HAPPY B-DAY H.G. LEWIS!!!

Tonight is a VERY important night...

At the stroke of 12 o'clock midnight, it will become June 15th. Why is that such an important date? Why it's the Godfather of Gore's Birthday! The Mastermind behind such illustrious cinematic classics as 'