The plot of this picture begins very traditionally: a young couple, an accident on the road, a request for help… But the nice people, so polite and courteous, turn out to be a bunch of maniacs who will stop at nothing to please their perverted tastes.
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Ruggiero Deodato’s name is primarily associated with Cannibal Hell, but he has also directed many other quite famous films such as Body Count, Ruby and Run, Ghost of Death (aka Unusual Crime), such films as Barbarians with the famous brothers Kevin and Peter Paul, and this intense horror-thriller House on the Edge of the Park.
The most important thing is not to confuse this work with L. Fulci’s film ‘House on the Edge of the Cemetery’, not only that they are not connected in any way, but they are also made in completely different genres, but both are excellent and bright representatives of horror films. Deodato, of course, is not the master of visual range as Fulci, so one should not expect much dismemberment in ‘The House at the Edge of the Park’. However, there is plenty of violence, the amount of violence is mesmerizing and truly frightening, and there is enough blood to give the film an R-rating, with plenty of nude scenes added.
Indeed, the first huge plus of the film is the nudity. There are so many erotic scenes here that even Fulci’s porn masterpiece ‘Lizard in a Woman’s Skin’ managed to eclipse this film. And such modern porno horrors as ‘Hostel’ and ‘My Bloody Valentine’ are also far out of place compared to the eroticism and variety of nude scenes in this film. Girls for every taste, in all the details, in long and close-ups. Scenes of rape, fondling, sex, undressing and humiliation. All we need is some latex and a whip to call this film a BDSM creation.
The second good thing about the film is the atmosphere that reigns almost from the very beginning. The prologue with the strangled victim already tunes you up, showing the brutality, brutality of the killer, explicit nudity and desperation of the situation. Then the plot begins the action of the film itself, where two friends who have invited themselves to a party turn into real maniacs, similar to the movie ‘Funny Games’, and begin to torture and torment all the inhabitants of the house.
Charismatic characters, one way or another, attracting attention, make the picture very vivid and memorable. Most of the characters in the film have a revealed character, the rest shine with their bright looks or some related scenes. That way everyone is memorable, and the confined atmosphere of the house and the reigning tension helps the characters, trapped by crazy lunatics, to develop even better, becoming more vivid from scene to scene. The villains themselves are not pumped up either, in general, of course, their appearance comes to the fore, but the script reveals these characters just as strongly, combining a coherent image with a special share of charisma. Everyone will have a pronounced attitude towards these characters, be it sympathy or fierce hatred – but you will remember these characters for sure.
Again, we must praise the acting. First of all, the casting masters chose not only ‘girls ready to get naked on camera,’ but pretty good actresses. Secondly, thanks to the acting skills we can watch the characters of the characters which are not cliched or formulaic, but rather original personalities whose inner world and morals are transformed by the current situation.
The soundtrack did not disappoint either. Ritz Ortolani is famous for his compositions for the series ‘The Osprey’ and also wrote music for ‘Cannibal Hell’, both parts of the Italian ‘Killer Crocodile’, and in this film he also distinguished himself, creating both atmosphere in tense scenes and memorable bright compositions which cause admiration, especially during the final credits.
A great story from one of the acknowledged masters of horror, filled with the real horror of everyday life, when there really are such maniacs roaming around, hiding under good-natured fellow travelers, and where no monsters, no mystics, no ogres are needed to create an unbearable atmosphere of fear, worrying about the characters and complete immersion in the movie. One of the masterpieces of horror classics.
Info Blu-ray
Video
Codec: HEVC / H.265 (85.0 Mb/s)
Resolution: Native 4K (2160p)
HDR: Dolby Vision, HDR10
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Audio
Italian: LPCM 2.0
Italian: Dolby Digital 2.0
English: LPCM 2.0
English: Dolby Digital 2.0
Subtitles
English.
