La casa sperduta nel parco

I've actually been searching for this film for ages. They sure won't sell it in the UK, so the best place is the internet. Alas, no joy. Without using a credit card (I'm not old enough to have one), it seemed like this notorious video nasty was never going to be added to my collection.

Then, on a trip to Paris, I wander into a video store, and what do you know? There are two copies of it, tucked away in a box half pushed under the bottom shelf. And it was in English too. I mean, do we put that down to fate, or what?

I'd already watched Last House on the Left, and so was familiar with David Hess, and the character he portrayed (who, let's face it, was just a re-named Krug). Even so, I wasn't prepared for the graphic nature of this film. Last House on the Left actually turned out to be a lot less graphic than I'd expected, and I'd even got the uncut version. Since both films fall into the same genre, I was expecting this to be somewhat similar in terms of content. Oh man, was that a mistake....

The most repugnant moments in this film are unmatched, and I suspect they will only be surpassed by Cannibal Holocaust/Cannibal Ferox. Acting was somewhat dire to begin with, but did seem to pick up as the film went on. Also, the numerous scenes of rape were never distasteful in their own right. Last House on the Left kept flicking back and forth between a rape scene and a comedy scene, which is distasteful in the worst sense. Yet in this, the rape was never glamourised, it was never presented as anything other than rape, and it was never short of gruelling (or graphic).

Plot? Well, there is one, but it doesn't truly unfold until the end. I must confess that, for someone who successfully predicted the ending of Se7en, I never saw the plot twist coming. But I agree with a lot of the comments on here. The characters at the party were in the large part, very unlikeable, and I ended up hoping Alex would murder them all, which I don't think was the desired effect.

Still, if this is your cup of tea, then you want to make getting this film a priority. It's only going to become and and more rare as time gets on. And they don't make them like this anymore...

Caution advised: Content is extreme.

7/10 - For all its faults, it's very powerful stuff. I lent it to three people in the first week I purchased it.

A psychopathic rapist and his simple-minded companion brutalize a group of wealthy young people. Starring David Hess and Giovanni Lombardo Radice (in his film debut).

Deodato calls this film a "mistake" made only "to satisfy the producers". He says the "screenplay was really poor". So, if you think the movie is a failure, you would be in agreement with its creator. For me, there was little offered beyond a few cute naked women.

Taking place in the disco era with the appropriate music and outfits, this is a truly odd experience. Somehow a Radice striptease comes into play here.. which is, um, interesting to say the least. And then you have people who realize they are going to get tortured, so rather than fight they just accept it...

Luca Palmerini sums up the film as a "listless remake of Last House on the Left. Boring." Of course, it is not a remake, though it was clearly influenced by "Last House" and adding David Hess to the cast only calls that to our attention. Jim Harper calls the plot "paper-thin" and the characters illogical. Harper also believes the film "goes too far" in its treatment of rape. This may be due to the script being written by Gianfranco Clerici, who also wrote "New York Ripper" and "Nazi Love Camp 27", among others.

I cannot pretend to defend the shakey moral foundations that this film rests on; that said I love the rather thin output of Ruggero Deodato. His flick "Live Like A Cop, Die Like A Man" is one of the best of the Italian Violent Cop Thrillers of the seventies... his Cannibal Holocaust is notorious all over the world, but of the Italian Cannibal flicks of the early eighties sub genre, it's rather well made and acted - for what it is. This is sloppy, like all of the Italian sleaze directors U.S films are (particularily Umberto Lenzi), but it has a sleazy charm despite all the chicks being no more than rape magnets. Gotta love David Hess' acting work from this period too; the guy is, um, unique looking, to put it kindly. Check out his website, he takes himself soo-oo seriously; do all actors think they're artists?

"The House on the Edge of the Park" has David Hess again playing a psychopathic murderer-this time, he's a New York City mechanic who canoodles his way into a private party alongside his friend, Ricky. At first his interests lie in bedding the women there, but things quickly unravel as his homicidal tendencies come to the fore.

This film is beloved by many fans of Eurosleaze, and for quite obvious reasons. It was Ruggero Deodato's follow-up to "Cannibal Holocaust," and while it's not nearly as interesting, it is just about as shamelessly gratuitous. There is little plot to speak of here, and much of the film's power hinges on Hess's ability to command the space he's in, using both his body and his voice; this is an easy feat for him as he was a natural charismatic, so the film can rest on that laurel alone to some degree.

The set pieces are gawdy and very much of the time period, which lends the film a period-piece feel, and there is a claustrophobic sensibility to the film because of its limited confines; that being said, it is noticeably dated, more so than many films of the '70s are today. The gore, when it hits, is ample and fairly well-designed. There is also plenty of gratuitous nudity, mainly of females, but even a hunky Hess shows the majority of his body during a pointless shower sequence with a female partygoer. The conclusion comes in a fashion that is fairly standard, but it ultimately satisfies.

Overall, "The House on the Edge of the Park" is a prime piece of grim and gruesome torture-horror from a filmmaker whose career has been in the art of violence. It's not nearly as good as some of Deodato's other films, but Hess provides a charismatic, appropriately sleazy villain (ala his turn s Krug in "Last House on the Left"), and there are some well-orchestrated scenes. A minor entry in the grand scheme of things, but a decently-made one, if not dated. 6/10.

Perhaps one of the most infamous violence-exploitation films ever made, and for good reason!

Slick rapist and his simple-minded buddy get invited to a snobbish get-together, where they quickly take over the house.

Disturbingly dark, oddly erotic, and subtly directed, Deodato's House on the Edge of the Park is an unforgettable tale of lust and violence. While the violence of this film is extreme, Deodato is careful not to let any of the characters become uninteresting. Even as the story is a somewhat convoluted, the occurrences on screen between the villains and their victims keep the audience well on edge. Also of note is the haunting music of Riz Ortolani, the song 'Do It To Me Once More' being especially appropriate for the film.

The cast is fairly good, the best is undoubtedly David Hess. Hess is no stranger to playing sleazy B villains, as he brings such fierceness to every character.

If you're seeking a sleazy exploitation film, or just a strong guilty pleasure, House on the Edge of the Park may just work! Definitely not for all (or even most) tastes.

** 1/2 out of ****