Herschel Gordon Lewis in '60s Horror and Sci-Fi Forum

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Herschel Gordon Lewis

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Red Gargon	Re: Herschel Gordon Lewis	#21	[-]
Oct 26 06 9:26 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Lewis really impresses in the fun commentaries on these. He's resolutely unapologetic about these movies, but also under no delusions of cinematic grandeur either! He's a really intelligent, articulate guy, which you'd hardly guess from seeing something like THE MAGIC LAND OF MOTHER GOOSE. Another picture of his I like is SOMETHING WEIRD.
thehorrorboy	Re: Herschel Gordon Lewis	#22	[-]
Oct 26 06 12:37 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	At the risk of sounding very repressed and sanctimonious, the fact that Lewis is a very intelligent man makes his output all the more repulsive to me.
gugon	Re: Herschel Gordon Lewis	#23	[-]
Oct 26 06 2:19 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I found it interesting when I learned that, since retiring from the film industry, Lewis has built a small empire in the business of direct marketing. In addition to having written many books on sales, direct marketing and advertising in general, he is a successful advertising consultant and ad copy writer. What's amusing is that his marketing website contains a page devoted to his film career. Makes you wonder - what is a small business entrepreneur to think when, while researching marketing strategies, he stumbles into THIS. http://www.necromerica.blogspot.com
thehorrorboy	Re: Herschel Gordon Lewis	#24	[-]
Oct 26 06 3:07 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	His website reinforces my opinion of his intellectual prowess. But the films that he's turned out... why would he mention such trash on his website?
oldmanster	Re: Herschel Gordon Lewis	#25	[-]
Oct 26 06 4:16 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Why would anybody market _anything_ on the web? To make more money. Lewis appears to be a very astute businessman. I would guess (though I don't know) that most of his gore films turned a profit. I'm not a fan of his stuff, either, but I admire his perseverance. ... Reed
brianalbright	Herschel Gordon Lewis	#26	[-]
Oct 26 06 7:29 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I used to work at a business magazine publishing company. We got a lot of junk mail for trade shows, marketing seminars, blah, blah, blah. One day I opened my mail and saw a packet for an upcoming direct marketing seminar somewhere in the midwest. I was about to toss it when I noticed that it was being hosted by . . . Herschell Gordon Lewis. I didn't get to go, but I believe I have the junk mail he sent me stashed around here somewhere.
Squashpants	It's Time Again To Resurrect Older Threads	#27	[-]
Apr 3 11 11:07 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Everybody knows about (and a few celebrate) Lewis' gory films, but a very small number even note his kiddie films. I have only seen one of them: "Jimmy, The Boy Wonder". It is totally cool in that "wink wink, nudge nudge" sort of way, where it certainly seems pitched to the youngsters, but there is a fairly obvious adult undertone to the proceedings. David Blight, Jr. plays the evil (goofy) Mr. Fig, and he screams pedophile in the scenes where he engages Jimmy. The hero(ine) of this (Aurora) is a 30-ish Jewish lady who looks like nothing so much as a pillowy-buxom Cathy Bates, and she is probably the best of the actors, and that isn't saying much. The songs are pretty silly, as you would expect from a kiddie show, but they actually grow on you if you give them a chance. H G pads out the feature with a 20-minute cartoon of obvious European origin that he has dubbed in a totally slipshod manner. The highlight of this interlude is a witch with a yam for a nose who when she laughs sounds like she has advanced throat cancer. You get dialog that surely went over the head of most kids who saw the movie: Captured by the green-skinned Tic-A-Tac-A-Tawny Indians, Jimmy is threatened by the itinerant medicine man who warns him (in a Brooklyn accent), "Don't call for anyone else, Boy. I need a scapegoat." Then there's just plain goofy: the evil Mr. Fig, pitifully disguised as a tree, whines at Aurora and Jimmy, "What's wrong with you folks? How often does a tree offer you a hot dog?!". I found this pic a lot more interesting than Lewis' bloody trilogy, so much so, that I pull it out fairly frequently to have a look at it again. Want something really different that will have your jaw dropping? Get ahold of the DVD for "Jimmy, The Boy Wonder". By the way, the kid playing Jimmy is astonishingly bad. Cheers "Men, there's a drive-in movie full of juicy people! Wow! " - PIC Mosquito Coil Ad
Rick		#28	[-]
May 15 12 5:24 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I'm bumping this because I don't really want to start a thread on Lewis's A TASTE OF BLOOD. Not only is it a dreadful movie, it also has the bad taste to be 2 hours long! I saw it ages ago at the drive-in, followed by TEENAGE STRANGLER. Might just be the worst double feature I ever saw. Anyway, I stumbled across this still in my files today and thought I should share.
