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

2006 "Every Evil, Every Nightmare, Together in One Film"
7.2| 1h28m| NR| en| More Info
Released: 13 October 2006 Released
Producted By: Starz Entertainment
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
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This historical and critical look at slasher films, which includes dozens of clips, begins with Halloween, Friday the 13th, and Prom Night. The films' directors, writers, producers, and special effects creators comment on the films' making and success. During the Reagan years, the films get gorier, budgets get smaller, and their appeal wanes. Then, Nightmare on Elm Street revives the genre. Jump to the late 90s, when Scream brings humor and TV stars into the mix.

Genre

Documentary

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Going to Pieces: The Rise and Fall of the Slasher Film (2006) is now streaming with subscription on Starz

Director

Jeff McQueen

Production Companies

Starz Entertainment

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

VeteranLight I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.
Doomtomylo a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.
Murphy Howard I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.
Jonah Abbott There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.
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.
homecoming8 "Going To Pieces: The Rise And Fall Of The Slasher Films" is more than just a documentary, it's a legacy for the fans. But even for the 'non-fans' it is very intriguing, interesting and entertaining. For them, most information is new and it is the perfect blueprint of a piece of history. What is the attraction of slasher-movies to the fans ? Is it normal to totally adore these films ? Which titles where the real classics ? What was the downfall and whose fault was it really ? Which movie was so controversial that it in fact killed the genre ? The influence of the government on films, etc, etc..Even for the slasher-fans, this docu presents new info. Like a lot of fans, I also grew up with the : "Friday" and "Halloween" films and I am still a huge fan of those movies. But there are also a couple of "forgotten" slashers which might have slipped your attention throughout the years. The sub genre was resurrected, not once but twice in a big way. Even for those who have seen all the "halloween" and "Friday 13th" documentaries, those who have all the background stories on special effects masters like Savini and Nicotero. Those who already own the special features interviews by Cunningham, Craven or Carpenter: "Going to Pieces" is the one you STILL have to see. Because they are only a few of the known names in here. Ever hear the female director of "Slumber Party Massacre" defend the genre ?" Or The director from the classic "My Bloody Valentine", or "April Fool's Day" ? Did not think so.. Since it was released in 2006, the last movies covered are "Hostel" and the first "Saw". We all know that horror is back in a big way since than. The last 5 years have once again been big for the genre. See what happened before that. In a nutshell: One of the best and most complete documentaries EVER..
Michael_Elliott Going to Pieces (2006) *** 1/2 (out of 4) A look at the rise and fall of slasher films is one of the best documentaries I've seen on the subject due in large part to the fact that we actually get to see clips from the various movies that are being discussed. Most of the times these documentaries can't show clips due to rights issues but thankfully all of the glorious clips are here. We also get interviews with the big guys like Wes Craven, John Carpenter, Sean Cunningham, Rob Zombie and various other smaller guys who contributed to the big part of the genre back in the early 80s. I also loved the clips from Siskel and Ebert where the two say horror films only appeal to guys who want to kill women themselves.
lazarillo This is an interesting and pretty thorough documentary on the slasher film. It's not as good as reading a book on the subject, of course (there are several now, and this documentary is based on one of the better ones), but you get lots of films clips, and some interviews, not only with the usual horror convention attendees like Tom Savini and Felissa Rose,but also with more obscure characters like the Rabbi Herbert Freed who directed the obscure slasher "Graduation Day" (before he was a rabbi, of course).What's most interesting for someone like me who is old enough to remember the first wave of slasher movies, is to recall how alarmed adults were at the time by these movies, which look like pretty harmless fun now. I especially remember the way they actually picketed "Silent Night, Deadly Night" because they were upset by the idea of an axe-murdering Santa Claus (in an ideal world these kind of idiots would be met with tear gas and police batons, just like anti-war protesters--who often have a legitimate reason for being upset--often are).It's also ironic how widely available, thanks to DVD, uncut versions of these movies are today, considering how they were hacked up by American censors back then or outright banned over in Britain. It's probably just as stupid to get worked up about movies like "Hostel" or "Captivity" like people do nowadays. Remember the famous ad-line to "Last House on the Left" (one movie this doc barely mentions, although I guess it isn't really a slasher). "It's only a movie... It's only a movie. . .