Wednesday, December 6, 2017

HALLOWEEN HANGOVER: BODY PUZZLE (1992) ***


A serial killer who likes to listen to “Night on Bald Mountain” while he stalks his victims has been busy hacking people up.  He also likes to keep some of the body parts of his victims as souvenirs.  When Joanna (The Kiss) Pacula finds an ear in her refrigerator, she calls the police and a detective (Tomas Arana) sets out to capture the killer.

Directed by Lamberto (Demons) Bava, Body Puzzle feels like a warm-up to the glut of serial killer procedurals that proliferated in the ‘90s.  Because this is Lamberto Bava we’re talking about, he gives the stalking scenes an added bit of juicy gore.  The scene where a woman is attacked in a bathroom stall and her severed hand lands in the toilet is really something.  The standout scene though comes when the killer murders a teacher in front of her blind students.  I bet old Hitchcock would’ve been proud of this sequence.

Joanna Pacula is sexy in the lead, and she has considerable chemistry with Arana.  The supporting cast is full of familiar faces like John Morghen, Erika Blanc, and Gianni Garko.  Their efforts ensure you’ll keep watching, even when the plot is spinning its wheels.

As far as Killers Who Collect Body Parts movies go, Body Puzzle is a pretty good one.  It’s no Pieces, but then again, hey, what can be?  Fans of the cast, and Bava are sure to get their money’s worth.

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