 | The self-titled "Godfather of Gore" Herschell Gorgon Lewis is credited with creating the splatter or gore genre of horror movies. Although by today's standard of gore, Lewis's movies are little more than low-budget high-camp quirky exploitation these days. But when he started making his gore movies, nothing the likes of had been seen before. Saturated colours, and buckets of bright red blood, his movies flew under the radar of the MPAA. Who simply weren't prepared for this kind of movie. Working outside of the system, he usually worked with exploitation producer David F. Friedman. Initially making nudie-cuties, and screw-ball comedies, like The Adventures of Lucky Pierre (1961), a film made for a shoestring budget of $7,500. |
Lewis and Friedman entered wanted to tap markets that their nudies couldn't or wouldn't reach, andso in 1963 they made Blood Feast. Now a cult classic, that is considered by many to be the first ever "gore" movie. The simply buckets of blood and cheap special effects trickery found a willing and ready market, especially in the drive-ins. So the pair followed up Blood Feats with Two Thousand Maniacs! (1964) and Colour Me Blood Red (1965). They'd hit on a formula, and they were going to milk it for all it was worth. As soon other exploitation film-makers picked-up on the movies Lewis was making, and started making their own gore movies. After Colour Me Blood Red, Lewis and Friedman stopped working together, but Lewis continued to make gore movies. His next were A Taste Of Blood and The Gruesome Twosome, both 1967. He still continued to make nudie and softcore movies, as well as a couple of children's films. But it is his gore movies that he's most well known for. He started using the word in the titles of his movie. In 1968 he made Doctor Gore (also known as How To Make A Doll), followed by 1970's The Wizard Of Gore, and in 1972 Gore Gore Girls. Most recently after a gap of nearly 40 years, in 2002 he made a sequel to Blood Feast, Blood Feast 2: All U Can Eat.
| Herschell Gordon Lewis: The Godfather Of Gore (2010): A great documentary charting the career of Lewis, and the creation of the gore movie genre. The film gives viewers a fun ride through the mind of the mad genius that is Lewis, as well as the people he worked with. Giving an insight into independent and exploitation film-making of the period, taking you on a journey through the genres of nudie-cuties, roughies and ultimately gore. Through interview, rare footage, clips and even a recreation of lost footage. The documentary is lovingly handled by exploitation horror writer and director Frank Henenlotter, who credits Lewis's movies as starting him on the path towards becoming a film-maker. Henenlotter himself, has made some classics of 1980s and early 90s horror, with the Basket Case series, Brain Damage and Frankenhooker. |  |
