DVD Review: Going to Pieces: The Rise and Fall of the Slasher Film

By: Lee H | in: Movies |

In 2002 Adam Rockoff published his book “Going to Pieces The Rise and Fall of the Slasher Film, 1978–1986.” Simply put, it’s a book about horror movies but honestly who wants to read a book about movies? Isn’t it supposed to be the other way around?
To remedy this problem (if you can call it that) Think Films teamed up with Starz to debut the documentary film “Going to Pieces: The Rise and Fall of the Slasher Film” on October of last year on Friday the 13th… naturally. This last march it was released on DVD for mass consumption.

Going to Pieces: The Rise and Fall of the Slasher Film

Unlike the book the film follows slasher films all the way up until the present. Interviews with familiar faces like John Carpenter, Wes Craven, Betsy Palmer (Jason Voorhees’ mother) and Rob Zombie are cool to see but it’s the not so familiar faces that steal the show. People like Rita Mae Brown (director of The Slumber Party Massacre), Herb Freed (writer and director of Graduation Day) Amy Holden Jones (writer of Slumber Party Massacre) Gregory Nicotero (FX guru of any horror movie worth mentioning in the past 20 years), Tom Savini (FX for Friday 13th franchise) Joseph Stefano (screenplay for Psycho) and Felissa Rose (Angela from Sleep away Camp) make the film worth watching.

There are the typical behind the scenes stories of some of out favorite movies that one would expect from a documentary. For instance Sean S. Cunningham (writer and director of Friday the 13) talks about how Friday might have never been made had he woken up a little later in the day to make a phone call. Tom Savini, who owns the distinctive title of the only man in Hollywood that can claim all 4 titles of stuntman, make-up artist, actor, and director, was a photographer in Vietnam and that’s where he honed the skilled that make him one of the most sought after FX guys in the business. He also provided the movie with my favorite quote “When I go and watch my movies, I don’t watch the movie. I pick out a person and watch the evolution of their heart attack.” There’s a man who loves his work.

As the title suggest the movie also focuses on the downfall of the slasher film. In short they began their downward spiral the same way all subgenres begin their downward spiral: money. We all know what happens when art becomes big business. Not to mention by 1985 the audience had seen all the different ways a person could die and were becoming bored. Also, whenever a subgenre becomes major the critics come out of the woodworks. There is a nice segment with the unconvincing Siskel & Ebert explaining how slasher films were “anti- women’s movement.”

Friday 13th and Halloween

Like I stated before the documentary does move all the way up into the future when Wes Craven revived the genre again with the Scream franchise.

Going to Pieces is a nice history lesson for anyone, like me, who never took horror movies that seriously. If anything it’ll make you want to see some of the lesser known movies of the era. One flaw for any novices in the audience is that when they do show a clip from a movie there is no caption with the name so if you don’t know horror movies you’ll have no idea where it came from which can be frustrating. Also, there were a few movies left out. There is almost no mention of the Texas Chain saw Massacre.

If you’re already a horror film geek I can’t imagine there is much new for to see so you might want to pass this one up. All in all it was a good watch. Just make sure you leave the lights on and if you hear a strange noise for goodness sakes don’t investigate.

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Posted on June 16, 2007

Comments

4 Responses to “DVD Review: Going to Pieces: The Rise and Fall of the Slasher Film”

Charbarred on June 16th, 2007 7:18 am

I’m anxiously waiting for this one to come out in the UK. I think I like watching movies about horror movies as much as I like watching the actual movies (what a weird sentence…)

Daniel on June 19th, 2007 4:51 am

The Texas Chain saw Massacre is probably left out because it isn’t a slasher film…?

Charbarred on June 19th, 2007 5:05 am

Why is it not a slasher film? Is this term only reserved to movies where the guy uses a knife?

DThompson on June 19th, 2007 4:24 pm

Technically speaking TCM is not a slasher film. The slasher film is about a single crazy killer (i.e.: Halloween, Friday The 13th, April Fool’s Day, My Bloody Valentine, Prom Night, etc., etc.) stalking a bunch of unknowing sex-crazed teens. Though TCM has elements of a slasher film (teens) it’s probably more correct to call it the first “torture” film as it falls more in line with Hostel, et al, lovingly dwelling on the depredations of the FAMILY of crazed psychopaths. Likewise other early efforts in the 70’s such as Last House On The Left, I Drink Your Blood and 10,000 Maniacs are all about focusing in, snuff film-like, on the horrible events taking place. A slasher film is about the terror of someone POSSIBLY getting killed, the murder itself is usually quite quick. Also, TCM never uses subjective camera angles, another stand by of the slasher film.
Though the argument could be made that “torture” films are actually nothing more than a modern variant of slasher films, which have for the most part, ceased to terrify, I would consider them a seperately identifiable style of horror cinema.
Send me to film school, I’m ready to lecture!