The Last House on Dead End Street (1977)

After being released from prison, a young gangster with a chip on his shoulder decides to punish society by making snuff films.

Director:

Roger Watkins (as Victor Janos)

Writer:

Roger Watkins (as Brian Laurence)

Stars:

Roger Watkins, Ken Fisher, Bill Schlageter

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Roger Watkins	...	Terry Hawkins (as Steven Morrison)
Ken Fisher	...	Ken Hardy (as Dennis Crawford)
Bill Schlageter	...	Bill Drexel (as Lawrence Bornman)
Kathy Curtin	...	Kathy Hughes (as Janet Sorley)
Pat Canestro	...	Patricia Kuhn (as Elaine Norcross)
Steve Sweet	...	Steve Randall (as Alex Kregar)
Edward E. Pixley	...	Jim Palmer (as Franklin Statz)
Nancy Vrooman	...	Nancy Palmer (as Barbara Amunsen)
Suzie Neumeyer	...	Suzie Knowles (as Geraldine Saunders)
Paul M. Jensen	...	Blind Man (as Paul Phillips)
Ken Rouse	...	The Whipper (as Ronald Cooper)
Alan Cooper	...	Young Boy
Howard Neilsen	...	Man on Couch
Doreen Ellis	...	Woman on Couch
Helene Roberts	...	Laughing girl #1

Storyline

After serving 1 year in jail a guy decides to repay the society by making some snuff-films. Four people are captured, tied up and held as material for his project. One by one they are killed in scenes for the camera. A woman has her limbs sawn of while he keep her concious. Another victim is killed by a power drill.

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Plot Keywords:

drill in the eye | intestines | snuff film | drill | power drill | 

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Taglines:

It's only a movie!

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Genres:

Horror

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

May 1977 (USA)

Also Known As:

At the Hour of Our Death

Filming Locations:

Oneonta, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,500 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Production Concepts Ltd., Today Productions Inc.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

78 min 76 min (cut)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Due to the use of pseudonyms by everyone involved and the low quality of cameras and film stock, rumors spread in New York's 42nd Street Grindhouse subculture that the film either actually depicted real murders, or that the film was the product of the Mexican mafia (owing to Roger Watkins pseudonym, "Janos", a municipality in the Mexican state of Chihuahua). The film's distributor encouraged the rumors, which resulted in the film's gaining notoriety via word of mouth.

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Goofs

At 4.15, the cameraman's shadow is clearly visible on the dead girl's body.

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Quotes

Ken Hardy: He don't wanna make movies... He wants to be in 'em.

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Alternate Versions

The Australian and UK versions are both uncut with a PAL running time of 74 minutes.

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Connections

Referenced in The Cinema Snob: Hitler's Harlot (2014)

User Reviews

Why this movie is scarier than anything you've ever seen before...

You'll read plenty about the background of this movie, how it was nearly lost, miraculously saved and lovingly restored. You'll read about the trials and travails of Roger Watkins in the making of this film (much of it revealed by the excellent deluxe edition DVD release; nice work, Barrel Films). But what you might not read about is exactly why this film works as well as it does.

The thing is, it really shouldn't work at all. The viewer should be scoffing and snorting from scene one at the appalling acting, the flimsy plot (especially in the first half of the film, where the plot has to hold us), the muddy sound, poor lighting, and so on. This film should be dismissed out of hand and roundly ignored.

Just try it.

If you allow yourself to be carried off into this film, however, you'll find something so utterly engrossing, so roundly terrifying, that you may very well have to tell yourself, "It's only a movie...it's only a movie." In its weird, hell-bent way, the film's inadequacies trap the viewer in the madness on the screen. Unlike a normal slasher film, the viewer doesn't get a chance to step out of the horror to rate the special effects, or even to laugh at the badness of the thing. This movie grips you by the throat and doesn't let go.

I've read comments about this film saying that the first half of this film is the worst horror film you'll ever see and that the second half is the best horror film you'll ever see. That's a very accurate assessment, and it's this aspect of the film which adds to its impact. By the time the real horror starts, the viewer is unprepared for its intensity.

Watch this film in a dark room, all alone. Let this film pour over you and drown you in its madness, and it'll scare the hell out of you more effectively than anything else you've ever seen. This movie is unique. There's nothing else like it, nor will there ever be.