Life is short. In the small amount of time we have on this earth, we should make every effort to leave our mark. No matter how small or insignificant, we should leave behind something that will carry on long after we shuffle off this mortal coil. For one man, he didn't just leave a mark, he left behind something more like a sucking chest wound. That man, was Herschell Gordon Lewis 'The Godfather of Gore'. Sadly, today we lost an unassuming pioneer in the horror genre. A man who not only invented what we know of today as “Gore”, but set the bar for all of the blood, guts and icky stuff that has become all too mainstream in modern film making. He kicked down the door of what was known as horror, at the time, and took it to a whole different level. One that had never been seen before in modern cinema. Maybe he wasn't the greatest film maker to ever grace the genre, but what he lacked in technical skills, he made up for in passion and enthusiasm. If you've never seen a Herschell Gordon Lewis film, I wouldn't recommend them for the casual horror film buff. These are not for the squeamish or faint of heart. These are for the film historians who want to devour anything and everything that lurks in the darkest and most depraved places of our beloved genre. His films were the cornerstone of future film makers such as Eli Roth, Rob Zombie and trash cinema legend Lloyd Kaufman. He built an empire on entrails and eyeballs. But one must wonder how such a man of disgusting and perverse pleasures ever came into being? It wasn't so much a mapped our journey of depravity, but one of necessity. One of tapping into the vein of society and slitting it's underbelly to reveal what so many were lusting for in the dark corners of their minds. He sent his sickness, spilling out into the cinemas around the world and eventually into the privacy of our own homes. This is the story of Herschell Gordon Lewis, 'The Godfather of Gore'.
Believe it or not, Herschell started his career as a teacher. An unassuming path that led him into the eventual decision to change careers and become a movie producer. Originally forming a film company called 'Mid Continent Films', that produced 2 films: 'The Prime Time' and 'Living Venus', which he also directed. Included among his cast, were two up and coming stars, Bill Kerwin and one, Harvey Korman (Yes, THAT Harvey Korman.). During this time, Herschell met a man by the name of David F. Freeman, who would eventually become his partner in crime. Once they had cemented their partnership, they found more success in making short, 1 reel pictures called 'Nudie Cuties', before realizing that more money could be made in full length nudie cutie features. The first of several of these titillating films was one called 'The Adventures of Lucky Pierre'. Somehow 'Lucky Pierre' made its way into a mainstream theater and despite the theater owners hesitation, it ran for 9 weeks. Thus proving that there was money to be made in exploitation films like these. From there, the government of the time, began to crack down on these types of entertainment, but for some reason decided that if the nudity took place in a nudist camp setting and wasn't sexual in any way, then it would still be considered legal. At this point, a light bulb went off in Hershcel and David's heads and they began the next phase of their career, making nudist films. The flood gates were open, however, and soon the market was over saturated with these kinds of pictures. The dynamic duo soon realized that they needed a new gimmick. Something that would be shocking and unlike anything that had been seen before. At this moment in horror history, Herschell coined the word that he wanted to use for his new genre. He called it “Gore”. These films would depict horrific acts of murder in the most gruesome ways possible. Not flinching at showing everything that was never seen before. At that moment, a new kind of sickness was born. He soon came up with his first idea for a film in this new style, but where could he film it? After shooting several previous movies at the Suez Hotel, he had remembered that they had a small replica of the Egyptian Sphinx in front of the building. From there, he came up with the basic plot outline for what would become his most profitable film and possibly his most notorious, 'Blood Feast'. During the audition process, he met Connie Mason. A former Playboy model and quite possibly the worst actress in film history and he immediately cast her in one of the leading roles. She would soon become a staple in Herschell's films, along with Mal Arnold and his right hand man, Bill Kerwin. Once the film was completed, it debuted at a drive in located in Peoria, IL on July 6th, 1963. It immediately made an impression on it's unsuspecting audience and when Bill Kerwin asked his wife on the way home, what she thought. She summed up the entire experience in one word, “Vomitous”. This