Severin Films Targets Jan. 27, 2026 As The Street Date For A 4K Ultra HD Edition Of Filmmaker Rugero Deodato's House At The Edge Of The Park

Severin Films, with sales and distribution support directed by MVD Entertainment Group, looks to Jan. 27, 2026 as the street date for a newly-minted 4K Ultra HD edition of Italian filmmaker Ruggero Deodato’s 1980 (domestic1984) horror classic (with a twist) House at the Edge of the Park.

When the film opened with a 17-theatre break in Detroit on Sept. 21, 1984, the advertising screamed “DAVID HESS … star of Last House on the Left is loose again … DON’T GO IN THE PARK!”  The ad also carried a warning: “Due to the shocking nature of this film no one under 18 will be admitted.”   

Deodato used the pseudonym Roger D. Franklin for the directing credit.

Deodato had just wrapped Cannibal Holocaust, which ran into all sorts of legal hurdles after its initial release in Italy (a series of obscenity convictions) and didn’t surface in the United States (June of 1985) until after the success of House at the Edge of the Park.  

Hess had become an overnight sensation after his performance as Krug in Wes Craven’s August of 1972 sensation, Last House on the Left, and was recruited by Deodato to play the serial killer maniac Alex.   Location shooting was completed in New York City, with the bulk of the filming done in Rome (interiors, etc.).  

To American audience, “House” was first, followed by “Cannibal” … the magic of theatrical distribution (and legal issues)!

Bonus goodies include commentary featuring Cinema Arcana’s Bruce Holecheck, who is joined by “Ultra Violent” editor Art Ettiger.

Also included are five featurettes — “The Man Who Loved Women,” “Lights On,” “Life a Prairie Dog,” “External Beauty & Internal Ugliness” and “House Sweet House.”