Simón and his Spanish crew – working from an English language script by American writer/producer Dick Randall (his story treatment was apparently only 15 pages), who was best known for distributing trashy European movies on the US market – approached the formulas as outsiders.
Those that didn’t recognizable patterns or show restraint when it came to the more ridiculous material were usually such amateurs that their efforts were only enjoyed by niche market horror fans. The foreign production also plays into the other factors of Pieces’ success, because even bad North American filmmakers tended to stick to certain rules in regards to exploitation filmmaking. The early-‘80s Americana of the production is actually magnified by the fact that it was shot in Spain and Simón’s production/costume/set designers overcompensated in trying to disguise the European locations (I always get a chuckle out of the presidential portrait of Ronald Reagan that has been haphazardly pinned above another poster in the background of some shots).
First of all, it is very much of its era, from fashions and music, to other cultural markers, like a scene of scantily-clad women doing aerobics – the gold seal of ‘80s-ness in a horror movie. Pieces’ enduring popularity comes from its “perfect storm” of cult-friendly elements.
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