Customer Reviews

Last House on Dead End Street

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

"L.H.O.D.E.S." is a true oddity, a film that really shouldn't work, a shoddy piece of amateurish garbage that manages to somehow be genuinely creepy.
The story is simple: Sleazy guy released from jail is determined to "show them something they never even imagined before!" (ie. make snuff movies), and he uses his foes as 'stars' in his `movie' to do just that.
But what makes this movie work so well are the unexpected touches... the references to the Manson murders... the ritualistic swapping of masks... the genuine confusion in the victim's eyes as they are readied for sacrifice...
It's a movie that has a long history, and - truth be told - the history of "L.H.O.D.E.S." is almost more interesting than the movie itself! Luckily, BARREL ENTERTAINMENT have identified that, and have seen fit to include a plethora of extras which give the full story on this creepy little film, the full background, the release-history... everything!
Extras on this 2-DVD set include:
* 20 min. of outtakes (which, quality-wise, look about 1000x better than the released film! Go figure...)
* Full film commentary by the director and Chas. Baulen (he of Deep Red Magazine fame)
* A short segment of the director on the Joe Franklin show
* A theatrical trailer (which is a non-sensical teaser featuring NOTHING whatsoever to do with the actual film!)
* a photo-gallery
* a 60-minute (!) radio interview with the director back when he was finishing-up the film
* 3 short films from the same director (no audio on these, ONLY director commentary)
* A series of phonecalls to and from the director regarding the creation of this film
* A very good 38-page booklet featuring interviews with the director, stars and crew.

Overall, a great package filled with lots of amazing background stories; the extras on this set really makes the purchase of this oddball movie quite worthwhile.
I had seen this movie previously back in the mid-90's, and had considered not picking-up this DVD at all given that I wasn't that blown-away with the flick. I must say, however, I'm glad I did. Few DVDs are this thorough in giving the veiwer the WHOLE story, from pre-production right through to botched-releasing. It's a fascinating story.
I mean, who could have EVER guessed that Francis Ford Coppola would have had ANY involvement in this movie ...!!!!!

Well, if you're even looking this one up you probably know more about this than I could tell you. But let me tell you then about how I reacted to this film. For the first twenty minutes or so I was sitting there thinking 'what is this crud' and for the last twenty minutes I was scared out of my skull. A disturbing little film to this day, it originally ran just under three hours with the title "Hell of the Cuckoo Clocks", but a few years later it would become the film you see here. The lack of anything like a budget actually adds to the snuff film ambience, giving you a film that you need to shower off afterwards. Made by Roger Watkins, whose literature background went instead for something that was more postmodern than your average horror flicks playing at the time, and whose leanings therefore create an even more disturbing sense by the fact that there is no barometer for points of reference to other horror flix, leading this film to be Believable. Literate, angry, topical... Cross the Findlays with Ed Saunders, and this is probably what you'd wind up with. Not pretty but not stupid. Those looking for a good kitchy B movie should go elsewhere; this one's got a kick like a mule.

"Last House on Dead-End Street" has been given a miraculous facelift by Barrel Entertainment, and the 2-disc set boasts a lot of entertaining supplements (yes, better and more entertaining than the actual film). My opinion of the movie hasn't changed, though--it's shallow, amateurish, and the characters are downright obnoxious; its supposed extremities (as far as violence is concerned) are nowhere near some of the Euro-horrors of the late-'70s/early-'80s ("Zombie," "House on the Edge of the Park," etc.). The movie originally had a 3-hour running time under the title "The Cuckoo Clocks of Hell", but was chopped down to 78 by inept distributors and retitled "Last House on Dead-End Street." On the commentary track and at various other points, writer/producer/director Roger Watkins pulls no punches in slamming the distributors and the film itself. Indeed, the film does feel like the sample of something bigger (but probably not better--I can barely tolerate the movie at 78 minutes). The Criterion-style treatment is the main attraction in this package: we get 4 short films by Watkins, a collection of 40(!) phonecalls made before and during the making of LHoDES, a very amusing documentary short on Watkins (circa 1988), interviews, a still gallery, etc. There's a lot to like here, to keep even a half-fan like myself entertained. However, I think the film's cult status was based primarily on its extreme rarity on home video, but now that Barrel has remedied that, I think its buzz as a video nasty will wear off once people discover what a pedestrian effort it really is. LHoDES (the film) can't be considered much more than amateurish, but the DVD is spectacular...almost making this garbage look like gold. (By the way, Chas Balun is extremely obnoxious.)

From what I've heard, this film was somewhat of an urban legend. Now, granted, I was in diapers when LHODES was originally released. Though, to me, this film, even though many thought it was a real snuff film, seemed tame in comparison to others that came before. Those films, which certainly beat LHODES in shock are Last House on the Left and I Spit on Your Grave. It does, however, have some very disturbing elements to it. The dubbing is off throughout the entire film and the quality is pretty bad. The cruddiness of the the transfer and sound certainly add to the "experience", I just was expecting more in the shock department. If anything, it's a film that's resurfaced to put an end to the mystery. I just wish I would've seen it many years ago, perhaps then I would appreciate it more. It's certainly worth a view for those interested in something OUT THERE, and the extras on the DVD from Barrel are top notch. 3 for the film, 5 for the DVD.

