Rating: 
Summary: argh!
Review: "House on the Edge of the Park" is an exploitation classic that I was eagerly awaiting on DVD. Unfortunately, Shriek Show has burned its fans with a poorly-mastered image. Remember "Demonia," one of their early efforts at remastering, to try and play in the same league as Anchor Bay and Elite? Well, this one suffers the same problems--grainy nighttime scenes, pictures hanging on walls that shift around, doors that won't stay still in the background, people's faces and hair shift around and won't stay still. This is all terribly distracting and annoying, to the point where you'll be watching for flaws in the picture instead of the movie itself. (Lucky I have a widescreen VHS bootleg...sheesh.) The sound quality is all right, and when the scenes are well-lit, the image tends to stay still. The supplements are excellent, the main attractions are thorough, informative interviews with David Hess (5 scenes long!) and Giovanni Lombardo Radice, who possess fond memories of the shoot; but the Ruggero Deodato interview, though only 8 minutes, ISN'T SUBTITLED! If this was an oversight in rushing the DVD out to the public, it was a pretty major one, as I doubt many "Region 1" DVD owners are fluent in Italian. Sheesh. Ultimately, if you want the definitive version of "House on the Edge of the Park," you'll have to look elsewhere--though the suppliments will appease enthusiasts like myself, the movie itself is at least a 4-star revenge flick given the one-star treatment. Piggy to you, Shriek Show.
Rating: 
Summary: PRocede with caution.
Review: Before I continue I must warn you that if you do desire to watch this flm, do proced with caution, this is not for the weak of stomach. House on the Edge of the Park is dark and disturbing movie about a blue collared worker and his semi retarded buddy who happen to be serial rapist. This is clearly seen in the beggining when the main killer gets cut off by this woman. HE runs her off the road, breaks in and rapes her. Later this rich young couple show up at his place of busines and offer him to join them at their party. At that point after a few tease jobs and mild insults he ends up holding them hostage with a razor blade as he and his buddy procede to rape the woman (or at least degrade them) and in some cases hurt them. The men they beat up pretty badly. Eventually like so many other films the provebial ...hits the fan and the get away relativly unharmed but greatly degraded (the families there). OVerall this is an exploitation film that would not be to succesful here in america. This is cult hit for those into this kind of film. Past that it would be a renter (if you can find it).
Rating:
Summary: A generous two stars....
Review: Being a huge fan of italian cinema, cult films and David Hess, my expectations for this were quite high. What a complete disapointment and an utterly wretched and tedious film this turned out to be. Boring and derivative are two words that come to mind as this borrows from other such films as Hitch-Hike, Last House On The Left and I Spit On Your Grave. However this film completely lacks the expert direction of Hitch-Hike, the brilliant social commentary of Last House and the over the top, repulsive violence of I Spit On Your Grave.
Instead this is a standard revenge film that begins with two low life criminals raping a young lady and then murdering her. By a bizarre twist of fate these two same criminals wind up at a upper class socialite's party a year later-the twist: the party is thrown by relatives of the rape/murder victim.
Every character in this film is despicable and unlikeable, so you dont really care what happens to any of them. What is most disturbing is that a lot of the sexual violence especially at the party is presented like a softcore porn film, this obscures the heinous and violent nature of sex crimes and is quite demeaning. Similar scenes in Last House on the Left and Hitch-Hike made much more of an impact and left an indelible imprint on the viewer, especially Craven's Last House whose disturbing content haunts the viewer for days afterwards and is truly gut wrenching and impossible to forget.
David Hess, as usual, is typecast as a sociopathic scumbag and he excels in his role. Truly one of the only good performances in the film and the highpoint of this whole mess.
The one thing I loved about this dvd is the more than thirty minute interview with David Hess which reveals him to be a thoughful and intelligent man, very fascinating indeed.
In all fairness, for fans of this film, the dvd presentation is pretty good and the print and sound quality are quite nice. For others, especially those looking for something thought provoking or shocking please do yourself a favour and look elsewhere. Truly, the bottom of the exploitation cinema barrel!!
Rating: 
Summary: Don't believe the hype-Reaches new heights of boredom!!
Review: Being a huge fan of italian cinema, cult films and David Hess, my expectations for this were quite high. What a complete disapointment and an utterly wretched and tedious film this turned out to be. Boring and derivative are two words that come to mind as this borrows from other such films as Hitch-Hike, Last House On The Left and I Spit On Your Grave. However this film completely lacks the expert direction of Hitch-Hike, the brilliant social commentary of Last House and the over the top, repulsive violence of I Spit On Your Grave.
Instead this is a standard revenge film that begins with two low life criminals raping a young lady and then murdering her. By a bizarre twist of fate these two same criminals wind up at a upper class socialite's party a year later-the twist: the party is thrown by relatives of the rape/murder victim.
