the Left depicted much more graphic and disturbing scenes of rape and torture. Taken as a whole, Choas isn’t very bloody or graphic. It’s the unsettling nature of the film, depicting the prolonged rape and torture of young girls, that causes the film to be disturbing.

Arguably, the strongest selling point of the movie is the fine acting performances by the victims, Chantal DeGroat and Maya Barovich, and the despicable lead villain “Chaos”, played by Kevin Gage (Paparazzi, May). If anyone finds this movie disturbing, undoubtably it would have to be credited to the actors’ ability to sell their respective roles. Otherwise, the movie would simply be unbelievable and cheesy.

However, DeFalco brings nothing new to the “exploitation” table. The script is so similar to The Last House on the Left it’s as if he wrote Chaos when he was watching the Wes Craven classic. The film’s lack of originality pushes it toward the realm of “rip-off”, and DeFalco does little more than regurgitate what has already been done in countless other films.

Nonetheless, fans of exploitation horror may find this film to be a worthwhile watch. I believe most people will find this film to be at least somewhat disturbing, and I guess in that regard Bernheim and DeFalco were successful. Perhaps the film’s best promoter is Roger Ebert when he wrote, “Having seen it, I cannot ignore it, nor can I deny that it affected me strongly: I recoiled during some of the most cruel moments, and when the film was over I was filled with sadness and disquiet.”

Sounds like a good exploitation film to me!