Murder-Set-Pieces (2004)

Director:

Nick Palumbo

Writer:

Nick Palumbo

Release Date:

1 April 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Horror

Tagline:

The most visceral horror film ever made

Plot:

Tells the story of a fashion photographer whose vocation is murder.

Plot Keywords:

Photographer | Blood | Sex | Knife | Nazism

Cast

Sven Garrett	...	The Photographer
Cerina Vincent	...	L.A. Girl
Tony Todd	...	Clerk
Gunnar Hansen	...	Mechanic
Edwin Neal	...	Good Samaritan (as Ed Neal)
Jade Risser	...	Jade
Valerie Baber	...	Charlotte
Destiny St. Claire	...	Weight Bench Girl
Maria Keough	...	Little Girl on Bus
Renee Sloan	...	Hooker #1
Lauren Palac	...	Hooker #2
Andrea Mitchell	...	Model
Jessie DeRoock	...	Young Photographer
LeAnn Clinton	...	Girl on tracks
Shandee Lang	...	High Chair Girl #1 (as Shandee Long)
Christina Holsinger	...	Hooker #3
Fred Vogel	...	Masked Psycho
Darren Williams	...	Masked Psycho #2
Jerami Cruise	...	Video Victim
Cristie Whiles	...	Dildo Girl #1
Shelby Jackson	...	Dildo Girl #2
Jeremy Haye	...	Security Guard
Kylle Epperson	...	Green Ball Girl
Katie Richards	...	Megan
Amber Richards	...	Toilet Girl
Natalie Scytow	...	Strip Girl #1
Sarah Murray	...	Strip Girl #2
Crissy Moran	...	Tree Girl #1
Jenna Velanni	...	Tree Girl #2 (as Jenna Valanni)
Shawna Jacobs	...	Ice Cream Girl #1
Shannon Weller	...	Ice Cream Girl #2
Stephanie Negrete	...	Dream Girl
Carrie Flaska	...	Zombie
Natalie Himmler	...	Halloween Girl #1
Hannah Keough	...	Halloween Girl #3
Brittni Truitt	...	Halloween Girl #4
Karri Jonas	...	Halloween Girl #5
Sherrie Winings	...	Psychic (as Sherri Winings)
Tanja Grupp	...	German Mother
Kendra Flynt	...	Baby Girl
Jamie Jent	...	High Chair Girl #2
Ashley Twigg	...	Chainsaw Girl
Carmen Dunn	...	Old Lady #1
Joan Gibbs	...	Old Lady #2
Janice Risser	...	Salon Patron #3
Casie Gillespie	...	Candy
Andrea Hartman	...	Basement Girl #1
Carrie Shields	...	Basement Girl #2
Jennifer Stuber	...	Basement Girl #3
Jennifer Cross	...	Basement Girl #4
Stacy Kushniruk	...	Basement Girl #5
Shawna Hale	...	Basement Girl #6
Lana Stewart Nold	...	Basement Girl #7
Jena Peacock	...	Mirror Girl
Liv Holley	...	Pole Girl
Natasha Bunker	...	Dancing Blonde Girl
Paul Bischot	...	Bus driver
Danyel Makenna	...	Bus Rider
Shawna Edge	...	Bud Rider
David Palumbo	...	Bus Rider
Rob Marchitti	...	Bus Rider
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jill Michelle	...	Various (uncredited)

Directed by
Nick Palumbo

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Nick Palumbo

Produced by
Herman Goering	....	executive producer
Ehrlich Livingston	....	executive producer
Nick Palumbo	....	producer
Andrew Piersante	....	executive producer
Thomas Quinlin	....	executive producer

Original Music by
The Bronx Casket Company
The Giallos Flame
Necrophagia
Zombi

Cinematography by
Brendan Flynt

Film Editing by
Todd C. Ramsay

Casting by
Nick Palumbo

Art Direction by
Joe Zito

Art Department
Cristie Whiles	....	storyboard artist (as Cristie 'Crusty' Whiles)

Sound Department
David Bartlett	....	adr supervisor
David Bartlett	....	sound effects editor
David Bartlett	....	sound re-recording mixer
David Bartlett	....	supervising sound editor
Joe Beachy	....	sound mixer
Rod Bermudez	....	sound re-recording mixer
Jeff K. Brunello	....	sound effects editor
David Kitchens	....	sound supervisor
Evan Meszaros	....	location sound recordist
Eric Reuveni	....	sound re-recording mixer
Ben Zarai	....	supervising sound editor

Special Effects by
Jerami Cruise	....	special effects supervisor
Ricky Lee Leonard	....	special effects assistant
Fred Vogel	....	special effects technician

Stunts
Sven Garrett	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Arsenio Assin	....	second assistant camera
Paul Bischot	....	key grip
Marc Cole	....	Steadicam operator
Gabriel Delerme	....	gaffer
George Gatter	....	electrician
Werner Gropp	....	camera loader
Paul Grupp	....	grip
Emil Hampton	....	second assistant camera
Tet Kay	....	first assistant camera (as Tertius Kuijper)
Fritz Luffa	....	grip
Shane Sauer	....	gaffer
John Willis	....	gaffer

