Last House on Dead End Street

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!

I just got a copy of this movie a few days ago and I watched it right away. I found this movie much more disturbing in terms of atmosphere and reality feel than in terms of violence. Sure, this movie had violence, it had too because of the plot. But thats not what makes it disturbing. What makes it disturbing is the fact that the atmosphere is so true to life, bringing out that "this could actually happen" theme that so few movies try to achieve, but end up blowing.

In other words, I liked this movie.

Oh yeah, the director of this movie is not Victor Janos. That was a fake name. The whole cast used fake names. The real director is a guy named Roger Watkins.

A lot of people hate this movie but while I didn't think it was a great film I did think it was unique for it's time and actually quite eerie. This is mostly due to the dark lighting and extremely creepy sound effects. In ways it reminded me of Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Be forewarned though: This movie is EXTREMELY violent, gory and quite disturbing in a couple of scenes. Of course the subject matter about a guy who gets out of prison and starts making "snuff" films with his buddies is offensive in and of itself, other movies have used this theme since then. Most notably 8MM. Last House on Dead End Street is pretty scary but definitely not for the squeamish.

THE LAST HOUSE ON DEAD END STREET is the "story" of Terry Hawkins (Director Roger Watkins), who is so embittered by having been incarcerated, that he sets out on the ultimate, sadistic, misanthropic plot for revenge.

Securing an abandoned warehouse, Hawkins gathers a team of "actors" and "assistants", made up of low-end prostitutes, and a madman with a lustful penchant for dead livestock (!!), for his sinister project. He's making a movie.

Once Hawkins secures a cameraman named Bill Drexel (Bill Schlageter), we meet Nancy Palmer (Nancy Vrooman), whose self-debasing "performance art" at a particular party is almost as disturbing as Terry's movie idea. Well, not quite. Nancy's "open-minded" husband, Jim (Edward E. Pixley) signs on to direct Hawkins' opus, and another man, named Steve Randall (Steve Sweet) joins in as well.

Surprise! It was, of course, all a ruse designed to gather all of Terry's enemies / victims / scapegoats together, at his mercy. Inside the warehouse, the lights go on, the captives are all securely tied up, and the camera rolls. Thus, begins Terry's nasty, unflinching vengeance caught on film.

From here on, TLHODES is as grueling, mesmerizing, and devoid of any / all hope as it's supposed to be. It's a poorly filmed, half-lit nightmare of mutilation and murder, presented in a garish, oddly otherworldly fashion. If Satan had commissioned his demons to make a movie, it would look like this! The grimy appearance and ultra-cheapness of it all, actually add to the noxious atmosphere of inescapable death and doom. The masks, the rampant megalomania of Terry, and his raving dialogue, combine in an impossibly effective manner. What should be absurd, is absurd, yet is terrifying because of it. The notorious "surgery" sequence is worthy of its reputation.

Considering the era (1972) and lack of budget, this is pretty disturbing stuff. It is highly recommended that the curious viewer read up on the sordid, mysterious history of this film. It's as interesting as the finished product! Knowing that over 90 minutes of the movie are still missing is intriguing, probably for all the wrong reasons...

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.