La casa sperduta nel parco (1980)

Director:

Ruggero Deodato

Writers:

Gianfranco Clerici (writer)
Vincenzo Mannino (writer)

Release Date:

February 1985 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

Delivers Shocks To The Maximum ... Pushes The Limits Of Acceptability

Plot:

Two lowlife punks invite themselves to a party at a posh villa and after being taunted by their snobbish hosts, hold everybody hostage and subject them to various torture and mayhem.

Plot Keywords:

Party | Mentally Challenged | Torture | Villa | Rape

Cast

David Hess	...	Alex (as David A. Hess)
Annie Belle	...	Lisa
Christian Borromeo	...	Tom
Giovanni Lombardo Radice	...	Ricky
Marie Claude Joseph	...	Glenda
Gabriele Di Giulio	...	Howard
Brigitte Petronio	...	Cindy
Karoline Mardeck	...	Susan
Lorraine De Selle	...	Gloria
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Susan Spafford	...	Lisa (voice: English version) (uncredited)
Pat Starke	...	Gloria (voice: English version) (uncredited)
Frank von Kuegelgen	...	Ricky (voice: English version) (uncredited)

Directed by
Ruggero Deodato		(as Roger D. Franklin)

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Gianfranco Clerici		writer
Vincenzo Mannino		writer

Produced by
Franco Di Nunzio	....	producer
Franco Palaggi	....	producer

Original Music by
Riz Ortolani

Cinematography by
Sergio D'Offizi

Film Editing by
Vincenzo Tomassi

Production Design by
Massimo Antonello Geleng

Costume Design by
Massimo Antonello Geleng

Makeup Department
Raul Ranieri	....	makeup artist (as Raoul Ranieri)
Nerea Rosmanit	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Vito Di Bari	....	unit manager
Giovanni Masini	....	production manager

Art Department
Rodolfo Ruzza	....	props

Sound Department
Bruno Longobardo	....	sound mixer
Alfonso Montesanti	....	sound engineer

Camera and Electrical Department
Paolo Cavicchioli	....	still photographer (as Paolo Maria Cavicchioli)
Stefano D'Offizi	....	chief electrician
Enrico Lucidi	....	camera operator
Enrico Maggi	....	assistant camera
Sergio Profili	....	key grip

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Lucia Costantini	....	wardrober

Editorial Department
Rita Antonelli	....	assistant editor
Luciano Vittori	....	color consultant

Other crew
Claudia Florio	....	continuity
Armando Pace	....	cutting room assistant

Production Companies

• F.D. Cinematografica

Distributors

• Bedford Entertainment (1985) (USA) (theatrical) (dubbed)
• Trio (1985) (USA) (theatrical) (dubbed)
• Vestron Video (1985) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (1998) (USA) (VHS) (as "The House on the Edge of the Park")
• Shriek Show (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• DMEG (2004) (Sweden) (VHS)
• Kaninchen Media Corp. (2005) (worldwide) (VHS)
• Cinefear (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Firebox (2007) (Finland) (DVD)
• Panarecord (????) (Italy) (VHS)
• Skyline Video (????) (UK) (VHS)
• Sunrise Tapes (1983) (Belgium) (video)
• Video Forum Pictures (????) (UK) (VHS)
• Video Instant Picture Company (VIPCO) (????) (UK) (VHS)

Also Known As:

House of the Park on the Edge (USA) (trailer title)
House on the Edge of the Park (USA)
The House on the Edge of the Park (International: English title)

Runtime:

91 min | UK:79 min (heavily cut)

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian | English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:R (original rating: 1981) | Australia:Refused Classification | Singapore:(Banned) | Sweden:15 (uncut) | Norway:18 (uncut) (2007) | Finland:(Banned) (1986) | Finland:K-18 (2007) | Canada:(Banned) (Ontario) | Canada:18+ (Quebec) | Italy:VM18 | UK:(Banned) (1984-2002) | UK:18 (heavily cut) | USA:Unrated | Norway:(Banned) (video rating) | Germany:BPjM Restricted

Filming Locations:

Incir De Paolis Studios, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company:

F.D. Cinematografica

Trivia:

David Hess was the first choice for Alex because he played a similar villain in _Last House on the Left (1972)_, which was a highly successful low-budget thriller. The makers of this film wanted Hess involved so much that they gave him half the rights to the film.

Quotes:

Ricky: And you, Howard?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Devil Thumbs a Ride (2002) (V)

beautifully ugly

HOUSE BY THE EDGE OF THE PARK, for all it's on screen ugliness, is shot in a manner of rare beauty.To look at the plot synopsis, it reads as(and sometimes is) a sickening and at times, unwatchable movie. Yet it stays with you long after you've watched it. A feeling that you've just witnessed a gruesome fairytale, is felt by the viewer, and the final plot twist is quite unexpected as well!

PLOT; Sadistic rapist/murderer, ALEX and his (slightly) retarded buddy, find themselves at a party for spoilt rich kids. Our two villains are there to be purely mocked, for their apparent lack of 'class'...However, ALEX doesn't like to be laughed at, so with his straight-razor, he and his friend begin turning the party into a seige, and subject the rich kids to a night of humiliation and rape.

Maybe it's the direction, that takes no prisoners, or maybe it's RIZ ORTOLANI's music score (that 'cindy-oh-cindy' theme is forever stuck in my mind)...but the one lasting image is that of DAVID HESS After playing a similar character in LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT, HESS really pulls out all the stops in this one. His character, although a ruthless psychopath, is in turn, fleshed out, sensitive, and in (minor) terms provoked, by a a group of morally ugly rich (young) adults. The (supposed) good guys (and gals) in this movie are, in their own way, just as repulsive as ALEX and his dim-witted partner (MORGHEN) Supprisingly enough, the movie is almost murder free, so it seems that the whole plot is two-thirds poetic justice, for all concerned...That is, until, young Cindy turns up at the party. Then, the movie (and HESS's character) take an extremely nasty turn.

Any technical faults, this unrelenting movie has, will soon be wiped away in the memory, but the underlining feeling of gut-wrenching savagery will remain for many night(mares) to come

Big lee gives this excellent movie 10 out of 10