Phil's Halloween Horrors Marathon, Day 3: Phil reviews BIT PARTS (2006) from Elftwin Films-October 3, 2012

BIT PARTS DVD Cover (2007)

BIT PARTS
Starring: Sarah Gordon, Michelle Angel, Molly Fix, Christopher Page, Elizabeth Kirven, Dave Reda, Peter Redman,
Written by Jon Rosenberg
Produced by Karl Schweitzer, Dave Reda, Carrie Lynn Certa
Directed by Dave Reda
An Elftwin Films Production
Distributed by Kosh Vision

Hello again everybody and welcome to Day Three of Phil's Halloween Horror Marathon! Another film I picked up at Miss Misery's Days of Terror Horror Convention was the indie horror film BIT PARTS. Now I had originally seen this film at a special screening at the Camera 12 in San Jose back in 2007 and I thoroughly enjoyed it. And since director Dave Reda had copies of the film to sell, I just had to buy this movie.

The film's about a young woman named Melissa Martin (Fix) who is held captive by a deranged LA plastic surgeon named Dr. Cranston (Page), who's been holding fake movie auditions and kidnapping young girls with "perfect" facial features that will allow him to repair his daughter Maggie's (Angel) hideously mangled face. Soon Melissa's older sister Brenda (Gordon) arrives into town and enlists the help from a local cab driver Bobby (Reda) to assist her in her search of her missing sister. But they quickly discovers that Melissa is in more danger than she could have ever imagined.

Director Dave Reda does a great job of setting up the pace of this movie, while introducing us to some of the most eclectic and psychotic characters in indie horror history. He and screenwriter Rosenberg take the clichéd mad doctor and flipped it and set it in modern times, thus making him more relatable but still mad. His grotesque daughter can be seen as a 21st century Frankenstein creature: monstrous, deformed, child-like, but also misunderstood. Like the doctor's creation, she's not in control of her life nor can she really be blamed for her behavior. She's just wants to look normal again. This can also be translated as a social commentary piece about plastic surgery and how sometimes we are too fixated on perfection and beauty.

The entire cast does a tremendous job of breathing life into their characters. Page brings the crazy to his role as Dr. Cranston, Gordon's Brenda is tough, strong, but yet sensitive. Reda brings loyalty to his role as Bobby, even though he's not sure as to whether or not he can help find Brenda's sister. Of course a standing ovation goes to young Michelle Angel, who made Maggie one of the most disturbing child characters ever in horror history. For some reason, I can picture Maggie playing jump rope with Rhoda Penmark from THE BAD SEED. Now that is truly horrifying!

The DVD contains some special features, including  director's commentary, the film's original trailer, and the NBC interview that Reda and Rosenberg did here in San Jose!

As I stated before, I had seen this film when it premiered at the Camera 12 in Downtown San Jose back in 2007. Now Dave Reda is originally from San Jose, who left to make films in LA. At that screening, I was able to meet him and informed him how much I enjoyed his film. Fast forward to Miss Miserys' A Nightmare to Remember Horror Film Festival, and Dave's there with his latest short film MY UNDEADLY. I was covering the festival as press, so I took some pictures, and ended up talking to Dave, not realizing that I had already met him years ago. Then at the Days of Terror convention I noticed that he had a copies of BIT PARTS for sale. When I told him that I saw this back in San Jose in 2007, he then starts smiling and laughing and saying, "Hey I remember you now!" We shook hands, laughed some more, and then he signed my DVD! Yes folks, it truly is a small world after all!

BIT PARTS was my pick for "Best Indie Horror Film" back in 2007, and after all these years, the film still holds up nicely. Fresh, creative, and originality are just some of the ingredients that made this film a winner in my book. 5 out of 5 stars! Highly recommended!

BIT PARTS is currently available on DVD and can be purchased at your local retailer or on Amazon.com. To learn more about Dave Reda and his production company Elftwin Films, visit their official website at http://elftwinfilms.com.

Thanks for reading, and enjoy the screaming!