led to Herschell providing sick bags to all of the theaters, complete with the 'Blood Feast' logo on it and this only grew the legend even more. Soon, other theater owners realized that this was a draw and it began to slowly ooze it's way into other theaters. Word of mouth then carried it's notoriety even further. Not one to rest on his laurels, Herschell began work on his next project, '2000 Maniacs'. The film that he referred to, until his final days, as his personal favorite of all of his movies. The frenzy surrounding this new brand of horror, soon turned into novelizations and legitimate product placement. By the time his next film was in production, 'Color Me Blood Red', there seemed to be no way of stopping him. When it came time to start 'A Taste of Blood', he decided to try a bit more mainstream approach to his film making and agreed to include a rather unlikely celebrity in the film. Being an avid lover of fried chicken, KFC asked if they would shoot part of the film at a franchise location in Wilmette, IL. Upon arriving for the shoot, the cast and crew were greeted by none other than the Colonel himself, Colonel Sanders. He spent the day shooting scenes with the Colonel, but Mr. Sanders became unbearable. Not knowing what the film was about and trying to shift the focus to himself, Herschell shot some rehearsal footage, just so they could get out of there without damaging their partnership with KFC. However, despite this, Herschell was paid in fried chicken and that made the day of shooting a bit easier to swallow. His next masterpiece was 'An Eye For An Eye', which became plagued with problems and never saw the end of production. Some scenes still remain, but it eventually fell to the wayside. In an effort to keep working, he started filming 'The Gruesome Twosome'. After wrapping the production, he realized he was short on a running time and proceeded to shoot 8 minutes of two Styrofoam heads talking. Nobody seemed to notice or mind the bizarre addition. From there he made an all female biker film called 'She Devils On Wheels' and quickly followed it up with 'Just for the Hell of It'. A film about teenagers going wild. Feeling that the genre was beginning to be co-opted by too many other film makers and not wanting to fade into the background, he instead, stepped up his game. His final two feature films, of the time, were 'The Wizard of Gore' and 'The Gore Gore Girls', both of which featured some of the more disgusting and stomach churning gore ever put on screen. 'The Gore Gore Girls' also featured none other than Henny Youngman in a bizarre cameo as the owner of the topless bar featured in the film. At this point in Herschell's career, he felt as though he'd done all he could, in the cinema of perversion that he created. So he hung up his hat and got a real job. He spent his remaining years working in Direct Market Advertising and became quite successful in his field. He continued to tour conventions and film revivals, spreading the gospel of gore. However, the story wasn't quite finished there. Before he took his final curtain call, he threw his hat back into the horror ring and made three final films, 'Blood Feast 2: All U Can Eat', 'The Uh Oh Show' and 'Hershcell Gordon Lewis' BloodMania'. This put a place holder on his career and proved that you're never too old to make people sick. (This is not a full recounting of all the films he has ever made, just the highlights.)
Now, you know you've succeeded in the world of 'trash cinema' when John Waters praises your work and likens it to pornography. Not only in the way that the beats are played out in the scenes, but with how it seems to have a build up to a climax of blood, guts and gore. Not unlike the infamous “money shot”. What Hershcell Gordon Lewis accomplished in his career, was not only creating a legion of fans frothing at the mouth, but he gained the respect of his peers and put a permanent plaque in the hallways of horror history. What is it about his films and the man himself, that made him such an icon? It was primarily due to his passion and drive, that bubbled over onto the screen. He was driven to create films that pushed the envelop of modern cinema and to do it with gusto. You can't manufacture that level of commitment. Not only that, but he was a very charismatic, well spoken and genuinely interesting guy to listen too. His personality jumped off the screen and made you want to hang out with him for a weekend in Peoria, IL. Not unlike John Waters or even Lloyd Kaufman, Herschell Gordon Lewis reveled in the dirty and filthy side of the movie business. They took what ugly and made it into art. Maybe that's a bold statement, considering the quality of film making that Herschell had. He was never a good film maker and I think he knew it, but what he lacked in technical skill, he made up for in showmanship. Almost like a PT Barnum of the macabre and gruesome.
