House On The Edge Of The Park

 

House On The Edge Of The Park directed by Ruggero Deodata. Starring David Hess (1980)   

            I have no idea what kind of person Gianfranco Clerici is, but if you only judge a man by what hes created in the past then he is a living breathing form of mind cancer. He’s responsible for some of the most ghastly nightmarish films ever assembled. Pictures, you need steel wool to remove from your subconscious. Controversy doesn’t begin to describe some of the vile films he and Ruggero Deodato are responsible for and they must get along too because he penned Cannibal Holocaust, Last Cannibal World and House on the Edge of The Park. Perhaps they are child hood friends, at any rate they have collaborated many times together. These are two titans of cruelty devising what moment a rare exotic creature should die on screen or which actor should be forever traumatized and humiliated for our enjoyment. I have a shitty relationship with Deodato as a filmmaker because half of his films are brilliant and the other suck (Body Count and Dial Help). House On The Edge Of The Park is such an undeniable classic though and has a variety of psychotic talent, two slimy examples are David Hess and John Morghen (or Giovanni Radice). They play Ricky and Alex two blue collar punks out for fun and games (apparently in Italian this means rape and torture). They invade a coked out disco party and hold everyone hostage. If you’re looking to see a more hostile ballistic version of Krug from Last House On The Left, you’ve come to the right shindig. He’s unhinged here, playing an unrepentant sleazy rapist with no moral compass in sight. He just completely dominates and humiliates anyone in his way and none escape his wraith, even his dimwitted foil Ricky is drawn into the wave of animosity. Later in one of the strangest rape/ apologies ever recorded on film between John Morghen (in his third screen appearance) and his later costar of Cannibal Ferox (Lorraine De Selle) ensues. The incident is obvious fiction. I’d like to know if Clerici based this incident on reality, after a vicious rape happens the victim and predator become friends and start dating. There is such an astounding level of illogical plot structure that you have to suspend your own senses in order to buy what’s happening, otherwise its hard to enjoy it. I mean there are phones all over the apartment and no one uses them or the weapons to kill these creeps.The tables slowly turn but the endless heaps of embarrassment for the party goers occur in order for Hess to be framed? I just don't buy it! Actually one of the most inspired moments in the film that have etched into my mind as top quality entertainment, Alex (David Hess) is shot in the balls by one of the party goers and as he slowly descends into the pool backwards, he lets out a ten minute low pitched scream that builds to a

 hair raising crescendo! It’s a scene that requires you to rewind over and over again. Available to rent on disc c/o Netflix. Let's not forget that catchy score as well!