House on the Edge of the Park (1984)

everything you have heard about this movie is true.

Disappointment for a huge fan!

A lot more amusing than I thought it would be.

It is interesting even when nothing much happens, which is for most of its 3-hour running time. Read full review

House on the Edge of the Park (1980) ** 1/2 (out of 4) Alex (David Hess) and his friend Ricky (Giovanni Lombardo Radice) are invited to a party thrown by some rich folks where the psychotic Alex soon realizes that they're basically there as a joke. This sets Alex off on a violent rampage full of rape and other sorts of perverted violence.This Ruggero Deodato film has become known as a rip-off of THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT thanks in large part to the casting of Hess but I think that's selling the film a bit short. There are a few too many problems here for the film to be a complete success but at the same time I think the film has enough interesting moments that make it worth watching. The film has also become somewhat notorious for its sexual tone but I think people will be shocked to see how un-violent it actually is.What I liked most about the film (especially one a second viewing) is how the "victims" in the film are also made out to be bad guys. This is basically a story of bad guys going up against an evil guy and I thought it made for a rather interesting atmosphere because there's really no one here you like. Instead of having people you like you're basically ranking people you hate from the most to the least. This was a bit of a twist than what you usually saw in films like THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT and others like it.What doesn't work with the film is that it's got a really bad soundtrack that doesn't work and I'd also argue that something more needed to happen here. I think a lot of people are going to be disappointed going into such a notorious movie and finding out that it's really not all that violent. I mean, you've got the director of CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST but don't expect any of that type of violence. It's certainly got a very weird sexual tone to it that is rather unsettling. There's also a twist that doesn't work at all but I won't spoil what it is.I thought the performances were the real highlight of the picture with Hess once again doing an excellent job in the role of the madman. Radice also gets a lot of sympathy from his character and I thought supporting players like Annie Belle, Gabriele Di Guilio and Lorraine DeSelle were good too. HOUSE ON THE EDGE OF THE PARK is certainly a film worth watching but with a few changes it could have been much better.

I am probably the only person (apart from Ruggero Deodato, perhaps) who will ever give this film such a high rating. There is no doubt about it: this rip-off of The Last House on the Left is a trashy, sleazy movie, but for an exploitation film it has a sense of style and élan that sets it apart from other such efforts in the genre. (Even as I write this review I cannot believe I am using words like 'élan'...) But for some reason that I will try to explain, I really loved this movie.The plot of Park sees two working class low-lifes (Hess and Radice) gate crashing the party of some chic Manhattan socialites. Initially there is fun and flirtation, but when the snobbish jibes get too close to the bone, Alex (Hess) becomes a little touchy and turns psycho with his cutthroat razor...With its stylish New York setting and cheesy disco score by Cannibal Holocaust composer Riz Ortolani, The House on the Edge of the Park makes for glossy, tongue-in-cheek grindhouse fare. The film is well-directed by Deodato, fresh from the controversy of Cannibal Holocaust, and sees another bravura performance from Hess as the Krug-like Alex. It is also surprisingly tense and well-paced, giving it a slight edge over that other Last House rip-off, Late Night Trains (1974). But like its model, at the centre of this film is a prolonged torture-humiliation sequence that still makes this movie a cause for concern with the British censors: in it, a pretty young partygoer is sadistically menaced by Alex and his razor, while he croons her name in incredibly disturbing fashion. It is a shocking and unpleasant scene to be sure, but this is, after all, a horror movie. Apart from this one scene it would be difficult to explain why this film had such problems with the BBFC and the DPP. It must have been the overall concept (working class thugs invading a middle class home) and the depiction of violence against women (although there is plenty of violence against men, too). Of course, it's more likely to have been the ambiguity of some of the female characters, who find these louts strangely exciting and fascinating, but especially Alex with his brooding, Neanderthal presence. At any rate, the film is still heavily cut in Britain and has yet to find a strong fanbase along the lines of other exploitation movies. Well, I like it!Film: **** Nastiness: ****

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.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PO16uVP6zoThe central character of the film is Alex, a full time mechanic and part-time rapist. While his full time job is established after the opening credits, unfortunately, his part-time job is established BEFORE the opening credits. The film begins with Alex driving on the road alongside a fetching young woman. He forces the woman off of the road, jumps into the passenger seat of her car, and violently rapes and strangles her to death.Some time later, we see Alex at his mechanics, garage getting ready to go out for a night of disco dancing. Accompanying Alex is his friend Ricky, who looks up to Alex in a big brother sort of way, and also appears to be mildly retarded. Before they get a chance to leave, however, a rich young couple experiencing car trouble, pull in to the garage. After fixing their car, the boyfriend, Tom, invites Alex and Ricky to a small party as a gesture of good will. Alex, who has eyes for the Tom's smokin' hot girlfriend Lisa, eagerly agrees. After they arrive at the party, and pleasantries are exchanged, Ricky begins dancing with one of the beautiful young women at party. As the other rich snooty partygoers egg him on, it becomes obvious to Alex that they are mocking RickyFOR MORE, CLICK ON THE LINKhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PO16uVP6zo