Last House on Dead End Street

While I applaud Barrel Entertainment's supreme efforts to create the definitive video version of Roger Watkins' The Last House On Dead End Street, I suspect that the greater availability of this title, especially in this package, is unlikely to draw the film any new fans.

Available now in a wonderful 2-disc DVD full of extras, The Last House On Dead End Street has been completely demystified. While for many years this title existed only as a rare find, an urban legend of sorts--more talked about than actually seen, it now exists for everyone to see, warts and all, and sadly, it's unlikely to impress the more jaded viewers who've seen all the more technically accomplished films that have come along in its wake. For its time, this film was like nothing else...uncompromising and unspeakably scary.

As someone who first saw this film (or had it forced upon him) as a Venezuelan bootleg (with Spanish subtitles, no less!), it worked its spell on me like something that was forbidden, evil and not meant to be seen. You see, there was a time when NO ONE knew who made this film, what its purpose was or if it was real--kind of like a real life "Ringu", if you will. The act of viewing it made you feel uneasy, scared and not a little unclean. The fact that the version I saw was a copy of a copy of a dozen others only added a layer of mystery to it. The imagery was dark, the sound dull, making it all seem much more real. For years I've wanted to know more about this movie, and now I do, thanks to Barrel Entertainment. It's nice to know that Roger Watkins is actually a rather pleasant and intelligent filmmaker with a good sense of humor and not the dark gangster type I imagined "Victor Janos" to be. It's also great to know just what went into the making of this film, and I appreciate it as a genuine work of art and labor of love more than ever before. This DVD is a genuine treasure for all those fans of the film who were as affected and haunted by it as I was.

When The Last House on Dead End Street was released on DVD it certainly spelled the end for this film and its legend. Once upon a time Last House was mentioned off handed, it was a film of urban legend made by an unknown director with an unknown cast. Of course any amount of research, made even easier with the rise of the internet, reveals the truth behind this film. Originally the film seemed even more brutal and bleak for its mysterious origins if nothing else. With the release of the DVD all mysteries are solved and the film becomes grounded as an amateur production with a history of cult status. No longer is the film relegated to video pirates selling dark, grainy, and mostly unwatchable copies now it is released in a slick package with all the answers. With all the reputation dispelled the film can be evaluated on its own merit now for most people. My eyes are still glossed by the esoteric appearance of this film and as such I probably give the film more credit than it may warrant. Original in its time and, as mentioned, dribbling in mystery of production the film has its peaks and valleys. The disturbing scenes I had heard about in this film were actually a little flat. Anyone a little older seeing this film now will probably be too jaded or numb due to overexposure to understand what it was about these scenes that was so awe inspiring or offensive. Some of the scenes are shot with a slick zest that shows Roger Michael Watkins knew what he was doing. At points the movie moderately drags as if trying to find its feet and also meanders a bit, but really the plot is straightforward about a man jaded by society directing snuff films and little else. It's really about how much mileage Watkins gets out of this simple set up. There's no protagonist, no one in the film to empathize with, no heroes, and no justice given to the characters unless you count the tacked on titles at the end of the film. Last House on Dead End Street could be retitled A Week in the Life of a Snuff Director. Despite postproduction dubbing, which you have to ignore because focusing on it will tend to annoy, the film rises above many modern genre films. The fact that there is not a single likeable character in the film will keep this movie forever relegated to its cult status. Still indie filmmakers would be advised to check this film out, as it is a true demonstration of what sort of excellence can be reached on virtually no budget. On the same note, any movie claiming a lack of budget as a crutch for a horrible movie would do well to watch this and realize talent, true talent, can overcome budgetary obstacles. What the film lacks in sound quality and easily consumable plot it makes up for in impressive visuals. Some scenes are indeed creepy and disturbing and it is the handling of the camera angles and scene set up. Given the subject matter of the film, most mainstream cinema viewers will ignore any of the film's strengths and focus on the film's shortcomings completely ignoring this as a cinematic representation of what can be done on a zero budget.

