PIECES Director, Juan Piquer Simón, Passes Away
It is with great sadness that I am here writing that the director of one of my favorite slashers has passed away. Juan Piquer Simón is most known for the goofy and yet bloody 1983 slasher Pieces. Though it certainly didn’t re-invent the wheel, Pieces finally gained its much deserved attention over the past couple of years with DVD releases. I first stumbled upon this gem through one of those “10 movie sets” that included a group of public domain films all in one case. Its over the top approach to horror quickly won me over. Pieces finally saw a more proper DVD release through Grindhouse Releasing in 2008. The director is also known for the films Slugs: The Movie, The Pod People, and Satan’s Blood. Juan Piquer Simón died at 74 after battling lung cancer. DTB extends our condolences to Simón’s family and friends.
Michael Haffner
Somewhere between growing up on a steady diet of Saturday morning trips to the local comic-book shop, collecting an unhealthy amount of action figures, and frequent viewings of Ray Harryhausen and Hammer Horror films, came forth a nerdy boy that was torn between journalism and the arts. In high school, Michael found himself writing a movie column for the school newspaper. Yet, he went on to get a BFA in Studio Art at Webster University. When not writing about films, you can still find him discussing classic horror, collecting action figures, and reading Batman. Clearly, not much has changed.