Don't Go Near the Park
A 1981 horror film prosecuted as a video nasty.
Don't Go Near the Park is a 1981 American supernatural horror film, the directorial debut of Lawrence D. Foldes, who was 19 at the time. The cast includes Aldo Ray, Meeno Peluce, Tamara Taylor, Robert Gribbin, and Linnea Quigley. The story centers on a brother and sister from prehistoric times who were cursed by their mother. To stay young, they must eat the entrails of young people. After 12,000 years, the brother tries to break the curse by fathering a child to use as a virgin sacrifice, hoping to gain immortality. The movie was shot in Los Angeles. Foldes had previously produced the commercially successful exploitation film *Malibu High* (1979). It hit theaters in September 1981. The film became infamous for its violence: in the United Kingdom, it was successfully prosecuted for obscenity and added to the "video nasty" list. Over time, it was released on home video under alternate titles like *Night Stalker* and *Curse of the Living Dead*. Critical reception was mostly negative, and later commentary focused on its themes of cannibalism, incest, and pedophilia. In 2006, Dark Sky Films put out a DVD with the original U.S. theatrical cut.
Quick Facts
- Director
- Lawrence D. Foldes
- Story
- Linwood Chase
- Starring
- Aldo Ray / Meeno Peluce / Tamara Taylor / Robert Gribbin / Barbara Monker / Linnea Quigley / Chris Riley
- Music
- Chris Ledesma
- Cinematography
- William DeDiego
- Editing
- Dan Perry
- Studio
- Star Cinema
- Distributor
- Cardinal IV Film Distributors / Cannon Films
- Released
- 11 September 1981
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English
- Budget
- $110,000
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Don't Go Near the Park was the directorial debut of 19-year-old Lawrence D. Foldes, who had previously produced the commercially successful exploitation film Malibu High (1979). Filmed in Los Angeles, the story was partly inspired by a series of disappearances of children in Griffith Park, though this claim is not supported by any widely-known established canon. The film was released theatrically in September 1981 and later gained notoriety when it was successfully prosecuted for obscenity in the United Kingdom and placed on the 'video nasty' list due to its violent content. It was released on home video under alternate titles such as Night Stalker and Curse of the Living Dead.
Reader's Guide
Don't Go Near the Park is significant primarily for its controversial content and legal history. The film's themes of cannibalism, incest, and pedophilia attracted commentary from scholars David Kerekes and David Slater, who noted sequences alluding to inappropriate sexual conduct, including an 8-year-old boy groping a sleeping woman and an aging man befriending a young boy. The film's successful obscenity prosecution in the United Kingdom and placement on the 'video nasty' list marked it as part of a broader moral panic over horror films on home video in the 1980s. Despite largely negative critical response, the film has endured as a cult curiosity, with a 2006 DVD release from Dark Sky Films featuring the original U.S. theatrical cut. Its legacy lies in its representation of extreme exploitation cinema and the legal battles surrounding video nasties.
Did You Know?
- The film was directed by Lawrence D. Foldes when he was 19 years old.
- The film was released under alternate titles including Night Stalker and Curse of the Living Dead.
- Actress Linnea Quigley's first major role is widely recognized as being in The Slumber Party Massacre (1982), not this film.
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