Ruggero Deodato (Cannibal Holocaust) directs a story of two creeps who stumble into a high-class party, only to become enraged when they feel taunted. David Hess (Last House on the Left, Swamp Thing) and Giovanni Lombardo Radice (City of the Living Dead, Cannibal Ferox) then turn the would-be party into a house of torture after a rigged game of poker. Hess’s character, Alex, is very similar to the lowlife that he played in Last House on the Left, while Radice’s character, Ricky, is more of a dim tagalong who has some amount of compassion. The film opens with Alex raping and strangling a girl to death in her own car, which instantaneously sets the tone.
Hess once again masters the depraved sadist with only a hint of humanity, and Radice backs him up perfectly. As the problems mount we see the true natures of each character become more and more pronounced. Alex seems to only find satisfaction through sexual sadism, while Ricky seems to just be in with the wrong guy. I’m sure there is much deeper psychoanalysis to be had, but I won’t get into it.
Deodato provides a film with the grace of a giallo, and the depravity of a rape/revenge film. The final scene is nothing short of brilliant, and I would place it up with the final scene from Don’t Torture A Duckling in terms of overall effect. Riz Ortolani provides a subtle but haunting soundtrack that sets the tone throughout.
House on the Edge of the Park brings a lot of substance, despite the obvious exploitative elements, and has plenty of depth. There’s a couple of twists that make it an interesting story, and Hess’s performance adds a great deal of realism. So for fans of films like Last House on the Left and Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, this is one you’ll want to check out.
Blood Sucking Geek 
I enjoy the Disco-like theme song from this; it makes for a sensational trailer for this movie, which I might add is a pretty graphic trailer, not just on the violence side. Have you seen it?
As usual things end up impressively despicable with Hess’s character, I remember thinking, “never let David Hess into a party”, or “If you see David Hess hitchhiking keep driving, lol (This is what I thought during the film Hitch Hike).
I also though there was some interesting chemistry between Giovanni’s character and Lorraine De Selle’s character (something about her eyes) when they have there moment outside the house.
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WOW! I must see!!! Especailly after the Don’t Torture a Duckling reference (one of my favorites of all time!!!) thanX for the review!!!
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