My history with 'The Godfather of Gore' began while I was working at a local video store in Forest Park, IL. I was in the midst of immersing myself in every genre of film I could find. My days were filled with browsing the racks of video cassettes and DVD's, while reading any and every book I could get my hands on about the subject. My goal was to educate myself in film history, not unlike the way I educated myself in music history. Along my journey, I came across the name, Herschell Gordon Lewis. What I read about him, immediately peaked my interest. Here was a man who was making some of the most notorious and disgusting films of his time and possibly even of my lifetime. I couldn't believe what they were saying he was getting away with in the early 60's. I had to see it for my own eyes, to find out if the rumors were true. So I looked in our rental system and saw that we had several of his films on the racks. I then spent the next week, watching everything we had in stock. Half out of a desire to become well versed in his catalog and half out of shear inability to look away. It was like a train wreck of bright red paint and half rotted animal entrails. Everything that people said about his films was true. They were schlocky, poorly acted and not very good, in a technical way. But what they got right, was how important they were to my beloved genre of horror and how they should be required viewing for any hardcore horror hound. Once I'd finished my sickening journey through the mind of a marketing madman, I wasn't sure where to go next? There was nothing else out there that I'd seen that could ever outdo what Herschell Gordon Lewis did, in a time that he shouldn't have been able to do it. My tutoring was complete and anything else after that, would merely be an imitation. Since then, there have been a few remakes, that tried to capitalize on what Herschell made famous. The first that I saw was 'The Wizard of Gore', starring Crispin Glover and Kip Perdue. Honestly, I went into it with no expectations and wound up coming out of it feeling like I'd seen something that did the source material justice. Crispin Glover was brilliant casting, to play the wizard himself. The film got a bit muddled in places, but overall it was very entertaining. There was also the Robert Englund led remake of '2000 Maniacs' which was never truly as satisfying as the original, but somehow it spawned a sequel called '2001 Maniacs'. It was not good in any way, shape or form. It was merely a cash grab to try and squeeze more blood from a stone. Recently, there's rumors of a new version of 'Blood Feast', but only time will tell.
So what else can you say about a man who shaped the entire trajectory of modern horror cinema? Perhaps you think I'm overselling his importance to the genre, but I don't believe I am. Just think about what horror would look like, without the introduction of overly gory scenes of violence? Sure we'd have the Universal Monsters of the world, but when I go to a buffet, I plan to try a little bit of everything and to stuff myself to the point of feeling sick. Herschell Gordon Lewis not only laid out the whole bloody buffet, but he gave us a literal 'Blood Feast' fit for gorging ourselves on, until we burst. His films may not be to everyone's tastes, but you can't deny their place in our lascivious lexicon. I've never considered myself a gore hound. However, I will never shy away from a film that features vomit inducing sequences that make my gag reflex twitch. I want to experience all of what our beloved genre has to offer and Hershcell Gordon Lewis was a one of a kind auteur that we'll probably never see the likes of again. They say that there's nothing new under the sun, but they never said that about the darkness. Herschell Gordon Lewis proved that we hadn't seen anything yet.
Rest in pieces, Mr. Lewis. You'll never be forgotten. I hope that wherever you are now, you're making the afterlife a little more interesting and a lot more gory place.
If you want to witness Herschell Gordon Lewis in all his gory glory, check out his entire catalog:
2016 Herschell Gordon Lewis' BloodMania (post-production)
2009 The Uh-oh Show
2002 Blood Feast 2: All U Can Eat
1972 The Gore Gore Girls
1972 The Year of the Yahoo!
1971 This Stuff'll Kill Ya!
1971 Black Love (as R.L. Smith)
1970 The Wizard of Gore
1970 Miss Nymphet's Zap-In (as Sheldon Seymour)
1969 Linda and Abilene (as Mark Hansen)
1969 The Ecstasies of Women (as Mark Hansen)
1968 How to Make a Doll
1968 Just for the Hell of It
1968 The Alley Tramp (as Armand Parys)
1968 Suburban Roulette
1968 She-Devils on Wheels
1967 The Magic Land of Mother Goose
1967 Blast-Off Girls
1967 The Girl, the Body, and the Pill
1967 The Gruesome Twosome
1967 A Taste of Blood
1967 Something Weird
1966 Jimmy, the Boy Wonder
1965 Sin, Suffer and Repent (Documentary)
1965 Color Me Blood Red (as Herschell G. Lewis)
1965 Monster a-Go Go (uncredited)
1964 Moonshine Mountain
1964 Two Thousand Maniacs!
1963 Scum of the Earth (as Lewis H. Gordon)
1963 Bell, Bare and Beautiful (as Lewis H. Gordon)
1963 Goldilocks and the Three Bares (as Lewis H. Gordon)
1963 Blood Feast
1963 Boin-n-g (as Lewis H. Gordon)
1962 Nature's Playmates (as Lewis H. Gordon)
1962 Daughter of the Sun (as Lewis H. Gordon)
1961 The Adventures of Lucky Pierre (as Lewis H. Gordon)
1961 Living Venus
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