Going to Pieces: The Rise and Fall of the Slasher Film
By: Walter Ball |
Saturday April 14, 2007 |
| A horror adventure |
| The slasher film genre is the whipping boy of all movie genres. It is the genre that mainstream critics such as Roger Ebert and Joel Siegel love to tear apart. Defined as meaningless bloody nonsense topped off with boobs, bludgeoning and bad acting, the genre is more ignored than it is derided. However, very few seem to remember that nearly 30 years ago, these films were making a fortune at the box office and at the video rental store. I recall my time as youth when my brothers would come home every Friday night with a stack of videos with titles like Sleepaway Camp, Silent Night, Deadly Night and of course, A Nightmare on Elmstreet; titles that would fuel a typical 6 year old boy with fear and curiosity. The Starz documentary Going To Pieces: The Rise and Fall of The Slasher Film brings us back to that time, a time when special effects were done with prosthetics, makeup and plaster castings, a time when filmmakers pushed boundaries and made axe murderers out of vengeful mothers, transsexual teenagers and Santa Clause, a time when horror was a damn good fun time!
Based on the Adam Rockoff book of the same name, Going to Pieces starts off with the origins of the slasher film, going as far back as the Theatre Grande Guignol of the nineteenth century and of course moving on to highly inspirational works such as Psycho, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Last House on the Left and Black Christmas (which has been considered as the very first slasher film). The core of the documentary then begins with the impact of Halloween, Friday the 13th and A Nightmare on Elm Street. In between, they also discuss other important slasher films such as Prom Night, My Bloody Valentine, Maniac and Sleepaway Camp. Aside from the historical aspect, the interviewees also discuss the social and cultural themes found in the genre, such as the final girl archetype, the sexually frustrated killer and the emphasis on holidays. The final leg of the film focuses on the genre's revival in the 1990's, mainly due to the success of Scream, and its carrying over into the new millennium, which, in my opinion, is plagued with bad remakes and splatter films that rely way too much on shock value rather than substance (not that most slasher films did anyways). In the end, any horror fan, be it a newbie or a veteran, will walk away with a broader knowledge on this oh so important era in not just horror history but cinema in general. Special features include a commentary track with producers Rachel Belofsky and Rudy Scalese along with editor Michael Bohusz. The three obviously share a passion for slasher films and this baby is their labor of love. They share the experience in interviewing many of the top names in the horror biz and also elaborate further into the mentioned films. It's an interesting talk that will definitely keep viewers under the learning tree. We also get a handful of bonus interviews, the most notable being a 5-minute piece with Black Christmas director Bob Clark (who was tragically killed this past week, my thoughts go to his family during this terrible time). If there is one flaw with this documentary, it is the almost complete lacking of Black Christmas. Black Christmas was the first of its kind and had a heavy influence on the entire genre. There are also 3 interactive trivia games and a few trailers. Considering the material involved, you have to say that this is an ample amount of extras. Chockfull of information and insight, Going to Pieces is a crash course in a genre that, although a profit making machine, is the bastard child of every Hollywood studio. While essential films like Black Christmas and Last House On The Left get little accolades, almost all of the ground is covered here. A true treat for horror and film enthusiasts! |
