Search - The House on the Edge of the Park on DVD

A gory, but definitive classic!

David Nock | UK | 11/03/2002

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Like the similar 'Last House on the Left', you're either going to love this film, or hate it with a passion - there's no down the middle. Director Ruggero Deodato takes rape, suffering and violence to near-unbearable extremes, almost trying to out-do the terrors we witnessed in 'Cannibal Holocaust'.This is only going to appeal to a certain crowd, and that crowd involves any serious horror fans, as well as fans of cult exploitation. Often, 'House on the Edge of the Park' is grim, unsettling and horridly disturbing. All in all, it actually does it's job as a horror film - it shocks, chills and disturbs in equal measure, with enough blood-letting to keep many gore fans happy.The story follows the psychotic rapist Alex (an outstanding performance by David Hess, no matter how the film pans out), who takes his mentally-challenged friend Ricky (John Morghen) to a posh party. After being mistreated by the upper-class yuppies, Alex eventually reaches boiling point, and the party results in a tense and terrifying hostage situation, in which anyone can drop.'House on the Edge of the Park' is an interesting and sometimes brilliant work, which has the disadvantage of not being everyones cup of tea. The violence is extreme, and uncomfortable to watch. In most respects, this isn't a mainstream film, since it's sleazy feel often makes it hard to sit through.At the end of the day, this film does have it's flaws, but it doesn't stop it from being a classic of the genre. It's essentially a rip-off of 'Last House on the Left', but if you liked Craven's film, you'll know doubt like this too.At least give it a try, since there are worse films out there...Regards,
D.J. Nock"

Lewd, crude, and all around nasty!

Jeffrey Leach | Omaha, NE USA | 08/29/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

""The House at the Edge of the Park" comes to us from the twisted mind of Ruggero Deodato. If you're not familiar with his work (and if you're not, what are you doing reading this review?), he's the man responsible for some of the most horrific exploitation films in the history of horror cinema. Deodato lensed the downright nauseating "Cannibal Holocaust," a movie so repulsive in its depictions of human and animal death that only the most jaded viewers need sit down with it for a watch. "Holocaust" tried to cash in on the whole Italian "cannibals run amok" genre of the 1970s and early 1980s, and ended up defining it. Another jewel in Deodato's crown of stomach churning madness is 1985's "The House on the Edge of the Park." Fortunately, no cannibals go on a rampage in this picture, at least not of the type that live in the jungle in a remote corner of the globe. Instead, Deodato gives us a nihilistic revenge film that would make even Charles Bronson or Clint Eastwood blanche in horror. Yep, forget about the Death Wish films and Dirty Harry; what we've got here goes far beyond the borders established by those "tepid" thrillers.



Deodato's film establishes its credentials right from the start, as we see Alex (David Hess) run a young woman off the road and then proceed to have his way with her. For good measure, he then bumps her off. Obviously, "The House on the Edge of the Park" is not going to be a nice film. Flash forward some time to a couple of rich types, Lisa (Annie Belle) and Tom (Christian Borromeo), driving through New York City on their way to a party. Car trouble leads Tom to a local garage where--surprise--Alex works with his simpleminded pal Ricky (John Morghen). The two men use the garage as a front for a stolen car racket, as well as providing a protective base of operations for Alex's other extracurricular activities. When Tom and Lisa roll in looking for assistance, our two boys are just about to head out for a night of partying. Improbably, Tom invites the two men to accompany him and Lisa to the aforementioned gathering. Off the four go to the suburbs, to a house full of wealthy and sleek people. We meet Gloria (Lorraine De Selle), the host of the evening's activities, and several of her snobby friends. These are unpleasant people, the sort of people who make themselves feel better by lording their looks and wealth over everyone else. Sure enough, they soon set to work on Alex and Ricky.



Making Ricky dance for kicks isn't too bad, but when a card game with high stakes cleans out his intellectually challenged pal, Alex has had enough. Out comes a folding razor, and the horror begins. Hess's character delivers beatings to anyone who challenges him, and his lascivious eye for the ladies virtually ensures certain other entertainments will soon follow. Oddly enough, Lisa seems to encourage this negative attention. She takes great pleasure in teasing Alex, in some cases in no uncertain terms, and even enjoys the humiliation Tom suffers as he must sit idly by and watch this ruffian paw his woman. In the few cases where one of the guys tries to make a stand, Alex viciously beats them down. Whether it's knocking someone's head against a pool table or having fun in the swimming pool, Hess's character manages to keep everything on a somewhat even keel. Until a visitor shows up, that is, a very cute visitor who draws out the worst in Alex's disposition. From this point forward, the situation rapidly falls apart. Deodato, who has managed to keep his cards firmly held to his vest up to this point, finally reveals the movie's purpose in a conclusion that, regardless of your opinion of the shenanigans seen in the preceding hour and half, will stay with you long after the credits roll.



