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Home | Film Reviews | Extreme Cinema | Film Review: The Cuckoo Clocks of Hell (2011)

Film Review: The Cuckoo Clocks of Hell (2011)

SYNOPSIS:

Most people have vanished from the plague…There are a few thousand that still walk the earth……Among them, two outlaws, Harry Russo and Terry Hawkins. Come face to face with one another in a clash that sets them on a road into destiny, to find the heart of America .The lines are drawn and the sands of time are running out fast. Will mankind be saved? We better hope so….Because Harry and Terry are having a good time…………and The Cuckoo Clocks of Hell are coming

REVIEW:

One look at the cover of this release and I knew from the talent credited what I was in for. This release which is titled “The Cuckoo Clocks of Hell” features the returning talents of Harry Russo (John Giancaspro) with the wacky co-star Terry Hawkins (Jim Van Bebber)

Now, for those who have followed past works form Atkins, you’ll certainly recognize the style and return of John Giancaspro who plays his infamous role of Harry Russo.

A movie like this is not meant to invoke the same sensation as you would from a “normal” feature film. It’s rooted in crudeness and wacky extremes which carry forth like leprosy of the mind that is infected into your psyche. You might even question the nature of how you came to watch this or how the actors came to perform such atrocious acts on screen. Though, it’s all in good fun intended for an adult-only crowd. You get your dose right from the get-go as a sexy nun gets raped by Russo. Giancaspro has a great time playing with his fictional character that at times might be a reflection of your own subconscious personified.

I have to always assume that the script was kept pretty loose to allow Harry to just go nuts. In fact, I couldn’t imagine there was much of script but rather a directive of shots. The film is centered in Las Vegas and has the 2 psychos eventually meeting up for a celebratory freak out. Las Vegas is on the brink of becoming a wasteland with the maniacal pair indulging and going wild within its “now” much looser boundaries.

Though in the course, they pretty much run from scene to scene either screaming, stoned, drinking, yelling at the camera, or raping anyone who fits the bill. Russo gives us his best bellowing performance which is nothing short of madness. With his ugly puppet rubberneck always close at hand, he seems to run from one screaming fit into the next. Hawkins eventually joins in and the 2 terrorize just about every situation they can find. This round we get a bit of the origin of Russo who was abused by his mother and father on a pretty regular basis. The revelation is worse than any redneck configuration you can phantom as he reflects on the good old years. As he confesses that he was raised by Satan, we get a few harrowing moments of role playing flashbacks, Hawkins eggs him on and the 2 take a sh*t on the world.

As far as a review goes, it’s just one of those creations that can’t be reviewed in any normal fashion. The film takes extremes with vulgarities around every turn promoted by the madness of Atkins bastard child of a creation. Russo adds humor in the darkest way with his rage fits that are so extreme they pretty much exceed what a human voice is capable of on a constant basis. To clarify, its alot of yelling intercut with some gross out moment shots that are thrown in for impact alone. A sh*t licking, a diarrhea c**ktail, a few rape murders, racial slurring, and some bizarre dress up sessions are only a part of this rage parade. Shall I go on?…There really isn’t much in any act or scene that doesn’t offend to the highest level

Now I know somewhere in this concoction there was a story, though I didn’t really catch what it was. One of the methods used throughout is that Russo is always aware of the camera. So much of his antics are played up to the shots as if trying to impress the lens itself.

“The Cuckoo Clocks Of Hell” is a form of entertainment that is intended for a purely underground audience. In fact, horror fans may not make it past the first few scenes if you haven’t warmed up to the script style of this series. Much like the works of Bill Zebub, you have to leave your serious face at the door and chew of the beef jerky that Ron Atkins has served up. It is more an experiment in excess behavior that seems to fit like a glove when Giancaspro and Jim Van Bebber are involved. There’s no turning back……………

The Cuckoo Clocks of Hell (2011)

4 comments

  1. Way to not even mention the Last House on Dead End Street which is an important detail. Have you even seen it?

     
    • Nope, in fact very few horror fans have seen that film
      so the connection wouldnt really be something at the top of my mind. either or, an obscure reference in a film that references an obscure film, is more or less an inside joke that doesn’t represent the public view of the film.

       
      • Sorry, but that’s absolute nonsense. Any horror fan worth their salt knows the connection between Last House On Dead End Street and this film. Cuckoo clocks of Hell was the original title of Last House On Dead End Street; Terry Hawkins is (was) the name of the director – Van Bebber’s character is based on him. All these connections have been common knowledge for over a decade. There have been numerous DVD releases and Last House On Dead End Street features in hundreds of books. I’ve got about forty on my book shelf. Have you even got a bookshelf? Saying the whole point of the film is an “inside joke” that “doesn’t represent the public view of the film” just makes you sound really uninformed.

         
  2. The Black Saint

    Actually I remember seeing “Last House On Dead End Street” in a theater on Southern Boulevard (In the Bronx, natch) way back in the 70’s. But even if I hadn’t, it’s pretty much standard knowledge that “Cuckoo Clocks From Hell” is a retitled version of that film.

    At least I thought it was…

     

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