Juan Piquer Simón (16 February, 1935 – 8 January, 2011) was a Spanish

film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, p ...

best known for directing two cult classic horror

exploitation Exploitation may refer to: *Exploitation of natural resources *Exploitation of labour ** Forced labour *Exploitation colonialism *Slavery ** Sexual slavery and other forms *Oppression *Psychological manipulation In arts and entertainment *Exploi ...

films, '' Pieces'' (1982) and '' Slugs: The Movie'' (1988).

Career

He also directed two Jules Verne-based films, ''Where Time Began'' (1976) and ''Mystery on Monster Island'' (1981), as well as '' Supersonic Man'' in 1979 (which was spoofed by

RiffTrax RiffTrax is an American company that produces scripted humorous commentary tracks which are synced to mostly public domain feature films, education shorts, and television episodes. With the talents of former ''Mystery Science Theater 3000'' (''M ...

), and ''

The Pod People ''Extra Terrestrial Visitors'' (original title ''Los nuevos extraterrestres'', literally ''The New Extraterrestrials'') is a 1983 French-Spanish science fiction film directed by Juan Piquer Simón. The film's original draft was meant to be a st ...

'' in 1983 (which was famously featured on an episode of ''

Mystery Science Theater 3000 ''Mystery Science Theater 3000'' (abbreviated as ''MST3K'') is an American science fiction comedy film review television series created by Joel Hodgson. The show premiered on KTMA-TV (now WUCW) in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on November 24, 1988. ...

''). He also directed '' Cthulhu Mansion'' and '' The Rift'', both in 1990.

Legacy

'' Pieces'' is one among the many cult classic

horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit fear or disgust in its audience for entertainment purposes. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements include monsters, apoca ...

s that have been restored and digitally remastered by

Bob Murawski Bob Murawski (born June 14, 1964) is an American film editor. He was awarded the 2010 Academy Award for Best Film Editing for his work on ''The Hurt Locker'', which he shared with his wife, fellow editor Chris Innis. He often works with film dir ...

Box Office Spectaculars Bob Murawski (born June 14, 1964) is an American film editor. He was awarded the 2010 Academy Award for Best Film Editing for his work on ''The Hurt Locker'', which he shared with his wife, fellow editor Chris Innis. He often works with film dir ...

and

Grindhouse Releasing Grindhouse Releasing is a Hollywood-based independent cult film distribution company led by film editor Bob Murawski and co-founded by Sage Stallone. Grindhouse digitally remasters, restores, and produces bonus materials and video documentaries f ...

. Juan Piquer Simón owned his own independent studio in

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...

, Spain, and designed many of his own special effects sequences for his films. He also was the co-director of the Mediterranean Film Festival in Valencia, Spain. He died in 2011 at age 75 of

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissue (biology), tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from tran ...

. ''Pod People'' has since become a favorite for MST3K fans and the show's creator

Joel Hodgson Joel Hodgson (born February 20, 1960) is an American writer, comedian and television actor. He is best known for creating ''Mystery Science Theater 3000'' (''MST3K'') and starring in it as the character Joel Robinson. In 2007, ''MST3K'' was liste ...

.Robot roll call! 'Mystery Science Theater 3000' cast share favorite episodes as show turns 25, TODAY
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Filmography

As film director: * ''España violenta'' (1964) * ''Vida y paz'' (1965) * ''

Journey to the Center of the Earth ''Journey to the Center of the Earth'' (french: Voyage au centre de la Terre), also translated with the variant titles ''A Journey to the Centre of the Earth'' and ''A Journey into the Interior of the Earth'', is a classic science fiction novel ...

'' (1976) a.k.a. ''Where Time Began'' * '' Supersonic Man'' (1979) * '' Jules Verne's Mystery on Monster Island'' (1981) * ''Diablos del mar, Los'' (1982) * '' Pieces'' (1982) * ''

'' (1983) * ''Guerra sucia'' (1984) a.k.a. ''Dirty War'' * '' Slugs: The Movie'' (1988) * '' Cthulhu Mansion'' (1990) * '' The Rift (Grieta, La) (1990) * ''Isla del diablo, La'' (1994) * ''Manoa, la ciudad de oro'' (1999) As film actor: * '' Pieces'' (1982) - Killer's Hands / Crime Scene Photographer (uncredited) Interview: * ''Pieces of Juan'' (as himself), an interview with Juan Piquer Simón about his film, '' Pieces'', as well as his life and career (directed by

Nacho Cerdà Nacho Cerdà (born 1968/1969) is a Spanish film director and screenwriter best known for his controversial 1994 short film ''Aftermath''. Biography Career Shorts ''Aftermath'' is the second in a trilogy of short films known as ''La Trilogi ...

, available on

' North American DVD release of '' Pieces'')

References

External links

*
Spanish web site for Juan Piquer Simón
{{DEFAULTSORT:Piquer Simon, Juan 1935 births 2011 deaths People from Valencia Spanish film directors Film directors from the Valencian Community Horror film directors