Leofwine_draca GOING TO PIECES is a fun reflection on the slasher genre, primarily exploring the wave of American slasher flicks that came out since the success of Carpenter's HALLOWEEN in 1978. Other influences such as Argento and Bava are only mentioned in passing, and there are some notable omissions (what about BLACK Christmas?) but for the most part this is a fun and in-depth look at a much-maligned sub-genre of film.Obviously, the documentary is awash with clips that take up about two-thirds of the running time. Most of these focus on the goriest of the kill scenes in each film, so if that's your bag then you'll enjoy yourself. However, in addition, we get interviews with tons of guys involved with the production of these movies; writers, producers, directors, occasionally stars. You'd expect to see Carpenter and Savini here, but I appreciated the less well-known faces too. GOING TO PIECES is a great watch for anyone with even a minor interest in the slasher genre.

JohnLeeT Superbly researched, beautifully edited, expertly written, and a tremendous tribute to the horror genre unlike anything ever produced before. The overwhelming facts, clips, trivia, and expert commentary who were part of making these films flood the screen. It is a documentary not to missed by anyone interested in the genre as well as a any student of cinema. The artistry of these motion pictures will shock viewers and anyone who sees it will come away with a true appreciation of the writers, producers, directors, and actors who made this unique form of cinematic expression possible. A true American art, the genius, the imagination, and the ultimate beauty of these films have finally been given monument they deserve.

dromasca 'Going to Pieces' is a good and quite complete review of the history of the slasher movie genre. It succeeds to show quite well the origins of the genre in the American horror movies, and then provides quite an extensive review of the development and pick of popularity it reached in the 80s, its decline and its renaissance in the late 90s. Bringing to screen interviews with many of the major creators of some of the more popular films, fans, as well as critics of the genre makes the viewing interesting.Yet I could not escape the feeling that the authors focused to much on making an entertaining film rather than making a more serious analysis and examining more extensively the context of the slasher movies in the evolution of cinema. The almost exclusive American focus is one flaw, only the influence of the Italian movies of the 70s is mentioned, but what about the classical German films, or what about the contemporary Far East movies? Today the genre is more popular in Japan and Korea than any other place on the planet and some major movies came out from there in the last few years. Connections with related genres like zombies movies and even horror science fiction could have been more explored as well. As it stands 'Going to Pieces' risks to become one of the objects of interest in the genre it deals with, a film targeting mainly the same captive audience who watches these movies anyway.

Vic_max This is a pretty good treatment of the thinking that went on behind the scenes of movies like "Prom Night", "Friday the 13th", "Nightmare on Elm Street", "Texas Chainsaw Massacre", and others. The great thing is that the cool stories and insights are told by the key players involved (directors, producers, special effects artists). You get to hear not only their thoughts on the psychology involved, but also about the marketing struggles they had to deal with.Essentially, this is a documentary which interweaves present-day interviews with film clips from classic 80's horror flicks to give you a behind the scenes look at a genre during its peak period of interest. If you're a horror fan, you'll probably like watching this.