Bloodsucking Pharaohs in Pittsburgh (1991)

What a beautiful movie!

To me, this movie is perfection.

Let's be realistic.

A Masterpiece!

"Bloodsucking Pharaohs from Pittsburgh" is a fine if only adequate cheese-fest.**SPOILERS**Following a brutal murder, Sgt. Joe Blocker, (Joe Sharkey) is assigned to a case with his partner Sgt. Sweeney Birdwell, (Jake Dengel) due to the similarity to another case of his years ago. When it becomes apparent that the killer is even using the same means as before, wearing Egyptian paraphernalia to hide the identity and taking only a single body part from victims while leaving a note in Egyptian hieroglyphics detailing the crime, he becomes even more despondent over what's happening despite the assurances of Deedee Taylor, (Susann Fletcher) his old partner's daughter. As the deaths continue and Police Chief 'Buzz Saw' Ryan, (Don Brockett) screaming at them for results to end the rampage, they play a hunch on who the killer is and are surprised to find that it reveals the killer's ploy, using the body parts in a form of ritual to bring to life an Egyptian War Goddess for his own agenda. Now knowing what to go up against, they race to stop him before he completes his plans.The Good News: This one here is a really fun and enjoyable cheese-fest that has a couple good moments for it. The main one is the cheese level that is portrayed here is a lot of fun. From the numerous jokes about the past to the scenes of confusion to the yelling and so much more, it makes for a lot of really fun times to be had from it's goofiness. The storyline doesn't hurt either, and there's some good times to be had from it's outlandish gore as well. This one has a really nice set of kills in here, that are just gory enough to matter for gore-hounds as well as making them so cartoon-ish and fun that there's more fun to be had from them as well. There's a decapitation with a giant ceremonial staff, having a jackhammer saw off both legs, a hacksaw slicing open a stomach, a victim found with their brains scooped out, using a vacuum cleaner to suck out the digestive tract and eyeballs, being crushed inside a giant hydraulic press and being exposed to acid, melting the skin off the face in a long, extended sequence with really messy, gory results. There's a lot of fun from these scenes and it has some really great moments with the cheesy gore on display. The detective work on the killer is also surprisingly watchable, not really excellent but well-done and certainly there for it's best moments. By not really slowing down the plot but actually keeping it moving along, as well as making it feel really interesting and not too bogged down and dull. The last real good part is the action-packed finale, which is great if only able to get over the enormous amount of information presented and having enough good parts to make it fun, exciting and really interesting. These here make the film entertaining.The Bad News: This one here doesn't have too many flaws, but there are a few. The scenes with the wife in the smoking center would be the biggest ones. Granted, they do give off a few really good gags and provide some laughs, that's their only purpose in the film. They're shamelessly inserted into the film merely to give it some laughs and play off the cheesy nature of the film, and take up space in the running time with their cheesiness that really sticks out for no reason to be included. Aside from the comedy, having it in the film is where it loses it's energy. The other flaw is that the ending comes across as way too packed for it's own good. There's a lot of information doled out in a short space of time, which wouldn't have happened had the scenes in the smoker's center been eliminated and actual scenes to move the plot along put in it's place. That would've worked fine and fixed these two flaws. Otherwise, these here are all that hold the film down.The Final Verdict: A rather entertaining cheese-fest, hurt mainly by very little flaws and only it's relatively high cheese-factor to lower it down. Check it out if interested in those kinds of films or if there's something in that generally appeals to the viewer, but if the cheese-fest style doesn't appeal then seek caution.Rated R: Graphic Violence, Language and Brief Nudity

A masterpiece from the opening scene; this film is both a hilarious parody of "buddy cop" films (LETHAL WEAPON, 48 HOURS, BAD BOYS, etc.) and a superior precursor of the present lame & un-funny comedy-horror films of the SCARY MOVIE ilk.Beverly Penberthy steals the film as Sweeney the cop's wife, Erma Birdwell. Erma, despite her aerobic fitness, is a cigarette smoker who worries that her husband is no longer attracted to her. Attempts to stop smoking haven't worked. Her travails finally lead to an appearance by an avatar of the Egyptian God of the Dead. "The f--k it isn't, I know Anubis when I see It!"Also wonderful is MISTER ROGERS NEIGHBORHOOD veteran Don Brockett as the raving homicidal Police Chief. And Veronica Hart, as Grace, continues to be one of the few "actresses" from porn films who can actually do a passable job acting.

Strange movie, part slasher, part parody, part detective story. The idea of mad killer murdering people and keeping bloody souvenirs in order to satisfy bloodlust of ancient Egyptian god is somewhat reminiscent of H.G.Lewis' Blood Feast (of course, Fuad Ramses didn't use power tools). The director borrowed a few ideas from various horror movies and tried to create crazy combination of black humor and thrills, but it is obvious that he wasn't too familiar with the genre. Mr. Tschetter mentions The Texas Chainsaw Massacre or films by H.G.Lewis as the main inspirations for Picking Up The Pieces in the commentary track of Bloodsucking Pharaohs DVD. He also talks about being shocked when he first watched The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and when he found out that such movies as Herschell's gore epics really existed. Picking Up The Pieces is a horror comedy as directed by an artist usually involved in producing Shakespearian theater plays.It is professionally shot and occasionally amusing but most jokes don't work. Blocker and Birdwell- two cops with lots of personal problems trying to catch insane murderer, are quite interesting duo- Blocker throwing up each time he glimpses blood and Birdwell provoking his buddy by mentioning Blocker's embarrassing sexual problem. Some parts of the movie are played out completely serious, other parts that could be taken from Naked Gun or Airplane!, for example the flashback scene explaining Blocker's trauma from the past, don't seem to fit in the film. The violence is quite tame,but the DVD is surprisingly cut by MPAA although killings consist of shots of murderer manipulating with power saw (or some other tool) and shots of splashing blood. Tom Savini provided one rubber corpse with the top of the cranium sawed off and one neat melting scene. During the final showdown between cops and the killer even good old chainsaw makes an appearance. Unfortunately, nobody is hacked to pieces.

Do you like B movies? REALLY like B movies? This is the one for you! If you prefer to watch REAL FILMS, don't bother. I doubt the Academy ever watched this one, and they certainly wouldn't be nominating it for any awards.A twisted comedy/thriller (listed as horror, but thriller seems more appropriate), this flick -- I dare not call it a FILM -- was refreshing, like a spring rain. Think Naked Gun on a low, LOW budget. Serial killer, brutal murders of prostitutes (with the most enticing weapon selections), a cop who vomits at the sight of blood, AND a porn star (Jane Hamilton as dull-witted roller-skating waitress Grace) . . .There's no point in discussing cinematography; I'm guessing film-school camera work and editing. Better than Blair Witch, not as good as Suspiria. Acting is mediocre, but at a level appropriate to the genre.Keep your eyes open for occasional sight gags, and your ears open for the one-liners. Corny sometimes, but again, appropriate to the genre. A few good laughs, some pretty good gore (much more convincing blood than Argento uses), and a fun plot twist.If I've learned one thing from this movie, it is: If you are a prostitute, and your trick brings a generator, run. Fast.