Murder-Set-Pieces

Despite his noxious self-promotion (although, any filmmaker or studio (actors as well) linked to a product often do try to sell it to as many as possible), director Nick Palumbo is talented. I can’t refuse him that. He has a decent camera eye, even if a lot of this film is repetitive in its "he stalks the streets for the next fresh kill" in Vegas, securing plenty of victims at his disposal. Palumbo can't help himself: later in the film, the killer of Murder-Set-Pieces goes into a rental store looking for "a snuff film called The Nutbag". A filmmaker can cost himself some potential fans by operating in such a fashion, but if his films can deliver, then perhaps he can forgiven.

“Do you always eat your meat that bloody?”
“Yes. Blood is good.”

I haven't the foggiest notion what qualities Sven possesses (other than his physique) that would appeal to any decent girl but he seems to have that manly, handsome appearance to charms. His personality and mistreatment of women in general, you'd think, would be a major turn off. He is a "fashion" photographer (but he seems more of an erotic photographer, perhaps using fashion as a means for profit and employ), using his talents in darker ways at night. The little girl knows he is an oddball, that something is off, even if her big sis doesn't.

"Going to hell is easy. It is geting out, that's hard."

I was surprised that Palumbo would allow the little actress to appear in some of the darker aspects of the film, but there she is. I was real uncomfortable, I will admit. Surprisingly, she has a resourceful nature, a survival instinct that upends Sven's desires to hurt her bad. The scene above, though, has her finding a picture of his Nazi ancestor in convo with Hitler. That and nude photographs hanging on his walls.

Although, the film is your general "psychopath stalking the streets of a big city in search of 'sinful women' due to a past trauma that has him looking at most of them in a negative light" plot, Palumbo  does apply plenty of  style that helps...a little. You get plenty of Vegas (probably stolen) with Sven moving around in search of future skeletal occupants of a torture trophy room. This is indeed a sickie. I harken back to Don't Answer the Phone! with Nicholas Worth (a film that I thought was effective in its own way due to Worth's intimidating presence) in relation to Murder-Set-Pieces. Both have creeps stalking women, seizing upon them during moments when they are most vulnerable, often found in seedy locations of popularly sinful cities. Both lead psychos have a real fierce appearance. Women don't stand much of a chance against them. There are no police detectives followed in this film. I smiled at the thought of CSI: Las Vegas. I couldn't help ponder if Gil Grissam and his team were on the case.

Director Palumbo spends some time in Sven's kill room, as he has committed his share of vile, inhuman atrocities here. Murder-Set-Pieces hangs around quite a bit with Sven. Sven's German, his grandfather was a Nazi, he has nosebleeds, and his dreams consist of a woman he spends time with on the railroad tracks as a little boy, later finding her body off a bridge naked. When he was a child, he drew colored pictures dictating violent acts vivid in his wicked little mind, already tearing off the clothes of a girl doll. He was warped real early in his young life.

Definitely, this film recognizes Sven as a real creep. He has a significant attachment to the little sister of a gal he's dating (a hair stylist at a Vegas salon). Obsessively following in his car at a distance, sometimes he watches, other times he snaps photos. It is later established that not only is Sven capturing and torture-killing strippers and call girls, he's not confined to just adult women, as news reports claim young girls are going missing as well.

Gunnar Hansen as a gun-selling, Nazi-devotee

Sven gets a lap dance that doesn't tickle his fancy

Todd looks for another job in the classifieds

Palumbo makes sure to include faces familiar to horror fans. Tony Todd is the unfortunate counter clerk of an adult movie/book/novelty/toy store. Gunnar Hansen is a Nazi devotee who offers his daughter to Sven for a price (offering to go to the nearby convenient store while Sven got his rocks off!). Edwin Neal (the crazy hitch-hiker with the strait-razor of the Sawyer clan in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre) lands the simple part of a man in a car that the little girl heroine needs a ride home with. He tells her not to ever hitch-hike (haha) in a stern, commanding voice. Cerina Vincent (hot as always) has a small, rather minor part as a potential victim of Sven's as both are riding on a greyhound out of Vegas to parts unknown.

He reallllly wanted his copy of Nutbag

Yes, Sven keeps some fake teeth to take a bite out of victims

Woman of Sven's dreams...literally

key to Sven's special room

Edwin Neal caught by surprise with a lil girl in his car

Cerina is blushing at Sven's flattery.

This lil girl will never be the same

I watched the most edited version. I guess this is the R-rated cut as I rented it from netflix. It had a jarring quality as if lots of footage was edited out, so I can only assume there's plenty of gruesome delights for torture-death fans. This version isn't close to as grisly as its reputation suggests, so I'm guessing many extreme horror fans have seen the unrated theatrical cut. I plan to see it in the future.