Body Parts (1991)

After seeing this at my neighborhood used record store for a mere $3.95, I had to pick it up and give it a spin and I'm glad I did.

Jeff Fahey (The Lawnmower Man, Grindhouse, Machete, TV's Lost) plays Bill Chrushank, a criminal psychologist and college professor who loses his right arm in a car crash. On the operating table he accepts the offer from Dr. Webb (Lindsay Duncan) to have his arm replaced with a donor's. Once Chrushank returns home to his family, he begins noticing physical and psychological effects he attributes to his new arm. Chrushank finds out that his new arm once belonged to a psychopathic killer who was on death row and recently executed. Chrushank then finds out that two other men were recipients of the donor - One had both his legs replaced and enjoys playing basketball while the other, a painter (Brad Dourif who is great as usual) who now paints violent pictures while selling them for small fortunes. Both men dismiss Fahey's warnings about their new body parts (!) and like everyone else, consider him crazy.

As usual, I'm not going to give away any more of the plot because everything I review here should be watched with a minimal amount of spoilers to further enhance your experience. I will say that this is a pretty basic film in terms of camera work, angles and lighting but do not let that sway you from watching it because what's really crucial here are the characters and the story. The story does get a little ridiculous but what else could you expect from a film called, Body Parts? This is definitely a psychological horror/thriller that will have you immersed in the characters while screaming with joy at the over-the-top blood and violence.

Fahey delivers the serious acting chops here by playing a family man who is content with his personal life, yet not with his professional life. He dislikes what he does for a living and once he receives his new arm, he is hell-bent on finding out the history behind the man it was previously attached to as well as Dr. Webb's motives for attaching it to him. This is another film where the main character goes balls-out trying to uncover a mystery while destroying him emotionally and physically. Over the course of the film, you can really see Chrushank's mental state transforming as it builds from a snowball into an avalanche as he tries to control his physical actions and his emotions, while letting his inhibitions go to put an end to his own personal hell.

Brad Dourif can do no wrong (except maybe Prophecy 3 or Halloween II) but as usual, he can make a bad film better by his acting; he really makes the second act come alive and lends a bit of sadistic humor. Playing Remo Lacey, a man who only sold basic paintings of parks and mountains to doctors offices, now has the other arm of the deceased killer and paints pictures of terror and horror while becoming a hit in the art world. He loans a shrill counter personality to Fahey's and doesn't care about the horrible effects because he's a success thanks to it.

All in all, this is a great film that was overlooked back in 1991 and while it's not perfect, it deserved more acclaim that it got for its characters and off-the-wall plot. Thanks to DVD, Body Parts has developed a small cult following and hopefully over time it will grow. Check it out!

The DVD is now out of print along with a large number of Paramount DVDs so don't expect to find it online cheap. Support your local used record/movie stores and get it for cheap!

3 1/2 Severed Hands (Out of 5)

Check Out the Trailer or Lose An Arm!

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