House at the edge of the Park vs. Last House on the Left

"Last House" is based on "The Virgin Spring" by Ingmar Bergman, which has the best cinematography by far. Deodato tops them all in over-the-top gore, but some viewers may find Ingmar's film more rewarding, with a better pay-off because of the higher quality production. No accounting for taste..

I prefer House on The Edge cause it has literally edge and wit yet shocking at the same time while Last House was good for Wes Craven's debut but was more grim and almost near a snuff film for it's time.

David Hess is definitely a legend among b-movies you know.


"You killed Captain Clown, YOU KILLED CAPTAIN CLOWN"-The Joker

The House on the Edge of the Park is better then the left

Well, I think both films are very good, but I slightly preferred The Last House on the Left. While both films had very dark subject matter, The Last House on the Left had a bit of comic relief to slightly lighten the mood a bit so it never got too depressing. Plus, I have lots of memories attached to The Last House on the Left so I also prefer it for nostalgic reasons. I would most definitely recommend both films to any horror fan, though.

I've been waiting for you, Ben.

I prefer rape-no-revenge kinda movies, so this one is closer I think and Naked Massacre is even better.
Oh, if anyone wants to lecture me on my tastes, well you can drink out of my toilet bowl :)
These movies are fiction anyway.

"I'm going to really enjoy this."

- Jud, The Badass Indian (Lust For Freedom)

Last House on the Left is way better despite it's setbacks such as the derivative humor that occasionally comes up. Both films haven't dated well, but I'll take the burnt out, hippy atmosphere of Last House over the coked out, disco glitz of House any day. Also the acoustic music by David Hess in Last House is decent compared to the dreadful Italo-disco in House at the Edge. Yes, Last House did copy Virgin Spring, but House at the Edge (minus the ending) seems like it not only ripped off Last House, but other sleaze flicks like The Love Thrill Murders. The ending of House at the Edge was more clever, but the rest of the movie was painful to sit through. I felt like I was watching a violent, softcore porno instead of a classic exploitation flick.

Last House on the Left has a lot of rough edges when it comes to the filmmaking. It often feels cheap, misguided and amateurish. Yet, for me, the rough edges add to its charm. I love seeing a filmmaker clearly making the film they wanted to make, regardless of its controversial nature or whether they have the ability to make it. The Last House remake smoothed these edges out and sorted out a few of the dud plot points. Strangely enough though, we lost the majority of the original films charm and its impact.

Wes Craven was brought up deeply religious, not allowed to watch a film until he was 18. He then was witness to Man with no name Westerns and Hollywood action formulas in which people were dying with no consequence. This struck him, particularly because before he watched films a lot of his knowledge of death came from footage and stories of the current Vietnam war.
After experimenting with a soft core porn, he and his filmmaking partner embarked on the idea of making a film where violence truly begets violence. Where people are pained and lives are lost. An angry rebellion against the war and a film that signifies the end of the hippie movement.
They had no idea what they were doing, it's evident in the film. But what's more evident, is their rebellious nature and this creates a far bigger impact.
It's probably the most amateurishly made film to ever be considered a masterpiece, but in its own way it is. As an aspiring filmmaker, this is the movie that gives me the most inspiration to go out and make films.


House on the edge of the park is a far smoother film. It's pretty well made, the acting (mostly by David Hess) is far more superior than the majority of video nasties of this kind. There's more believability than Last House. There are less filmmaking fails than Last House. It's an easier going ride, not because of content but because of evident production values that are lacking in Last House.

Is it better? For me? Nope. But it's pretty good, still rough around the edges but Ruggero Deadato is a pretty solid filmmaker and handles his constraints pretty well. I also like that it has something interesting to say about class wars. All the best exploitation films have a thesis amongst their nastiness.

So, both films are good, I prefer Last House, but I totally understand that many people would prefer House on the edge.

Last house was better.