"The House on the Edge of the Park" works wonders as an exploitation film. In fact, I'd go so far as to call it an archetype of the exploitation field. It's not the gore that does the trick, surprisingly. Although a bit of the red stuff flows from time to time, don't expect the sort of heavy carnage Deodato trotted out for us in "Cannibal Holocaust." No, what we see here is a more insidious form of exploitation, one of social class and expected perceptions. The conclusion to the film works so well because most of us--I would say all of us--go into the film "knowing" who is good and who is bad. When Deodato throws a wrench into the whole film, he's exploiting our preconceived notions about how humanity structures itself and works in a civilized society. It's a good job all around, but that's not the only thing going for the film. David Hess, the four hundred pound gorilla of cinematic heavies, hits warp drive here. He's sleazy, nasty, and violent as all get out. In other words, he's exactly what we've come to expect of him after watching him tear up the scenery in Craven's "The Last House on the Left."



"The House on the Edge of the Park" is a monument to Deodato's ability to film truly cringe inducing stories. Shriek Show, a label of Media Blasters put in charge of releasing the disc, does an excellent job with the extras. Expect the usual mess of trailers--"Eaten Alive," "Zombie 3," Zombie 4," and "Seven Blood-Stained Orchids"--as well a trailer for Deodato's film, liner notes, and a still gallery. Three interviews, with Hess, Morghen, and Deodato, are fascinating--especially the one with Hess, which runs on for something like forty minutes. So if you like exploitation, you could do far worse than "The House on the Edge of the Park." You can't do much better, though.

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Raw and intense horror thriller!

John Lindsey | Socorro, New Mexico USA. | 04/27/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

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A couple of trouble making rapists Alex and Ricky( David Hess from "Last House on The Left" and John Morghen from "Cannibal Ferox") who are invited to a rich person's party until they decide to make their own cruel and twisted kind of fun such as murder and rape.



A harsh and unsettling Italian horror thriller from director Ruggero Deodato ( known for the infamous immoral "Cannibal Holocaust") has definitely know how to shock his audience. The acting isn't all that great but the music is good with a funky disco song, some gory violence with torture, nudity, and sleaze abound, this is definitely a interesting yet chilling film.



The DVD here from Shreik Show is fully Uncut and has a great transfer along in it's original widescreen presentation, it does have a easter egg in the extras and the extras include three interviews, trailers including to this movie and a still gallery.



Also recommended: "Last House on The Left", " Blue Velvet", "Maniac ( 1980)", " Caligula", " A Clockwork Orange", " House of 1000 Corpses", " The Texas Chainsaw Massacre movies including the 2003 remake", " Wrong Turn", " Cannibal Holocaust", "Cannibal Ferox", " Macabre", " Tenebre", " Phenomena", " The Toxic Avenger", " Re-Animator", " Ichi The Killer", " Visitor-Q", " The Driller Killer", " Audition", " Perfect Blue", and " Se7en"."

A Giallo, Not Horror -- and Not That Great

John Ashley Nail | Decatur, GA United States | 03/11/2004

(2 out of 5 stars)

"I can see why horror fans would be disappointed by "House on the Edge of the Park." It may have a psycho lead character (played to perfection by David Hess, of "Last House on the Left" fame), some tense moments and some vicious violence, but it's not what I'd consider a horror movie, and, consequently, a large reason why I was disappointed by it. But misleading marketing isn't the movie's only problem. As a giallo, it's not particularly noteworthy, either. The "story," about a psychopath and his dim-witted sidekick (Giovanni Radice, a.k.a. John Morghen) who get invited to a party of young rich people then terrorize them, has a twist ending that's full of holes. The "good" characters are just as grating as their violent guests, looking down their noses at these working class interlopers while cheating them at poker or sexually teasing them. It just adds to the movie's hateful tone. In a review of "House on the Edge of the Park" included on the inside sheet, Casey Scott writes "'House' is, technically speaking, a pedestrian affair." Shriek Show at least gets a nod for including such an honest assessment of their product. There's nothing truly remarkable about Ruggero Deodato's direction, and much of the movie appears videotaped. There have been porno movies filmed with more style. And speaking of porn, there are several scenes that seem headed in that direction, made all the sleazier and nastier by the violence accompanying them."House on the Edge of the Park" does have some tense moments, and if you can forgive a lot of the dubbing (seemingly done by the same group of people who dubbed all Euroschlock released between 1969-89), the acting is more than passable, with Hess leading the pack. And if you're a fan of bargain-bin disco, rejoice: the soundtrack to "House" is the audio equivalent of a skin-tight leisure suit. Extras include interviews with Hess, Radice and Deodato (whose interview is in Italian--without subtitles; thanks, Shriek Show). There is the original trailer for this movie (note the botched title: "House of the Park on the Edge") as well as trailers for such Italian-made gore-fests as "Eaten Alive!" and "Zombie" (parts 3 and 4).I know this movie has a cult following, but it's a cult I can't bring myself to join. Only recommended for Deodato or Hess completists."