The Last House on Dead End Street

Oh, my friends! What can I tell you? Utter shock, disgust and trauma for the rest of my life :) A movie that will not let you catch a breath. It lasts a bit over an hour and reaches full speed after only forty minutes, so, quite a ride. It if was just a little faster, it would be almost unbearable, the onslaught!! What surprised me the most was how well the filmmakers pretend they are amateurs. A masterpiece, the kind you don’t see everyday. The impression of authentic snuff is only reduced, slightly, by the awful performances, but that’s a negligible problem. In every other aspect, the film leaves a disgustingly authentic impression, and that counts. When one of the characters utters the line ‘I am not interested in art’, all I could do was nod and shake my head simultaneously, while thinking: ‘I believe you, mate...’ The intensity of the psychological and physical torture in the end is so high and demanding, that I was unable to move. I was drooling and my eye developed an unpleasant tick. Utter madness!!! After the film ended, the ability to move my extremities returned, at least partially, and with the last of my strength, I crawled to the phone to call an ambulance. I spent three days in hospital and the doctor told me that I nearly didn’t make it, my heart almost burst open. I have it clear now, I will never ever have another go at The Last House on Dead End Street!!! Really, an onslaught, a mess, something you don’t see every day, fortunately. (01/26/2012)

"Last House on Dead End Street" is a film that aims to shock, to have an effect on the viewer, but it definitely would have had a greater impact if one had seen it 40 years ago. Today, it is more like a low-quality example of how the effort to shock was the main focus. This can also be seen in contemporary films, but that does not mean it makes sense to praise something that was created 40 years ago and has now become quite outdated. Moreover, it sometimes becomes so boring and over the top (for example, the scene with the slaughterhouse) that one feels like yawning out of boredom. (10/01/2014)