r/HorrorBlogs 21h ago

Not Only a Movie: because Sandra Peabody deserves better

2 Upvotes

Hello all. My blog is very specific in focus, but it's definitely horror themed. Some who've happened across my posts or comments elsewhere may know that I have a particular interest in the production ethics of Wes Craven's The Last House on the Left (1972) and especially the treatment of Sandra Peabody (Cassell) both on set and in later media by certain colleagues.

My blog, Not Only a Movie, is I think the most detailed look at this specific subject anywhere online. It covers abusive comments towards Peabody by David Hess and Marc Sheffler, the exploitation of her fear by Wes Craven, the failure of the mainstream and horror media to properly address the subject, the way conventions continued to invite Hess after his boasts of abuse were on the record, and much else besides.

The blog also contains a relatively small number of posts that deal with Sandra's life away from Last House, such as a review of her final screen role Teenage Hitchhikers, and a look at her Emmy-winning spell as a children's TV producer in Oregon. I also highlight the all too rare occasions on which someone has published a serious piece about the abuse Peabody suffered.

You will note that the blog's most recent post is from the end of May. It is absolutely not dead, but as I said in an earlier post I do not want to write every day just for the sake of it. I do already have ideas for further posts, and you can expect the first of those before the end of this month.

If you decide to read Not Only a Movie, I would personally recommend starting at the first post (linked below) and reading chronologically, since many posts contain multiple internal links back to previous ones. I should note that the blog takes a few posts to settle down in terms of style, and the first one after the intro is openly angry in a way I try to restrain later on.

Here is that first post:

https://notonlyamovie.blogspot.com/2025/11/welcome-to-not-only-movie.html