Grindhouse Releasing Presents '80s Horror Classics "Pieces" and "The Beyond"
For Immediate Release
This Halloween, Grindhouse Releasing and Ryko Filmworks present brand-new deluxe edition DVDs of two gory '80s horror classics: "Pieces" and "The Beyond."
One of the most violent and outrageous entries in the '80s slasher craze, "Pieces" tells the story of a chainsaw killer who collects body parts from his victims to create a grisly human jigsaw puzzle. The movie's graphic gore was so hardcore that it was originally released to theaters without an MPAA rating.
Grindhouse Releasing now presents "Pieces" as it has never been seen before on home video, uncensored and vividly restored in a state-of-the-art, high-definition transfer. Years in the making, the collector's edition 2-disc set is packed with rare, exclusive bonus material, including new interviews with director Juan Piquer Simon ("Slugs") and star Paul L. Smith ("Popeye," "Midnight Express.")
"Pieces" was produced by exploitation masters Steve Minasian ("Last House on the Left," "Friday the 13th") and Dick Randall. The film features a cast of cult favorites including Smith, Christopher George ("City of the Living Dead"), Edmond Purdom ("Don't Open Til Christmas"), and Lynda Day George ("Day of the Animals").
"Hostel" director Eli Roth hails "Pieces" as one of his favorite horror films of all time. He's personally endorsed the disc and screened the movie to an enthusiastic crowd in 2008 at his "Greats of Roth" festival in Los Angeles. The movie has packed houses at midnight shows across the U.S.
To celebrate this landmark DVD release, Grindhouse is bringing "Pieces" back to theaters in October. Catch the movie on the big screen at the following venues:
Oct. 11: Emagine Novi, 44425 W. 12 Mile Road, Novi, MI 48377
Oct. 17 - 18: Guild Cinema, 3405 Central Avenue, Albuquerque, NM 87106
Oct. 25: Music Box Theatre, 3733 N. Southport Ave, Chicago, IL 60613
Oct. 31: Egyptian Theatre, 6712 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, CA 90028
Additional screenings will be announced soon.
Grindhouse is also bringing back "The Beyond," Italian director Lucio Fulci's masterwork of supernatural horror, at last available again in the ultimate DVD edition. A cursed hotel devours the bodies and souls of all who enter, as the gates of Hell open to unleash an onslaught of bizarre mayhem: Graphic crucifixions, deadly tarantula attacks, acid baths, eyeball impalements, throat-shredding demon dogs and hordes of flesh-eating zombies are among the film's many horrors.
For many years, U.S. audiences could not see "The Beyond" in its original uncut form. Grindhouse brought the movie back to life, restoring Fulci's nightmarish vision of Hell in all its graphic glory. Grindhouse then teamed with Quentin Tarantino's Rolling Thunder Pictures and Miramax Films to release the film in U.S. theaters, introducing Fulci to a new generation of fans.
The new Grindhouse "Beyond" DVD features a high-definition, widescreen transfer of the unrated director's cut, with a massive collection of extras including a new 2008 introduction by star Catriona MacColl, added cast and crew interviews and a classic interview with the late maestro Fulci himself.
"Pieces" and "The Beyond" arrive Oct. 28 through Ryko Filmworks.
For press inquiries and theatrical bookings, e-mail David Szulkin at info@grindhousereleasing.com.
Praise for "Pieces":
"One of my top horror films of all time! A masterpiece of early '80s sleaze. Full-on chainsaw violence, absurd amounts of nudity, and the greatest ending in horror history."
- Eli Roth, director of Hostel and Cabin Fever
"A PERFECT 10!"
- Chas. Balun, The Gore Score
"The best chain-saw flick since the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Splatter City. FOUR STARS!"
- Joe Bob Briggs
Praise for "The Beyond":
"The Beyond does not disappoint."
- Roger Ebert
"Lucio Fulci's masterpiece. The screen's scariest zombie movie ever!"
- Tony Timpone, Fangoria
"One of the most compelling, audacious and hyper-gory zombie films of all time. The Beyond rocks pure and simple."
- Chas. Balun, The Gore Score
About Grindhouse Releasing:
Grindhouse Releasing is an independent DVD label run by Sage Stallone (director of the acclaimed film "Vic") and Bob Murawski (editor of Sam Raimi's "Spider Man 1-3" and "Army of Darkness".) Founded in 1996, the company is dedicated to preserving and restoring the best in exploitation cinema, with an emphasis on Italian films of the '70s and early '80s.
Grindhouse was one of the first video labels to apply Criterion-level standards of excellence to traditionally maligned exploitation films. The company's catalog of releases includes lavish, restored home video editions of such notorious cult classics as Ruggero Deodato's "Cannibal Holocaust," Lucio Fulci's "The Beyond" and "Cat in the Brain," Umberto Lenzi's "Cannibal Ferox" (a.k.a. "Make Them Die Slowly"), Juan Piquer Simon's "Pieces," and David Durston's "I Drink Your Blood."
Grindhouse is also committed to releasing its films in theaters. The company successfully teamed with Quentin Tarantino's Rolling Thunder and Miramax to release "The Beyond" in a series of midnight shows. Later, Tarantino prominently used Stallone's distinctive Grindhouse logo (modeled on the vintage "Astro-Dater" movie theater trailer) in "Kill Bill" and went on to make the movie "Grindhouse."
Upcoming Grindhouse Releasing titles include "The Tough Ones," "Massacre Mafia Style," "Gone With the Pope," "An American Hippie in Israel," and many more to be announced.
For more information, visit the official website at www.GrindhouseReleasing.com.
Home 
Subject: Grindhouse Releasing Presents: Pieces and The Beyond 
Sat Oct 18, 2008 4:00 am
