Body Parts (1991)

User Rating:

4.9/10   

Director:

Eric Red

Writers (WGA):

Pierre Boileau (novel) &
Thomas Narcejac (novel) ...

Release Date:

2 August 1991 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

It will scare you... to pieces.

Plot:

After losing his arm in a car accident, a criminal psychologist has it replaced with a limb that belonged to a serial killer.

Plot Keywords:

Serial Killer | Foreign Language Adaptation | Amputation | Decapitation | Severed Head

Awards:

2 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Jeff Fahey	...	Bill Chrushank
Lindsay Duncan	...	Dr. Agatha Webb
Kim Delaney	...	Karen Chrushank
Zakes Mokae	...	Detective Sawchuck
Brad Dourif	...	Remo Lacey
John Walsh	...	Charley Fletcher
Paul Ben-Victor	...	Ray Kolberg
Peter Murnik	...	Mark Draper
Nathaniel Moreau	...	Bill Jr.
Sarah Campbell	...	Samantha
Andy Humphrey	...	Ricky
Lindsay Merrithew	...	Roger
James Kidnie	...	Detective Jackson
Arlene Duncan	...	Nurse #1
Allan Price	...	T.V. Reporter #1

Runtime:

88 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Netherlands:16 | Australia:R | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R (certificate #31110) | Australia:MA (cable rating) | Iceland:16

Filming Locations:

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Company:

Vista Street Entertainment

Trivia:

Advertisements for the movie were cancelled in Wisconsin due to the Dahmer killings.

Goofs:

Continuity: The "wrecked" car is back at the house, at least four months later, after the accident. It is shown for a few seconds after the lead characters first day back at work. Also, at least four months after the accident, there is still snow on the ground and on the house. However, there is more of this snow, which is in the same pattern, than the amount of snow on the first day of the movie.

Quotes:

Ray Kolberg: Maybe you got some kind of demon inside *you* these days.

Movie Connections:

Remake of Orlacs Hände (1924)

Soundtrack:

Star Bar Jam

Good, But Marred By Outlandish Finale

An outlandish conclusion mars this otherwise decent little early '90s thriller. Jeff Fahey, he of "Lawnmower Man" fame, stars as Bill Chrushank, a shrink who tragically loses his arm in a brutal car wreck. But through the miracle of science, and with the consent of his wife, Chrushank is given a second chance at an able-bodied life via a groundbreaking transplant. All seems well until the limb, formerly belonging to a murderous death row inmate, seems to take on a life of its own. Is the killer living more than vicariously through Chrushank, or is it all in his head?

One of the biggest complaints the big-name critics had with this one was that the story is all too familiar (i.e. "Hands of Orlac"). Yet a borrowed story is no reason to automatically dismiss a picture. Look at how many cop pictures and romantic comedies steal elements from their predecessors. So yes, this basic tale has been told before, but director Eric Red (I've never heard of him, either) makes it all work pretty good. Until, that is, the aforementioned climax rears its ugly head. It's then that Chrushank discovers the sinister origins of his surgery. I won't give it away, but let's just say there are plenty of four-letter words to describe it: lame, poor, nuts, crap. This film just could have been so great with a great finale.