More often than not, indie horror filmmakers rely on over-the-top gore and tons of blood to compensate in areas where their movie may lack something else, in hopes to satiate fans. Because of this, in addition to sub par acting and poor quality production, I usually cringe at the thought of watching “just another independent horror movie.” Roger is the complete opposite of me and loves the indie scene, so I try to do my best and be accommodating, by continuing to try my hand at finding a film I think is worthy enough to get an awesome review on our lovely site here. Joe Stauffer’s Pieces of Talent may just be that film…
Charlotte (Kristi Ray) is a waitress at a sleazy club in her small town, where she stumbles across David (David Long) who is being beaten up by the club’s security guard for trying to film the exterior of the building. Charlotte is a struggling actress herself, so when the two quickly become friends, the opportunity to be in David’s project is just an added bonus. David seems like a nice guy, but things aren’t always as they seem and Charlotte learns of David’s true savage nature very quickly.
As soon as the opening credits started to roll, I knew Pieces of Talent was going to be a step above the rest, as far as indie horror goes. It was clear to me that the overall quality of the film was already better than most indie flicks I’ve reviewed on the site, and I knew by the presentation, that I was in for a treat.
The acting in this film was really good the entire time. Kristi Ray did an awesome job as the starry-eyed, naive Charlotte and David Long’s performance as David was superb. This guy is truly one creepy dude. He looks innocent enough with his big white smile, but when he takes his victims back to his private filming area, things really get weird. Still with a smile on his face, he directs these seemingly random people to read their lines and act out their parts, only to be brutally taken out by David in the end, any way.
The gore in this flick is top-notch. As far as I could tell, there was no CGI used, and all of the practical effects were executed beautifully. Tony Rosen’s special effects work, coupled with writer, producer, musician, editor, and cinematographer (!) Joe Stauffer’s filming techniques, were some of the best I’ve seen in a long time. Everything was brutal as Hell and looked as real as I’ve ever witnessed.
If you are a supporter of independent filmmaking and horror films in general, you definitely need to check out Pieces of Talent. It is available now on DVD, which also happens to include an awesome bonus disc containing behind-the-scenes footage, extended scenes, a music video, and much more.
I give this film 4 saw blade sculptures out of 5.
An indy film with good looking gore and better then average. That sounds good enough to watch