The Gore Gore Girls (1972)

I cannot recall the last Herschell Gordon Lewis movie that I watched, but I know it has been a while. I have only seen a few films from the “godfather of gore”, despite having the huge boxset from Arrow Video that I had to make time to order while on holiday in Croatia, but each one has been an experience, in one way or another. The Gore Gore Girls can now be marked off the list, and was certainly . . . an experience.

Amy Farrell plays Nancy Weston, a journalist who is given permission to hire the skilled Abraham Gentry (Frank Kress). A number of go-go girls have been viciously murdered and Gentry could well be the private eye to crack the case. He’s a modern day Sherlock Holmes, with a lot more sexism and unnecessary sneering. As these two try to narrow down a list of suspects, the murderer keeps murdering, which allows Lewis to showcase some of his typically excessive gore moments.

As surprising as it may seem, there were a couple of moments in this film that actually turned my stomach. Lewis may have been working with fairly amateur actors, and he may rarely have managed to acquire a budget larger than my own measly amount of savings, but he could always enhance his gore gags with squelchy sound effects and an unnerving camera that stays focused on the ruination and disfigurement of faces and body parts. It doesn’t always work, but when it does . . . ooft.

The script by Alan J. Dachman (his only film work, as far as I can see) isn’t good, and falls apart spectacularly in a finale that feels as rushed as it is underwhelming. The character of Gentry is almost constantly irritating, and there’s absolutely no chemistry created between the two leads. The only highlights are the gory kills, but they are good enough to at least particularly make up for the failings elsewhere. And people do watch these movies for the gory kills.

Farrell and Kress are, well, they are in line with almost every actor that Lewis has placed in a leading role. Which is a nice way of saying that they’re certainly not up there with the greats. Hedda Lubin has fun as a catty bar waitress named Marlene though, and there’s a small role for Henny Youngman that at least adds one vaguely familiar face (at the time) to the cast.

To try to say any more about this film would be redundant. It isn’t good, not when you judge it by the criteria used to critique standard movies, but it’s one for fans of Herschell Gordon Lewis. And that is about the best you can hope for from a Herschell Gordon Lewis movie.

5/10

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The Gruesome Twosome (1967)

Note - second time writing this review.

Herschell Gordon Lewis has his fans. I am one of them. To a degree. His approach is definitely not one to appreciate in the company of people unused to his style, but he does what he does well. And what he does well is use very limited resources to showcase some imaginatively nasty bloodshed and mutilation.

Here we have a tale of death and scalping, introduced by two shop dummies (in voiceover, thankfully not animated). Old Mrs Pringle (Elizabeth Davis) sometimes provides a room to rent for the girls at the local university. And this brings Kathy Baker (Gretchen Wells) into her home. She also has her dangerous son, Rodney (Chris Martell), living with her. Mrs. Pringle has a reputation for providing some of the best wigs in the area. But it turns out that they are the best because Rodney helps.

Written by Louise Downe, this is a mix of preposterous fun and very nasty grue, with a lot of dull dialogue filling out the rest of the runtime. So pretty much on a par with every other Herschell Gordon Lewis movie. Having said that, the man knows what his fans want from him, and he provides. This may be a lesser film from him, but it is certainly not one of his very worst. Dare I suggest it could be another that would benefit from a remake? I dare, I dare.

Davis is okay as the deadly old lady, and Wells is a pleasant enough lead, and Martell has to grin and leer in scenes that show him either being sweet or being in full killer mode. If you have seen any other Lewis movie then you will know what to expect from the actors.

It's very hard not to at least admire any Lewis movie, even if only for the fact that he got it made. Everything else may be lacking, but the practical effects were always done enthusiastically enough to keep viewers distracted while they were the focus.

It's no Blood Feast or Two Thousand Maniacs! but few films are, for better or for worse.

5/10
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Shudder Saturday: The Wizard Of Gore (1970)

 Ah, Herschell Gordon Lewis. He’s arguably THE most beloved director in the history of low-budget schlock horror. From Blood Feast to Two Thousand Maniacs! and beyond, his films provide wonderfully over the top gore and bloodshed in between moments that are, let’s not sugar-coat things here, often full of poor acting and risible dialogue. He knew what kind of movies he wanted to make and his fans knew what they would get from them.

