Pieces (1982)

A chainsaw wielding killer is loose on a university campus.
Starring: Christopher George, Ian Sera, Jack Taylor, Lynda Day George

Link to IMDB

I was in the mood for a twisted slasher flick, but found something a bit more interesting...

The detectives meet the Dean

The prologue shows a young boy being scolded by his mother for playing with a jigsaw puzzle of a naked lady. He retaliates by attacking her with an axe and chopping off her head!! 40 years later and the grown man still has that puzzle and he still hates women. His identity isn't revealed, instead we just see a shadowy figure dressed in black.

Two detectives have arrived at a university to investigate the recent murder of a girl on campus, they are greeted by the school's Dean and Professor Brown who are willing to help the police as best as they can. The detectives presume the killer is a student or staff member of the university, and begin questioning people and looking for clues. There are many suspects introduced, since basically any man in the movie could be the killer, but some are obviously just red herrings to keep the audience guessing and the detectives distracted. The killer strikes again, and we realize that he's collecting body parts of his victims!

"I'll send you a box of lollipops." - Det. Holden

Brown finds some pieces

Kendall is a student that gets involved with assisting the detectives when he discovers one of the bodies, and they also get help from their secretary, Mary, when she goes undercover as the new tennis teacher on campus. Despite all these people working together, the body count is rising as the killer keeps finding girls he can chop into pieces.

The movie focuses on the detectives trying to find the killer's identity more than it does the teenagers that become victims. This adds some intrigue, making the plot feel like a crime mystery more than just a traditional slasher. Although not frightening in any way, there are still some eerie moments when the shadowy killer is stalking his victims. This is helped along by some chilling electronic drones. The gore gets pretty gruesome, with some great make-up and effects on display as each victim loses a few limbs and a lot of blood.

"The most beautiful thing in the world is smoking pot and fucking on a waterbed." - Girl

What prevents this from being effective horror is just how incredibly corny it comes across. The characters often behave like no one you would encounter in real life, and there are so many unintentional laughs from the awkward acting and dialog that it just cannot be taken seriously. This, of course, is what makes the movie so enjoyable! The combination of sleazy slasher and Italian giallo mystery works well enough to keep the thin plot moving, but the filmmakers didn't realize their delivery was so sloppy and goofy.

Frustrated Mary and Kendall

Overall, this is an often forgotten gem of the genre, with lots of carnage, laughs and a truly demented ending that left my mind spinning.

Be sure not to miss:
- The last 10 seconds!
- Bruce Le (not Lee) has the most random cameo ever with some kung-fu moves.
- "Bastard! BASTARD! BASSSSTAAAAARD!" Oh wait, there's a video of it. (volume warning)

Internet review:
"I love this movie more than spaghetti. And I love me some spaghetti!" - Mr. Canacorn

Should I watch it?
Essential for slasher fans, and still good enough for any fan of weirdness.

Where can I find it?
Stagevu link here.

Pieces gets...