ghoulkid		#29	[-]
May 16 12 5:44 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Rick,geat pic. Lousy movie. IMO,it's actually quite boring,which most of his movies are not. Yes,they're bad,but he was very creative with what little he had.He reminds me a little of Roger Corman in that respect. But just a little. But this movie was his biggest budget and he just failed to entertain like he did with his other movies. I've tried to watch this movie a few times and fell asleep everytime,which I've never done with his other movies.
Rick		#30	[-]
May 16 12 8:36 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	It is terminally boring. I've always thought the reason it was so dull and so so so long was that Lewis thought he was onto something. He thought this was gonna be his masterpiece. He thought it was actually gonna be ... good. Hard to believe, considering how lousy it truly is, but that's my theory. I don't remember ever reading that from Lewis's own mouth, but it's the only way I've ever figured why it would be so un-Herschel-ish and so godawful looooong.
ghoulkid		#31	[-]
May 17 12 8:13 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Rick,you're absolutely right. In his biography GODFATHER OF GORE,he stated that this was going to be his "big picture". He still states that it's his favorite. He actually called it his "Gore With The Wind". He de-emphasized the gore cause he believed that the idea of Dracula didn't lend itself to it. But gore is what HGL is all about. It should be noted this movie never made a dime,according to him in the book. And,it actually played the matinees at the Jerry Lewis cinemas,heavily edited,before the theater chain went under. Someday,I'll pull it out for the third time and give it another shot,or not. But 3 strikes and you're out.
Rick		#32	[-]
May 17 12 1:35 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Thanks, kid. You remind me that I've never read Lewis's biography and I really should.
IMSWM		#33	[-]
May 17 12 5:13 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Enjoy most Lewis movies, but have labeled Wizard Of Gore "Wizard Of Bore." Not to be real cute, but just because that was one that didn't click with me despite its rep. He does seem rather hit-or-miss, but the ones I personally really enjoy--e.g. Blood Feast, 2000 Maniacs, Gore Gore Girls--are a lot of fun, which I'm under the impression was the whole idea, considering how deliberately over-the-top they are. Must add this, though: The 2000 Maniacs theme song is one of the catchiest among all horror films of that period! /\ /\/\ \ \ / \ / \/\/ \ visit www.ManorOnMovies.com A new concept in new concepts
ghoulkid		#34	[-]
May 18 12 8:14 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	IMSWM,Herscell himself wrote that song. It was performed by a local group in Orlando called The Pleasant Valley Boys,who are actually shown during the credits. I think I'll look them up on You-tube later. Probably not,but you never know. HGL's movies are unique and a lot of fun. It's impossible to take his primitive gore seriously. Something goofy always happens in his movies at least once it seems. One of my favorite scenes is that of a guy being attacked by a haunted bedsheet in Something Weird. Or the chocolate milk scene in Gore Gore Girls. But then again that movie's filled with a lot of them. I'm not sure if it was HGL's intent to deliberately be over the top, but to work within his miniscule budget and his movies just come out looking that way. Acting certainly didn't help. Connie Mason was a lousy actress. She was a better playmate I guess. But from all indications,he certainly didn't take his movies too seriously either. He just wanted to make movies. He found a niche and went with it.
Spoiler II		#35	[-]
May 19 12 12:32 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	MO: Did you consider yourself an artist? HGL: Certainly not. Good heavens. That would be the height of arrogance and stupidity. Art is not a factor. I really have some compassion but also a good deal of contempt for people who make this kind of movie and regard themselves as artists. Art is really not even a secondary factor, it’s a tertiary factor. Showmanship, now that’s a different story.
Rider		#36	[-]
May 19 12 8:07 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Funny this should get bumped now. They found some of his early lost sexploitation films. There is a kickstarter to help restore and release them: http://www.kickstarter.co...lewis-restorati?ref=live Last Edited By: Rider May 19 12 10:14 PM. Edited 1 times.
DonM435		#37	[-]
May 20 12 5:42 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I recall an interview in which H.G. Lewis said "Blood Feast is like a Walt Whitman poem: it's no good, but it's the first of its kind."

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Herschel Gordon Lewis