This is certainly an odd one......
First of all if you like myself have been trying to track this one down the dvd is a must, the extras alone warrent the purchase as most of the mystery surrounding the film is solved.

As for the film, its very nasty but the first 45 mins are quite disjointed and a little slow. The last 30 minutes are something else alltogether with all the gore you can handle. The transfer is poor and very grainy but this does not take from the film, it compliments the locations and the sleazy tone of the film.

I kind of have mixed feelings about this one, part of me loves the no budget blatant disregard for what is acceptable cinema, but part of me was kind of dissapointed. The story is a about Terry Hawkins played by Roger Watkins (the director), just released from jail and angry at the world he decides he is going to make some real life snuff films....eh I guess thats really about all there is for a story, but thats okay. Its not about a brilliant story, its about setting a dark, depressing, angry tone that too many horror films forget how to do. My biggest complaint would have to be the horrible dubbing. I don't mind bad dubbing but this is like nothing Ive seen. There is diouluge when nobodys lips are moving, you can tell it was recorded on a $10 mic and just does'nt fit the film at all. Thats not to say there are no redeeming qualities found here though, for the budget it was still very good, it has a very dark tone that is almost impossible to replicate, and some great gore effects at the end. Just dont go expecting Nekromantik or anything.

"Last House on Dead End Street" was a movie that achieved
popularity due to the fact that it was put in the same
breath as "Last House on the Left" by Wes Craven, but
thats about where the similarites end. This movie
is not a revenge movie as seen through the victims like Wes's
hit, no it's actually seen through the protaganists view.

Roger Watkins directs and stars as a madman who is released
from prison and vows to take revenge on society or so he says.
However he instead chooses to kill his former friends and
cohorts who may have stole some of his film ideas. He
then plots an absurd plot where he makes the best snuff films.
Yes thats part of the urban legend, but this is not a snuff
film. What it is though is one disturb, at times hilarious
spoof of other wannabee snuff films.

What the movie is missing is the fact that in "Last House
on the Left" we dont have any reversal of fortune between
the victim and murderers, instead the movie chooses one
direction and stays there, so nothing is really
a surprise.

The two disc dvd is a bit of a keeper , you get commentary
by Watkins who calls himself an outcast of sorts, his rare
short films and rare footage in a day with Roger Watkins.

I think the thing to keep in mind is that THE LAST HOUSE ON DEAD END STREET was made in 1973 (released in '77). It had to have been absolutely shocking to any "mainstream" viewer back then! Today, so-called "torture porn" is a sub-genre all its own, but in the 70s? True, LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT and TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE were around, but they weren't quite as relentlessly depraved! I mean, LHODES has NO heroes, NO hope, and only a skeletal plot. It's all about its grimy atmosphere, genuinely disturbing characters, and its heart of bleak, unflinching eeevil! You get the feeling that this is the type of movie Satan watches on Saturday night! I'm glad to have finally seen it for myself...

It's rare to stumble on a horror film this poorly made, but with such genuine moments of creepiness it almost works. The Last House on Dead End Street, made in 1977, is one such enigma. Roger Watkins, the star, writer, producer, and director (under various pseudonyms) of the film claims to have spent $800 making the film while the remaining $3000 was spent on drugs. Watching the film, it's not hard to believe that.

The plot is as bare as the production; Terry Hawkins (Watkins) is released from prison after doing a year for drug charges. Once he's released, he begins making snuff films.

That's the plot in its entirety. It's typical Grindhouse-fare, where one can find more things wrong with the film than right. It was clearly made on an extremely low-budget and it's said that the original film ran 175 minutes. The current incarnation is 77 minutes. There is absolutely no way to cut a film from nearly 3 hours to barely more than an hour and have any coherent story present. I doubt that those involved in making the film cared very much about continuity in the first place and the film is so lacking in story, that I hardly noticed anything missing.

There's a scene in the film where a character is talking about making a horror film and says "now a good horror film, you're gonna need some good actors." It's apparent no one heeded that advice, because the acting (if you can call it that with a straight face) is over-the-top and ridiculously bad, with forced-sounding dialogue to boot. Furthermore, it looks like the dialogue was dubbed (poorly) during post-production. Sound editing, good or bad, is rarely something I take any notice of while watching a movie, this being the exception. Both the sound effects and the way the sound was recorded are remarkably bad. Furthermore, it has a musical score that uses all of its opportunities to frighten and is instead just overbearing.

As I said, there are good aspects to the film as well. There is a certain amount of realism due to its gritty, low-budget nature. However, the acting and poor sound editing ultimately defeat that realism. One scene involving the brutal dismemberment and disembowelment of a girl is actually quite horrifying and much more effective than it would be in a horror film with a higher budget and studio backing. The scenes following that one are the most horrifying, effective, and well-filmed. The final narration kills it, but if one ignores that, you'll find it quite chilling.

Even with all its flaws (and there are many), it's shocking how effective aspects of the film are. It's not great, obviously, nor is it even very good...But it's a curious piece of work.

GRADE: C+

What a treat to finally be able to see this movie when for many years I only read about it in horror and exploitation magazines!How is it?A very deranged flick,like a cross between a Charles Manson home movie and an H.G. Lewis gore epic(BLOOD FEAST,etc)with some David Lynch thrown in.This 2 dvd set is awesome,with extras galore giving a clearer understanding of this one-of-a-kind creepfest.