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

Author and genre scholar Adam Rockoff wrote a terrific treatise on the rise and fall of the slasher film, spanning the years from the late 70s to the mid-80s. The book, published by McFarland, caught the eye of film producers Rachel Belofsky and Rudy Scalese, who decided to make a documentary focusing on this very turbulent period in horror.

Assembling a who's who of actors, filmmakers and special effects maestros, Going to Pieces follows the standard documentary conventions of talking heads intercut with film clips and still photos. There are a few interviews set in a cemetery, and some in dark alleys, but the visuals are seldom artistically exploited. While the format and presentation is not terribly inspired, the content is pure genre gold.

Broken into chapters, much like the book, the film starts off with various clips to illustrate the rise of the slasher, honing in on John Carpenter's Halloween. Carpenter himself offers insights on Halloween's enduring success, and he sticks around to talk more throughout the show as it moves on to the gorier and gorier flicks. Also offering knowledge and wisdom are the likes of directors Wes Craven, Rob Zombie, and Fred Walton, actors Felissa Rose and Betsy Palmer, composer Harry Manfredini, effects gurus Stan Winston, Tom Savini, Gregory Nicotero, and a whole slew of others.

Perhaps the most fascinating aspect of the doc are the memories of making these films from some of the more obscure directors of low-budget, gory titles like Happy Birthday to Me, April Fool's Day, and Prom Night.

The uncensored film clips are nothing short of phantasmagoric. They will bring back fond memories for those who saw these movies originally in the 80s (me, me! …When are they going to put Student Bodies out on DVD?!) and will surely whet the appetites of the lucky pups who have yet to see them.

There's an archive clip of TV movie reviewers Roger Ebert and Gene Siskell that's worth the price of admission alone — the two embody the stereotype of snooty critics looking down their noses at a sub-par genre, blasting horror films for being misogynistic and just plain sick. Never mind that before that, Ebert wrote the screenplay for Beyond the Valley of the Dolls in which the women were pill-popping whores; or that later on, Ebert would give a thumbs-up to Rob Zombie's The Devil's Rejects. (Rob Zombie has some funny things to say about film titles.)

While there won't be many new revelations for diehard horror fans, Going to Pieces is still a terrific documentary focusing on an important era in genre film.

Going to Pieces airs on Friday the 13th at 9:00 p.m., with replays throughout the weekend. Check your local listings.

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Reviewed by Staci Layne Wilson