Written and directed by Nick Palumbo (Nutbag), and made with a reportedly 2.2 million dollar budget (the most ever for an independently made film), Murder-Set-Pieces is about a misogynist photographer (Sven Garrett) who lures young women to his home/studio then brutally rapes, tortures and kills them. Palumbo pulls absolutely no punches in this movie, and leaves nothing to the imagination. With convincing acting and realistic effects, I can honestly say this is the only film I’ve ever watched that made my heart race and my hands sweat.

Imagine my surprise when I saw it on the shelf at the family-friendly video store, Blockbuster.

Apparently, horror-film mega-corporation, Lions Gate, bought distribution rights and cut 22 minutes out of the film in order to receive an “R” rating. While I already saw the unedited version a few times (in fact I own it), my curiosity got the better of me and I rented it.

It didn’t take long to figure out that most of sex and violence was cut from the film. In fact, it was so heavily edited I kept asking myself, “What’s the point?” It reminded me of a special feature contained on the DVD of Cabin Fever. As a joke, Eli Roth cuts a “Family Version” of the film, which lasts all of about 30 seconds and shows nothing more than the doomed campers driving on the highway, with lighthearted folk music playing in the background.

Watching the “kinder, gentler” version of Murder-Set-Pieces was like watching a comedy without the jokes, or a porno without the nudity. The point of an exploitation film is to shock and disturb its viewers. Without the gratuitous sex and violence, it ceases to be an “exploitation” film and loses its intended purpose.

Exploitation films are certainly not for everyone, but they do have their place in the horror movie sub-genre. From Wes Craven’s 1972 classic The Last House On The Left, to Meir Zarchi’s I Spit On Your Grave (aka Day of the Woman), to Ruggero Deodato's Cannibal Holocaust, exploitation films have dwelled below the underbelly of the horror movie world for decades.

I can only guess that Lions Gate bought the rights to Murder-Set-Pieces to cash-in on its notoriety, but I hope this is not the start of the film company’s practice of censorship. Exploitation films are by their very nature controversial, and intended to be shocking (perhaps even obscene). Again, this type of film is definitely not for everyone, but it is a legitimate category of horror cinema. As the old saying goes, if you don’t like it...don’t watch it.

- The Horror Reporter