Fans of the classic drive in genre can rejoice knowing that
Image has made the effort to release the films of Herschell Gordon Lewis on
blu-ray. That's not to say the movies are spectacular in any way, but fans of
H.G. and the films he made will be dancing in the street knowing they're now
available in high format quality. Which seems odd since the movies were
released on about as low a quality budget as was possible. In any event, the
movies are a part of movie history, though at the bottom end.
The first film, WIZARD OF GORE, is the lesser of the two if
that's possible. Montag it Magnificent is a magician who performs the standard
tricks until the finale of his show. At that time he pulls out all stops and
taunts the audience to decide if what they are about to see is real or merely
an illusion. His first finale is to saw a woman in half. But this isn't the
usual fare. Instead, he does so without placing her in a box but has her entire
body in view. Pulling out a chainsaw, he proceeds to saw her open, guts and
blood spewing forth in great profusion. Moments later the stunned audience
watches on as the girl rises from the table, unharmed. The only problem is that
later that night she goes to a restaurant and before she can order she's found
on the floor saw in half.
A local talk show host having seen the show the night before
with her boyfriend sportswriter sees the body being carted off and it
accidentally touches her hand. The next day when she tries to get Montag on her
show he declines until the bloodstain appears on her hand, a stain that only he
can see. He invites her back that night and she goes this time to witness
another grizzly scene, a woman with a spike driven into her skull. She too walks
away unharmed only to be found later dead of the same injury seen onstage.
Just who Montag really is and how he's completing these
gruesome murders would be the normal movie one would expect to see. Instead we
get all sorts of goofy speeches from Montag about illusion and reality and a
twist ending that would have seemed half smart had the rest of the film not
been so bad. Worst of all is Montag himself, played by . When the term ham
actor comes to mind from here on out this is the actor I'll see in my mind's
eye. Couple that with some tremendously bad make up that has his hair changing
color from white to brown and eyebrows that look like they've had shoe polish
brushed over them and you have one really bad movie.
THE GORE GORE GIRLS is the better of the two films. Had this
story been done with a bigger budget, better actors and a better script it
could have been an A picture. The idea is quite good, it's just the execution
that's lacking.
The dancers at the local strip club are being killed off in
gory fashion. Heads opened, eyes gouged and more should be a reason to chase
people off from visiting the joint but they continue to come to watch the go go
girls dance away. The local newspaper hires top private eye to investigate paying him top dollar to do
so if he'll give them the scoop. He takes the job and the money and begins
tracking down the killer.
Following a trail of clues and suspects he frequents the
club where the girls work. This gives viewers plenty of time to see the main
reason folks went to see this movie, semi-clad women shaking everything they
had with the limited restrictions of the time. For those who don't understand
that means pasties and panties are the wardrobe of choice.
Between sleuthing and dancing we witness the killer strike
again and again in even more blood and guts scenes than Lewis has done in the
past. It was the thing that brought people to see his movies and he delivers
the goods.
As I said, this movie at least has a plot that you can
follow and that makes sense. It was done, as were most of Lewis' films, on a
budget set just below shoestring but the heart and soul that he put into his
films is seen on display on screen.
H. G. Lewis may not be a familiar name to the majority of
people. He probable will never be honored with an Oscar. But he was a pioneer
of the times and did create a genre, the gore film, which has been copied and
replicated over and over again. The biggest difference between his films and
those being made today (other than budget) was that he was at least attempting
to make something different, to offer a story that the gore became a part of
rather than the center of.
Movie lovers who remember the days of the drive in will want
to pick this one up. It may not be the best that was offered in that locale,
but it is something memorable.
Click here to order.
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