The Cuckoo Clocks of Hell (lost 3-hour cut version of "Last House on Dead End Street" horror film; 1973)

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Last house on dead end street poster 01.jpg

Poster for the released film.

Status: Lost

Last House on Dead End Street was a 1977 horror film written, directed, produced, and starring Roger Watkins. The film is notorious for its intense gore and disturbing atmosphere, with many rumors surrounding the film, including the possibility that the murders depicted on-screen were real. Not helping these rumors were the fact that the credits featured pseudonyms in place of the actual cast member's names, making them very hard to track down. It would take nearly 30 years for the creator's actual name to even be revealed.

However, even before the film was "officially" screened in '77, an earlier three-hour cut known as The Cuckoo Clocks of Hell was screened some time in 1973. This version was so disturbing to theater goers that they reportedly incited riots over the violence being displayed. Because of these riots and the general controversy that would surround the film, this version was quickly pulled from theaters and heavy cut and edited, leaving the final film at just barely over an hour's length (77 minutes).

Availability

While the final film alone has rarely been released on home media, the original three-hour cut has not been released in any form. Considering the amount of controversy that came with the uncut footage, it may have been destroyed in an attempt to avoid more trouble in the future. However, there are rumors that a New York film archive has a print of the three-hour cut.