Fantasia 2010: Frank Henenlotter & Jimmy Maslon’s Herschell Gordon Lewis – The Godfather of Gore

Old-school genre fans have been waiting for this one for a long time. Now, almost fifty years after Herschell Gordon Lewis ushered in the dawn of a new era in horror films, the wait is finally over and the fans will not be disappointed. Herschell Gordon Lewis – The Godfather of Gore is a loving tribute to a gentleman who single-handedly – and more or less by accident – changed the face of horror films.

The documentary begins with a lenghty recounting of Lewis’ beginnings in the film industry when he, along with producing partner David Friedman, thought it would be easy money to make ‘nudie cutie’ pictures – actors and actresses in various states of undress performing mundane (housework, dancing) and not so mundane (riding a turtle!) tasks. Growing tired of the scene but still wanting to make films that would put butts in theater seats, Lewis and Friedman made 1963’s Blood Feast and more or less invented the gore film on a whim. Throughout the 1960s and early 70s, Herschell Gordon Lewis made plenty of low budget gore films that were not quite critically-acclaimed but that became cult favorites of fans of 42nd Street grindhouse and exploitation cinema.

Featuring interviews with many of the cast and crew and practically narrated by Lewis himself, the documentary is like a time capsule, with in-depth looks at the making of many of his films, including Blood Feast, 2000 Maniacs, and The Wizard of Gore. Friends and fans also chime in, with the likes of filmmaker John Waters and writer and film critic Joe Bob Briggs regaling us with personal anecdotes about their love of Lewis’ ouevre. Perhaps the jewel of the film is the inclusion of loads of never before seen on-set footage and outtakes that are sure to delight the purists. Co-directed by cult favorite Frank Henenlotter (Basket Case, Bad Biology) and Jimmy Maslon (producer of Blood Feast 2) and produced by Something Weird Video founder Mike Vraney, it’s painfully obvious that the documentary will not win very many awards, but that isn’t really the point, now, is it?

At the film’s world premiere at Fantasia, Lewis, Henenlotter, Maslon, and Vraney were all present and presided over a Q&A that was as fun as it was informative; Lewis even sang four verses of ‘The South’s Gonna Rise Again’, the theme song from 2000 Maniacs. It’s strange to call Herschell Gordon Lewis ‘the godfather of gore’, simply because it’s hard to believe that such a genuinely likable guy could have come up with some of the sickest and bloodiest cinema that anyone had ever seen. He even took time to sign autographs and pose for pictures with fans (yes, that’s yours truly pictured with Lewis above, who said it made his day when I asked him to sign an autograph as Armand Parys, a pseudonym he used on some of his films…but I digress). Herschell Gordon Lewis – The Godfather of Gore, as a document of how the horror film was born, is a very significant film in regards to horror history. That it’s also a portrait of a very nice guy who just wanted to make money by giving the people what they wanted makes it all the more special.