Pieces (1982)
Overview
A frustrated Boston detective searches for the maniac responsible for mutilating a number of university coeds.
Cast
Christopher George
Det. Lt. Bracken
Lynda Day George
Mary Riggs
Frank Braña
Det. Sgt. Holden
Edmund Purdom
The Dean
Ian Sera
Kendall James
Paul L. Smith
Willard
Jack Taylor
Prof. Arthur Brown
Gérard Tichy
Dr. Jennings
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Wuchak
***The Shadow knows… and slays with a chainsaw!***
Someone is murdering women at a Boston campus with a chainsaw and acquiring body parts for some unknown purpose. Christopher George plays the lieutenant in charge of the investigation while Lynda Day George is on hand as a tennis instructor.
“Pieces” (1982) borrows components of previous slashers, like “Psycho” (1960), “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” (1974) and the first two “Friday the 13th” movies (1980-1981), but places the story at a Massachusetts university. Yet this is actually a Euro-horror flick shot in Madrid with some exteriors from Boston. Unlike “Halloween” (1978) and “Friday the 13th,” which were state-of-the art at the time and therefore have a timeless quality despite the obsolete fashions, “Pieces” is dated and feels like an early-to-mid 70’s flick. The ambient score, which is reminiscent of “The Warriors” (1979), and an outdated rock track contribute to this vibe.
This is a Whodunit with a killer that dresses like The Shadow and prefers a chainsaw. The idea that a person can inconspicuously move about a campus in such peculiar apparel while lugging around a freakin’ chainsaw is unlikely to say the least. Another amusing quirk is when a curious Kung Fu instructor suddenly appears and just as quickly disappears.
If you can laugh with these hitches, along with the dubbing, “Pieces” is actually a serious murder mystery with a thought-out story, a decent cast, convincing gore and a good eye for women, such as the aerobics instructor and student.
The film runs 1 hour, 25 minutes. The Spanish title is “Mil gritos tiene la noche,” which translates as “One Thousand Screams in the Night.”
GRADE: B
