The House on the Edge of the Park (1985) Review

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(More customer reviews)"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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