Mainstream critics in the early ‘80s rarely had a sense of humor. Well, if they did, they never showed it with slasher movies. With a few rare exceptions, they simply didn’t seem able to enjoy fun, trashy flicks. However, whilst never critical darlings, few slasher movies gained the vitriol reserved for Juan Piquer Simón’s trashterpiece PIECES. Below I have gathered some choice quotes from newspaper reviews from the film’s original theatrical run in the United States. Buckle up, it’s going to be a bumpy ride …
“Quite simply, ‘ Pieces' is the most offensive, tasteless movie of the year. " … A bit of hilarity is provided by Linda Day, who plays a tennis coach working undercover for the police. Through the magic of movies, she defeats an aspiring tennis student with the worst backhand ever captured on film. … Finally, running out of cheap thrills, the movie tacks on an unrelated, emasculatory ending. It is schlock shock at its worst. "Pieces" is pure feces.” Wayne Gire, The Star-News
"PIECES, a horror film done in Boston and Madrid, proves that when it comes to bad dubbing, the Italians are not the worst; the Spanish are. … Lynda Day has one of the more awesome scenes. She is required to scream "bastard" three times at the unknown (his identity is not that mysterious killer. She puts her all into it. She seems to have taken it all very seriously.” Lou Cedrone, The Evening Sun
“Pieces was a grisly but unintentionally hilarious splatter film. It is the first great trash film of our new year—mixing blood and guts with campy, tongue-in-shriek humor. … After an initial viewing, distributor Edward Montoro of Film Ventures was a bit weary of Pieces In a recent interview, he states, "1 screened it for a paying audience in San Diego and they screamed at the gore parts, but basically they laughed all the way through the film.... There's a lot of gore, but for the most part it's really very unintentional camp. … The acting is hilariously bad; the audience I saw it with was rolling in the aisles at the inane script and the cheesy, affected delivery. Christopher George and Lynda Day George (mysteriously listed in the credits as Linda Day) should win the award for Best Duet in Trash Films. … A good thing to keep in mind is the humor of Pieces amid the gore. Feel free to laugh at the cockeyed dialogue and dismal acting (after all, that is the purpose of bad films). Everyone needs a dose of good fun trash regularly and let's hope the next fix is as good as Pieces.” J. Kevin Unsell, The Daily Illini
“Pieces, a gore extravaganza, takes place on the emptiest campus in the history of education. There appear to be exactly two male students and perhaps six female students. Most of the coeds are slashed to pieces before the killer is apprehended. … Paul Smith, a massive fellow best known as Bluto in "Popeye," plays a sinister landscape designer who draws suspicion on himself because he is in no hurry to complete a gardening job at the school. Smith gives an eyeball-rolling performance of a type that has not been seen since hiss-and-boo melodramas fell out of favor.” Scott Cain, The Atlanta Constitution
“Linda Day is a tennis pro who looks as if she learned the sport from Jerry Lewis.” George Williams, The Sacramento Bee
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