October 11, 2011 I met David Hess about a decade ago, when he was promoting "Zombie Nation", screening in San Francisco. He was a gracious, friendly guy, passionate about music, art and film.

He was excited about a documentary he was directing on steel drums, which eventually was unveiled in 2010 as "Steel Drums, Not Guns."

Of course, the horror fans at the event he was attending were more interested in talking about his role as the chielf villain in one of the most terrifying movies ever made -- Wes Craven's "Last House on the Left" -- for which he also wrote the iconic theme song, with its memorable lyrics: "And the Road Leads to Nowhere." He basically replayed the same character from "Last House" in the 1980 Ruggero Deodato gorefest "House on the Edge of the Park."

It's always tragic when someone passes away too young. Hess was only 69 and very active. In fact, "House on the Edge of the Park Part II" was apparently in pre-production for him.

A charismatic actor and horror film icon, David will be missed.

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