PIECES ***½

Original Title: Mil gritos tiene la noche
Spain/USA/Puerto Rico: Juan Piquer Simón, 1982

IMDB reference

My understanding of this film was that it was an infamously 'so bad it's good' low-budget 80s slasher'. To my delight, having seen it, I would largely agree. PIECES is all of that and more... Its a fun and enjoyable giallo.

BUT is it supposed to be so awfully dubbed?! I realise part of the pleasure to be derived from watching 'a fun dumb movie' are the elements that simply don't work but PIECES does have a degree of intention behind it which is often over looked. It has an effective instrumental score, passably hokey plot and a sexually deranged black gloved killer going about their business. It is far from the worst slasher/giallo I've seen and is actually far more entertaining than most. BUT it is mired but a truly awful dubbing job which gives the film a sense of amateurishness that actually does it a disservice.

The Count's Verdict: An unexpected triumph in terms of meshing cheese of 80s slashers with the most entertainingly silly gialli of 70s. Well worth a watch for laughs and entertainment that surpasses plenty of the mediocrity which bloats the giallo/slasher belly.