Editorial Department
Brian J. Cavanaugh	....	assistant editor (uncredited)

Other crew
Paul W. Hazen	....	film acquisitions representative

Thanks
Art Ettinger	....	special thanks
Elaine Lamkin	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• Fright Flix Productions

Distributors

• Blackwatch Releasing (2004) (USA) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox (2009) (France) (DVD)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (2009) (Russia) (DVD)
• Another World Entertainment (2007) (Denmark) (DVD)
• Another World Entertainment (2007) (Norway) (DVD)
• Barnholtz Entertainment
• Firebox (2007) (Finland) (DVD)
• Lions Gate Films Home Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• Maple Pictures (2007) (Canada) (DVD)
• One Movie (2007) (Italy) (all media)
• Paramount Pictures (2009) (Spain) (DVD)
• TLA Releasing (2008) (UK) (DVD)
• Universal Pictures (Spain) (2008) (Spain) (DVD)
• Videorama (2007) (Greece) (all media)
• Weinstein Company, The (2009) (Sweden) (DVD)

Special Effects

• ToeTag FX

Other Companies

• Juniper Post  sound post-production

Also Known As:

MPAA:

Rated R for grisly bloody violence, disturbing images, strong sexuality and nudity, and for language

Runtime:

105 min | 91 min (director's cut) | USA:83 min (R-rated version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | German

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:Unrated (director's cut) | USA:R | Norway:18 | Ireland:(Banned) | UK:(Banned) | Norway:(Banned) (re-rating) (2008) | Italy:VM18 | Finland:K-18 (self applied) (2007) (director's cut) | Canada:18A (Ontario)

Filming Locations:

Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Company:

Fright Flix Productions

Trivia:

Despite constant internet rumors this film was never given an NC-17 by the MPAA.

Quotes:

The Photographer:In my mind's eye I light fires in your cities.

Movie Connections:

Features Triumph of the Will (1935)

M-S-P is O-T-T!

Sven Garrett is The Photographer, a Nazi nut-job who is as proficient with his cut-throat razor as he is with his camera: when he's not taking pictures of naked babes, he's slitting their throats. His girlfriend, a pretty hairdresser, is none the wiser, but her younger sister Jade (Jade Risser) senses that all is not right with the Teutonic lens-man and decides to investigate...

Ever since it first hit the horror scene in 2004, Nick Palumbo's Murder-Set -Pieces has been the cause of much controversy; this has been less to do with the content of the film, and more to do with endless (and rather shameless) promotion from its makers (an act commonly known as 'shilling'). M-S-P's supporters claim it to be the ultimate in gruelling, no-holds-barred gory terror, whilst its naysayers, fed-up with having the film shoved down their throats, have labelled it as worthless crap.

I would say that neither is an accurate description: I've seen plenty of films that are easily as harsh (if not moreso), and loads that are less worthy of a viewing. If anything, Palumbo and pals are simply guilty of trying too hard.

As M-S-P piles on the excess, in an effort to tick as many boxes in the extreme movie-making checklist as possible, it becomes increasingly more ridiculous. Nazis (check!), explicit gore (check!), child murder (check!), misogynistic psycho (check!), lesbians (check!) chainsaw mayhem (check!), rape (check!), necrophilia (check!) full frontal nudity (check!): Palumbo has obviously never heard that less can sometimes be more.

But what works against the film on one level, works FOR it on another: as a serious study of psychotic behaviour, M-S-P is a complete failure, but, as a demented exercise in gloriously OTT nastiness, it is a definite success.

Garret is absolutely priceless as the muscle-bound maniac who murders women because he believes them all to be worthless whores; what he lacks in acting ability, he sure makes up for in enthusiasm, and he willingly does whatever is required of him to make Palumbo's vision a reality, whether it be chewing on a limbless torso, chainsawing a woman's head, killing a little girl, or receiving head from a head (which has been removed from the rest of the body). In the cinematic psycho stakes, he's no Michael Rooker or Joe Spinell, but he certainly gives it all he's got!

Aside from Garret, the majority of the remaining cast can pretty much be divided into two categories: silicone chested bimbos willing to strip for a few minutes of screen time; and familiar faces from the genre, including Tony 'Candyman' Todd, Gunnar 'Leatherface' Hansen, Ed 'The Hitchhiker' Neal, current horror hottie Cerina Vincent, and August Underground's Fred Vogel. The naked ladies are all game girls—most willing to be degraded and mutilated on-screen for the sake of 'art'—whilst the seasoned horror professionals add extra entertainment value with some fun cameos (Todd, in particular, is a hoot, as a porn store clerk who messes with the wrong customer).

M-S-P can also be praised for some excellent gore, courtesy of the Toe Tag team (of which Vogel is a member). The bloodletting in this film is consistently good, with vicious stabbings, juicy throat slashings, body parts aplenty, and the delightfully gruesome 'chainsaw to the head' effect.

With a less than perfect script, and a patchy performance from its lead, it's easy to see why horror fans got a little twitchy when this film was compared to the likes of Henry: Portrait Of A Serial Killer. But for those looking for a sexy, sick, silly and sordid sleaze-fest, I think that Murder-Set-Pieces deserves a go—regardless of how you feel about its creators and their dubious promotional methods.