Pieces (1982) – A Chainsaw Wielding Maniac, and Not Enough Evidence

Pieces (1982)

Director: Juan Piquer Simón

Cast: Christopher George, Lynda Day George, Paul L. Smith, Ian Sera

If you've ever wanted to watch a chainsaw-wielding maniac assemble a human jigsaw puzzle on a Boston college campus while the cops shrug and grab a Baconator — brother, have we got a movie for you. This week on Dewey Pod Monster, we're diving headfirst into Pieces (1982), the Spanish-shot, American-set slasher that somehow makes police incompetence, waterbed murders, and a random Bruce Lee cameo feel like a completely coherent cinematic experience. It is not. And that is exactly why we love it.

In this episode, we discuss:

“We Don't Have Enough Evidence” — The cops in this movie find a guy standing over vacuum-sealed body parts holding a blood-soaked chainsaw and still let him walk. We spend an embarrassing amount of time screaming about the jaw-dropping investigative ineptitude on display throughout the entire film.
The Least Sexy Nudie Puzzle — From Little Timmy getting revenge on his mother in the first three minutes to the film's gloriously unhinged finale involving a reanimated corpse and a crotch grab, we break down why Pieces commits completely to its own deranged logic and why that's actually kind of beautiful.
Had Me, Then You Lost Me — We debate the ending. Hard. One of us thinks the ball-grab freeze frame is a bridge too far. The other thinks you don't get to complain about subtlety in a movie where someone hides a running chainsaw behind their back in a two-person elevator. You'll have to listen to find out who's who.
The Random Karate Professor Problem — Bruce Lee (not that Bruce Lee) shows up out of nowhere, does karate at Lynda Day George, says something about bad chop suey, and disappears forever. We explain how this actually happened and why the director thought it fit the movie “perfectly.” He was wrong. It's also perfect.

We Also Talked About:

Enemies of the People (2009) (Youtube) — A deeply affecting documentary about the Khmer Rouge genocide in Cambodia, told through the filmmaker's personal quest to confront the people who murdered his family. Heavy watch. Essential.
Untold UK: Vinnie Jones (Netflix) — John refuses to look at Vinnie Jones. Sean watched it anyway. We get into it.
Racquet (1979) (Fawesome) — Lynda Day George shows up in not one but TWO tennis movies. Her on-screen tennis skills remain aggressively unconvincing in both.
Beavis and Butt-Head (Latest Season) (Amazon) — John checks in on America's favorite degenerates and reports back. Some things never change, and thank god for that.
Scary Movie (2000) (Pluto.tv) — The original. The blueprint. John revisits the Wayans brothers' horror spoof and has thoughts about whether it holds up and how it stacks up against what came after.
Honor and Glory (1993) (Youtube) — Godfrey Ho. That's really all you need to know. John takes a trip into the legendary cut-and-paste filmmaker's catalog and emerges changed, confused, and somehow wanting more.