Video Nasty : The House On The Edge Of The Park (1980)

I've had the pleasure of chatting quite a lot with Italian actor Giovanni Lombardo Radice aka John Morghen on the internet lately, and I've met quite a few celebs in my time, but no one who has as much love for his fans as Johnny, so this review is dedicated to him, and his great acting skills. In the grand tradition of the rape/revenge flicks I bring you...



Plot:

The film starts with a girl being sadistically raped and killed, and as we look closer we find that our old friend David Hess is the killer. To a mellow tune called "Sweetly oh sweetly" we witness Hess doing what he does best (on film) with no mercy. That first scene alone will make you question yourself if you are normal watching these kind of films.

Cut to Alex(Hess), and Ricky(Morghen)'s garage where a snob is getting his car fixed, and happens to make the fatal mistake of inviting the wicked Alex and the slightly retarded Ricky to a party at his house. Everything is peaches and cream until they get to the house, where the two evil villains starts showing their true nature as soon as there's women on the screen, and that means sex, violence, torture, humiliation, and rape.



What's good?:

The director Ruggero Deodato is most known for his jungle chunkblower "Cannibal Holocaust" which controversy also just about ruined his career, but he did manage to put this little gem out the year after CH, possibly because it took some time for the CH hysteria to catch on. This is also his best film after CH, and shows how great and versatile of a director he is. The setting and mood is perfect for the story..dark and very 70's including dancing to some wonderful Disco tunes provided by master composer Riz Ortolani, especially "Much More" which is a fantastic Funky Disco gem that will rock any dancefloor even now.



With David Hess as the villain it's impossible to lose, and when you add the other great character of Italian exploitation cinema John Morghen you got your dream team lineup for a good..uh...EVIL time. It's much of the same kinda character Hess played in LHOTL, but this one maybe even a little more sadistic and cruel.

The shock value here consists of a lot of sexual violence that the girls seems to enjoy to some degree, which is what made this a very dangerous film to the censors I believe. Especially when the under aged virgin Cindy appears, and is degraded in the worst possible way by Hess, including undressing her, then slicing her slowly with a razor.



What's not?:

It's another one that goes a little too far, and that's not really a bad thing, but once again you feel sick and dirty after watching it, and will feel the urge to take a shower, and maybe even quit watching Horror movies. That's not really a bad thing as films that challenges the viewer in that way takes a master director and a great cast, and crew to make.



The Verdict:

This unique and stylish, but extremely brutal film is a must have in any Horror fan's collection. It's Italian, it's demented and cruel, the directing and acting is incredible, so is the music, and it challenges the viewer to be able to continue watching it, or "should I turn it off". The portrayed to be under aged Cindy is very questionable, and if you don't react with disgust on how she's treated then you have no feelings. Few movies are as good at exactly that..contracting feelings...as this one. EVIL all the way, and the best rape/revenge film ever made.



Rating:

5 (out of 6)