Every character in this film is despicable and unlikeable, so you dont really care what happens to any of them. What is most disturbing is that a lot of the sexual violence especially at the party is presented like a softcore porn film, this obscures the heinous and violent nature of sex crimes and is quite demeaning. Similar scenes in Last House on the Left and Hitch-Hike made much more of an impact and left an indelible imprint on the viewer, especially Craven's Last House whose disturbing content haunts the viewer for days afterwards and is truly gut wrenching and impossible to forget.
David Hess, as usual, is typecast as a sociopathic scumbag and he excels in his role. Truly one of the only good performances in the film and the highpoint of this whole mess.
The one thing I loved about this dvd is the more than thirty minute interview with David Hess which reveals him to be a thoughful and intelligent man, very fascinating indeed.
In all fairness, for fans of this film, the dvd presentation is pretty good and the print and sound quality are quite nice. For others, especially those looking for something thought provoking or shocking please do yourself a favour and look elsewhere. Truly, the bottom of the exploitation cinema barrel!!
Rating: 
Summary: Dave Hess at his best!!
Review: By far, David Hess's greatest movie, out of the three he has done, the House on the Edge of the Park will make you scream for more. Dave plays this screwed up mechanic named Alex who fixes cars and rapes women he meets at the happening disco tech. One night, these yuppies wander into Alex's garage where he invites himself to a party that they are having. Alex, along with is dopey friend Ricky become the life of the party when Ricky does his dance number. After trying to get laid several times unsuccessfully, Alex flips out and you see the madness that Dave Hess brings to the screen. The House on the Edge of the Park is quite possibly the best movie since Hard to Die with the fat slob Orville Ketchem. You will not be dissapointed while viewing this movie. Within the first 15 minutes of it, you will be on the edge of your seat and up to your neck in 70's bush!!
Rating:
Summary: The House on the Edge of Boredom
Review: Hey, if you want to buy this, why not save yourself some $$ & buy Tales of Terror: 10 Movies, which contains this film, & is about the same cost (plus you get 9 other films). But, is it worth buying this film at all? A rapist & his dumb friend hold a group of rich people hostage. I kept expecting that the rich people would turn out to be cannibals, or witches, or vampires; anything for a plot twist - 'cause I was wondering why one review said it was interesting that they would invite him & his mate over. Sadly, they were just a bunch of lame rich kids who wanted 'a bit of rough' to play with (that is; someone from the gutter to amuse them for a while). What they didn't know was they he was packing heat. Pretty much a dull film; except for a bit of flesh.
Rating:
Summary: A Giallo, Not Horror -- and Not That Great
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: A generous two stars....
Review: I felt the ending was totally implausible but then again, one has to look at the audience this film appeals to. Rather than dwell on the shortcomings or good points of the movie, if one likes this type of movie a better choice would be Blaise Moi which is equally or more so violent but pehaps more satisfying as to quality. A superior movie would be Butterfly Kiss along the lines of Thelma and Louise.
For 'The House....' I really could not buy into the characters or their actions. For the special features, unless there is a change futher into the segment, the interview with the director is only in Italian, without subtitles. I found the DVD to be a disappointing movie. Not unexpectedly, it was over the top but underwhelming.
Rating:
Summary: Look Closer
Review: La Casa sperduta nel parco,Firstly,treat your senses,
Riz Ortolani in all his glory,his music alone makes this film worth the effort. Quaint...oddly unsuiting...yet indulgent & heartfelt.His inspiration to this film came from none of the themes of violence & rape, more from the absence of warm romance that is the norm for such events as parties.He needn't point out the intensity,that's obvious, he just pointed out what was absent. The film itself, I enjoyed it,but I'm a hardcore Exploitation, Horror, Hess, Ortolani, De selle fan.
If violence bothers you,close your eyes & focus on what you can't see!It's unexpected,but it's there.
Rating:
Summary: LAME EFFORT
Review: Like many people living in the UK I wanted to see this film which is banned here to see what all the fuss is about. I needn't have bothered. Whilst the follow-up film to Ruggero Deodato's infamous "Cannibal Holocaust",this film lacks any of the suspense of its predecessor but maintains the level of shocking violence. However, even gorehounds will have to wait a good hour into the film to get a fix of what is potentially one of the sickest scenes ever shot in cinema. I'm not spoiling it for those who haven't seen it because frankly you deserve to see it. The film has no plot, suffers from bad acting all round, a hideously dated look, cheesy music and a bunch of miserable characters I wanted to kill myself. David Hess is quite convincing as a psychopath, however. Did I mention there is quite a lot of softcore sex even for an exploitation film? The problem is none of it adds up to anything believable! Americans please note, in Britain it is rumoured that the BBFC are considering releasing this film with a staggering 12 minutes of cuts! Trouble is, they'll cut the wrong bits.....I'd cut the first hour of silly dialogue and make it an extended trailer showcasing Hess, the psycopath.
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