Herschell Gordon Lewis: The Godfather of Gore, released by Something Weird and Image Entertainment is a new documentary by Frank Henenlotter (Basket Case) and Jimmy Maslon. Considered to be the creator of the Gore genre with his 1963 film Blood Feast, Lewis has a huge cult following and a legacy spanning over 50 years.
The Godfather of Gore follows HG Lewis's beginnings in the film industry, partnering with producer/soundman David F. Friedman to make a bunch of Nudie Cutie films. Soon after, the pair released one of the first "Roughies" (Scum of the Earth!) and then the infamous Blood Feast. After the huge success of Blood Feast, Lewis and Friedman released two more infamous Gore films (2000 Maniacs and Color Me Blood Red) before splitting up their partnership. Lewis continued on with more splatter films, including A Taste of Blood, Wizard of Gore and Gruesome Twosome until he dropped out of the movie business with 1972's The Gore Gore Girls. This documentary features lengthy interviews with Lewis, Friedman, Frank Henenlotter, John Waters and many of the cast and crew of Lewis's films, chronicling every one of the Godfather's films through The Gore Gore Girls.
The Godfather of Gore is a brilliant documentary on the career of one of the film industry's most prolific, influential and adventurous film makers. With a running time of an hour and 46 minutes (plus an extra hour of outtakes), this film is as in depth as you could get on Lewis's career. Besides the loads of interviews and film clips, we also get an HG Lewis trailer reel, a rare Lewis short (Hot Night at the Go Go Lounge) and a gallery of HG Lewis Exploitation Art! Anyone who has an interest in the origins of horror and exploitation NEEDs this in their collections!
RATING: 10/10
Order The Godfather of Gore DVD directly from Something Weird Video HERE
No comments:
Post a Comment