House on the Edge of the Park (1980)
"La casa sperduta nel parco" (original title)

Two lowlife punks invite themselves to a party at a posh villa and after being taunted by their snobbish hosts, hold everybody hostage and subject them to various torture and mayhem.

Director:

Ruggero Deodato

Writers:

Gianfranco Clerici, Vincenzo Mannino

Stars:

David Hess, Annie Belle, Christian Borromeo

Cast

Complete credited cast:
David Hess	...	Alex (as David A. Hess)
Annie Belle	...	Lisa
Christian Borromeo	...	Tom
Giovanni Lombardo Radice	...	Ricky
Marie Claude Joseph	...	Glenda
Gabriele Di Giulio	...	Howard
Brigitte Petronio	...	Cindy
Karoline Mardeck	...	Susan
Lorraine De Selle	...	Gloria

Storyline

Alex, a psychopathic mechanic, rapes a woman in the park. Later, a decadent couple pull into his shop needing car repair. They invite Alex and his mentally challenged buddy to join them at a decadent suburban party. Once there, Alex amuses himself by tormenting and raping the guests...

---

Plot Keywords:

party | park | mechanic | mentally challenged | rape | 

---

Taglines:

David Hess ... star of "Last House on the Left" is loose again ... DON'T GO IN THE PARK!

---

Genres:

Horror | Thriller

---

Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian English

Release Date:

February 1985 (USA)

Also Known As:

House on the Edge of the Park

Filming Locations:

Incir De Paolis Studios, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company Credits

Production Co:

F.D. Cinematografica

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min 79 min (heavily cut)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film was initially rejected for a UK cinema certificate by the BBFC when first submitted in March 1981, and later found itself on the DPP list of "video nasties" when it was revealed that the uncut version was readily available on UK video. When it was eventually passed by the BBFC in July 2002 it was cut by 11 minutes and 43 secs, with almost all of the rape and violence either replaced or removed entirely.

---

Quotes

[first lines]
Alex: Helooooo lady!

---

Crazy Credits

The original US version of the film had Italian credits. Credits were translated for the UK and US DVD versions.

---

Connections

Referenced in The Devil Thumbs a Ride (2002)

---

Soundtracks

"Give Me A Chance"
Music and Lyrics by Riz Ortolani
Performed by Charlie Cannon, Rosamarie D'Andrea and Patrizia Neri

User Reviews

Strong exploitation thriller is not for the faint!

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 ****