Probably the biggest shame is that it appears Roger Michael Watkins became what the character he played despised, a porn director regurgitating the same cinema blandness over and over. I've never seen one of his porn films so they may be different but it's still porn and can't possibly be to groundbreaking seeing how all plot is just to get two or more individuals into compromising positions. It seems dishonor to himself that he went or was forced down this road. Hopefully we'll see a real project from Watkins in the near future. Last House on Dead End Street is an excellent indie project for those with a taste for alternative grue filled cinema. It's at the very least an exercise in guerilla filmmaking that current directors would be advised to see. All the money in the world cannot cover hack work. On the same note, money is only an obstacle to be overcome for a director with talent.

LAST HOUSE ON DEAD END STREET is literally one of the most infamous horror movies ever made. Part of this comes from the legend and mystery surrounding it, and the fact it is so difficult to get hold of. Firstly, all existing prints are EXTREMELY heavily cut... reports indicate that the original movie was around three hours long, but even the longest running version nowadays only clocks in at 77 minutes. This print also has entirely "fake" credits. One "Victor Janos" is accredited with directing LAST HOUSE ON DEAD END STREET, but any research as to who this actually is ends at the credits themselves- as is the case with all the others involved with the film. Although it is now apparent that the across-the-board use of pseudonyms was an attempt by a distributor to "steal" the movie, for a long time it simply was not known who was responsible for this film (in actuality, a director named Roger Watkins wrote, produced, directed and starred in this movie). Trying to find a good, under-fifth generation copy of this movie nowadays is extremely difficult. All of these factors add to the movie's gritty and disturbing reputation- and that's before you've even watched it!

In actuality, it isn't nearly as grueling as many would make out but is still an extremely disturbing experience. It is brash, intelligent and EXTREMELY well made considering budget issues and the experience of the film makers (Watkins went on to work on pornography after this). The scenes of violence are very extreme and graphic, but in my mind these are far less disturbing than other aspects of the film. Although the photography is simplistic in a classically "US low budget underground cinema" way, the atmosphere that the movie creates is quite unique. It manages to conjure up a true feeling of a bad dream. The same feeling has been achieved by directors such as Dario Argento but they tend to use bombardments of imagery and a "surrealist" approach. In this case, everything seems gritty and realistic but at the same time strangely disjointed. This is partly because of the heavy cuts leaving huge and bizarre holes in the narrative; partly because of the strange sound track, lighting and empty sets; partly because of the fact the film was clearly rushed; and partly because of the surreal "story line", if it could be even called that...

This is a genuine cinematic curiosity and I think that any self-respecting horror fan would be missing out by not checking it. It is truly an original, one-off work. Sure, it is ragged around the edges but that is part of what makes it so gritty and atmospheric. The movie has an almost numbing and ethereal quality and really works. Extremely disturbing and definitely recommended.

Every fan of horror cinema enjoys searching the back recesses of their local video store looking for that those obscure little gems that they can call their own. "Last House on Dead End Street" is one of my favorite flicks, a movie so obscure, I've only been able to find it at one video store. (And I bought their copy when they went out of business, so THERE!)

This bargain-basement production has a small-time director of homemade porno films discovering that his distributor no longer wants to buy his movies, claiming that they are boring. Desperate to find something new, he discovers a brutal series of "snuff" films made by an ex-convict and his demented friends. Realizing that actual death on tape could be the next big thing, but unwilling to make a film himself, he steals some the convict's movies and takes the credit for himself. When the true filmmakers discover what happened, they kidnap both the thieving director, the distributor, and their respective wives for an evening of torture and humilation back at their wharehouse hideout, all of it to be captured on tape for another "snuff" film.

Sure this is disgusting with all manner of nasty acts committed by sleazy characters. But what makes this memorable in my book is its suprising sense of humor. This film about snuff directors is actually designed to look like a snuff film itself, with credits that consist entirely of pseudonyms, grainy handheld camera work, and even a movie box that is tailored to look homemade. It's that creepy attitude that, along with the look of the film, is something that just can't be duplicated. Happy hunting!

I still have a beaten up copy of this flick and am deathly afraid to update because I think this is one of the scariest movies ever made! Even now that I know the whole story behind the scenes I am still convinced these people are really insane and murdered for real.Very frightening stuff!