Exploitation films are the extreme end of horror, making audiences sick to their stomachs, question their morality, and even experience hints of trauma from the mutilations and murders they see on screen. In 1977, anexploitation film was released that made audiences and critics speculate whether the murders happening on screen were realdue to their violent and gruesome nature.Last House on Dead End Streetwas an anomaly of an exploitation film because everyone involved used a pseudonym, which perpetuated more thoughts that maybe, just maybe, this horrific film was actually real.Last House on Dead End Streethasn’t been widely seen, and it’s likely for good reason.The film’s contents are pretty gruesomeand not for the faint of heart, and that even goes for the edited version that got a theatrical release. The film’s director,Roger Watkins, didn’t come forward as the director, producer, and writer until the 2000s, buta pseudonym couldn’t stop the gossipand whisperings aboutLast House.
The Last House on Dead End Street
A man emerges from incarceration with a twisted vision for cinematic revenge. He lures unsuspecting collaborators to a dilapidated house under the guise of creating an experimental film. As filming progresses, the participants unknowingly become stars in his macabre and brutal real-life horror, leading to chilling results.
Last House on Dead End Streetis about a man named Terry Watkins (Roger Watkins) who is released from prison after spending a year there on a drug-related charge. Terry is an amateur filmmaker who hypothesizes that audiences have been desensitized to horror films, so he takes it upon himself to make an extreme snuff film. He bands together with some friends, sex workers, and people who can help finance his film for him. The twist is thathe intends to actually murder the people that he is filmingto make the movie. Terry has some particularly gruesome kills, including strangulation, throat slitting, and dismemberment. He takes things one step further with the dismemberment and keeps his victim conscious with the use of smelling salts so that she can feel the pain. Ultimately, after a tirade of heinous acts in the name of creating a film, Terry and his crew of filmmakers and amateur actors are apprehended and placed in a penitentiary.
Who Is Roger Watkins, and Why Didn’t He Take Credit?
Roger Watkins is the director, but he used a fake name upon release. The film was released in May 1977 and has undergone a few name changes. Originally, the film was titledThe Cuckoo Clocks of Hell, then later changed toThe Fun Houseand finally toLast House On Dead End Street( presumably to emulate the success ofWes Craven’sTheLast House on the Left). The film was credited as being directed by Victor Janos, and all the other actors and actresses also used pseudonyms. This, of course, started a rumor mill that perhaps the film was actually legitimately filled with real-life murders and that the cast and crew changed their names to avoid punishment. As rumors go, none of them were verified as true. Although the names were faked on the film’s release,a newspaper articlefrom 1973 lists Watkins as the directorbefore the film was released at the Cannes Film Festival.
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There was also the reveal that he was the director inChas Balun’sThe Deep Red Horror Handbook. It is never quite known why Watkins used a pseudonym for this film, as he didn’t need to. In 2000,Roger Watkins took to an online message board and stated that he was the rightful directorof the film. In 2002, the film was re-released on DVD, and all the original cast and crew were listed under their real names. At the time of the creation ofLast House on Dead End Street, Watkins was a college student who had a particular problem withrecreational drugs like amphetamines.The insert for the DVD also mentions that,of the $3,000 budget he had, he only ended up having $800 to work with because he spent the rest on drugs.
What Influences Watkins to Make Such a Horrific Film?
The main influence forLast House on Dead End Streetwas theManson Family Murders. In the newspaper article previously mentioned, Watkins muses thatLast Housefollowed a similar structure to the Manson Family Murders. He mentions how, in his film, there is someone recording all the kills that take place, which is what Manson did with his murders and then sold them to underground distribution places. He also mentions that Manson wore a Greek god mask, so Watkins references him by wearing a similar one inLast House on Dead End Street. Watkins also said he didn’t intend to make a social commentary-type picture and just wanted a pure horror film without the complicated themes we commonly see behind the script. Watkins' original version of the film was much longer, clocking in at 175 minutes, compared to the released version is only about an hour long. Knowing how monstrous this film is after being edited and redubbed, it’s a wonder what the original director’s cut is like. I can speculate that it might not be something anyone could stomach watching.
You can streamLast House on Dead End Streeton Tubi if you’re feeling adventurous — but don’t say I didn’t warn you.