The Wizard Of Gore is absolutely in line with many of his other outings. It’s a wonderful idea that is hampered by the many limitations, yet the gore gags are fun, and that’s the main draw.

Ray Sager plays Montag The Magnificent, an astonishing magician who specialises in tricks that put his volunteers through extreme acts of mutilation. Unfortunately, the volunteers then leave the show and end up dying in grisly ways that replicate the trick they have just survived. A local talk show hostess, Sherry Carson (Judy Cler), wants to get Montag on her show. That might not end well.

Let's start with the obvious bad stuff on display here. Sager just isn't very good in the main role. Lacking any major talent or charisma, it damages the film to have him unable to make Montag The Magnificent the memorable character that he should have been. Cler does a bit better, as does Wayne Ratay (portraying Jack, her boyfriend and reporter). This isn't down to their acting chops, but more to do with the fact that they're playing people who aren't supposed to be captivating a large crowd. The same can be said of Phil Laurenson (playing Greg, Jack's colleague) and the very limited selection of supporting actors.

The script, by Allen Kahn, is poor, although it is far from the worst that Lewis has worked with. The strength of the central idea lifts everything up slightly, but your overall enjoyment will depend on a) your goodwill towards Lewis and b) your ability to laugh at a lot of the dialogue.

It also builds to a very silly ending, but that is as much a plus as it is a minus. It's SO ridiculous, on a par with the kind of story ending a child might come up with when they are bored and wanting to make a twist ending that wraps it all up, that it should also make you shake your head and smile as the end credits roll.

Lewis directs with his usual skill (feel free to read that as earnestly or sarcastically as your opinion of the man wishes it to seem), and the gory set-pieces make up for the rough finish and the pacing issues; the film runs for 95 minutes when it would have been better at about 65-75 minutes. The sense of gleeful devilry running throughout also helps immensely, and if you disagree then I urge you to check out the 2007 remake, with a typically wonderful Crispin Glover in the main role, that perfectly illustrates how being more polished and more technically competent doesn't necessarily make something more fun.

If you're new to the work of Lewis then I suggest starting with one of the two titles mentioned in the first paragraph. If you've seen those, however, and are ready to continue exploring the rest of his filmography then The Wizard Of Gore is one certainly worth checking out. Just be willing to overlook or embrace the flaws (a general rule of thumb for every Lewis film).

6/10

This is obviously the best way to buy the movie.
Americans can get the same set here.

Smash Cut (2009)

As Smash Cut played out I knew that I should be rolling my eyes and grimacing at the mix of awful comedy and ridiculous gore I was watching. I knew that, I really did. But I enjoyed myself. The film wasn't good, by conventional standards, but it featured some familiar faces being silly and appearing to enjoy themselves and that was infectious. Of course, many other things are infectious that people don't want passed on to them so I'll forgive you if you decide to avoid this one.

David Hess plays a director who has had enough. He's often shafted by money men, he can never get onscreen what he actually envisions in his mind, audiences laugh at the end results and the critics have a field day as they shred his reputation. When he accidentally kills a young woman (Jennilee Murray) he realises what he needs to make his masterpiece. Real blood and gore. Real death. Reel death. But as he tries to get his film finished he is being watched by an undercover reporter (Sasha Grey) and a private detective (Jesse Buck).

An overt homage to the films of Herschell Gordon Lewis (the man himself has a cameo role and is the source of some choice quotes at the very beginning of the film), this is a cheap and cheerful slice of splattery madness. The script by Ian Driscoll isn't great, by any means, but it does have some amusing lines and references for fans of Lewis. The direction by Lee Demarbre is pretty slapdash, which is, of course, in line with the essence of the whole enterprise.

Hess goes over the top whenever he gets the chance, which is in almost every scene, poor Michael Berryman appears in a few scenes with a wig so horrendous that I started to suspect it may actually be an escaped Tribble and Mr. H. G. Lewis is really the only one of the big horror names to survive his limited screentime with dignity intact. Sasha Grey isn't terrible, but that may be more down to the fact that I've been, ummmmm, a fan of her work for some time as opposed to her acting skills. Jesse Buck basically gets to lark around for the entire movie, and he does okay. I guess. There are other actors, but none giving performances worth highlighting.

If you like the movies being homaged then you should get some pleasure from Smash Cut. If you don't, I encourage you to choose something - anything - else.

5/10

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