You have to give this film a little bit of credit for the fact that it doesn't religiously follow the same old slasher plot line; but then most of this credit has to be taken away when you consider how rubbish the film is. Don't Go Near the Park is one of the films included on the Video Nasty list, but unfortunately this is one of the films that really isn't all that gory. The film features a few bloody scenes (one that turns up before the credits), but they all look so fake that they're impossible to really take seriously. The plot, which opens centuries in the past, takes influence from the vampire sub-genre, and follows a pair of siblings who find themselves doomed to walk the Earth for all eternity after abusing their tribe's tradition for eternal youth. They are given one chance to break this curse, however, as they must sacrifice a virgin (who is also a descendant from the tribe) in return for their souls at a certain point during the lunar cycle. This leads the male of the duo to marry the first young woman he bumps into, and this means that their daughter is the one who must be sacrificed...
Of course, this plot is silly and is never going to lead to a great film; but I really do think that if this had better production values, it could have been a decent little flick. The script includes some good ideas, and the plot doesn't play out exactly as you'd expect it to; although it does suffer from a load of ridiculous happenings and coincidences. The acting is rubbish, and sees Tamara Taylor give a very irritating performance in the lead role. Aldo Ray and Meeno Peluce are ineffective in their roles, and the only standout performance in the film comes from Linnea Quigley, although her part doesn't allow her do much, and is only memorable because she would go on to make quite an impression in several other eighties horror films. The title of the movie gives you the notion that the film is another exploitation flick along the same lines of The Last House on the Left or Don't Go in the Woods, and I can see this leading to annoyance for people who weren't expecting a fantasy horror movie. On the whole, this really isn't a very good film - but it's more imaginative than a lot of its ilk, and while I won't see it again; I've got to admit that I did rather enjoy watching it.
