David Hess, who played one of the most vile characters ever committed to film in Wes Craven's Last House on the Left, remains true to form in this Italian lensed shocker. Given the similarity of the two titles and lead characters, one might conclude that director Deodato (Jungle Holocaust, Cannibal Holocaust) was trying to make an unofficial followup to Last House. As a result, comparison of the two seems unavoidable.
Hess portrays Alex, a New York City mechanic. A young couple with car trouble pulls into the garage just as Alex and his nerdy pal Ricky are about to head down to the disco (this whole sequence feels like a twisted version of Saturday Night Fever, complete with funky disco music on the soundtrack). The couple are on their way to a party in Jersey, and Alex smooth talks his way into an invitation.
It quickly becomes apparent, though, that Alex and Ricky don't fit in with the upper crust crowd at the party. Alex starts to lose his temper after being sexually led on by one of the women. When the other partygoers start making fun of Ricky during a poker game, Alex uses this as an excuse to let his psychosis run free.
Producing a straight razor and arming Ricky with a broken bottle, Alex proceeds to toy with the other guests as a cat would play with a cornered mouse. One of the men is severely beaten and thrown into the pool before Alex urinates on him. Another has his face repeatedly bashed against a coffee table. All of the women are sexually accosted. Gloria (De Selle, who played the only character not to have her intestines chewed on in Umberto Lenzi's cannibal opus Make Them Die Slowly, a.k.a. Cannibal Ferox) attempts to flee, but is caught by Ricky and is forced to submit to his sexual advances.
As disturbing as Last House on the Left was, House on the Edge of the Park has a voyeuristic edge that makes it even more unsettling. None of the nudity in Last House was intended to titillate, but in House on the Edge of the Park the camera seems to glare leeringly at the exposed flesh, even during the rape scenes. This is not a film for those who are easily offended.
Suspense is nicely sustained all the way through. A choral type song is repeated throughout the film, striking a nice contrast with the Alex's horrific acts. The film's one true failing is a surprise ending that feels like it was tacked on at the last minute. House on the Edge of the Park can be genuinely shocking, though, and is worth a look.