THE HERSCHELL GORDON LEWIS FEAST: A SCHLOCKING GOOD TIME

For most the name Herschell Gordon Lewis means nothing, not even to some movie fans. That’s because Lewis was not a mainstream film maker. He was on the edge of Hollywood, making movies for fans and in so doing making money for himself at the same time. This was not an auteur seeking to make art. This was a man working in whatever area of exploitation was popular at the time.

But there is a core of die-hard fans out there who love all things Lewis made. Some were turned on to him by film critic and social commentator Joe Bob Briggs who championed Lewis in his celebration of drive-in movies. After all most of H.G. Lewis’ films opened and remained there for years. Soon other began to take note of his work. When video came out those movies made it into more hands than they ever had when in theaters. And in recent years they’ve also found their way to disc.

So why mention H.G. Lewis now? It’s because Arrow Video has come out with the most superlative collection of Lewis films to date, a box set that features more in one group than any other has to date. The collection doesn’t just focus on the horror films which he is mostly known for but includes at least one of the “nudie cutie” films he made as well as a biker and a delinquent teen movie. Yes, the majority are those horror films that gained him notoriety but this set tries to cover it all.

Lewis directed a total of 38 films and this collection gathers together 14 of those, perhaps his most famous. And while you might not remember his name my guess is you know the titles of his films. His first foray into horror, included here, was BLOOD FEAST, the story of a mad Egyptian caterer killing women in order to resurrect an Egyptian goddess. What set this apart for horror films at the time (and was included in his follow up films) was the use of extreme gore, something that hadn’t been done before then. The film include a woman having her tongue ripped from her mouth and others with appendages removed. It shocked audiences when it was released in 1963 and continued to do so years later. But it got the attention of young people who flocked to drive-ins across the country to see it.

Another title you may recall is 2000 MANIACS, also included here. This time around we have a twist on the whole concept displayed in the musical BRIGADOON with a southern town that reappears every 100 years to celebrate all things Dixie. Of course this town of redneck confederate townsfolk redirect traffic off the highway so they can have some revenge against northerners. Bloody revenge including everything from cutting off limbs to a dunk tank using a concrete base with a boulder that drops on the intended victim. Again, it stirred controversy and got people into the theater to see it.

Not into horror? How about MOONSHINE MOUNTAIN about a country singer who returns home to get in the middle of moonshiners and revenuers? Or SCUM OF THE EARTH bout a teen girl blackmailed into taking nude pictures that a fellow teen sells to his friends. Then there is SHE-DEVILS ON WHEELS about an all-girl biker gang. THE GORE GORE GIRLS has a reporter investigating the murder of a female stripper in a Chicago club.

As stated earlier exploitation was the name of the game for Lewis. He was a salesman of the outlandish who took next to no budget and turned his films into money making hits. Perhaps not million dollar movies but more than enough to pay off the film and put plenty of cash into the pockets of those behind each movie. This box set is a celebration of Lewis and his films offering both those 14 movies and a ton of extras.

The movies in the set are Blood Feast, Scum of the Earth, Two Thousand Maniacs!, Moonshine Mountain, Color Me Blood Red, Something Weird, The Gruesome Twosome, A Taste of Blood, She-Devils on Wheels, Just for the Hell of It, How to Make a Doll, The Wizard of Gore, The Gore Gore Girls, This Stuff’ll Kill Ya! Extras include an introduction to each film by Lewis himself, commentary tracks, featurettes, short films, interviews and more. The documentary “Herschell Gordon Lewis: The Godfather of Gore” is included in limited editions. And there is more as well in the set.

Fans of exploitation films and drive-in movies as well as H.G. Lewis fanatics will want to make it a point to add this set to their collection. The odds of as inclusive a set being released at any time are near non-existent. This is the ultimate H.G. Lewis set to have as of now. And since its release the price hasn’t declined but raised as well. So pick up one before they’re gone or the price increases yet again.

Click here to order.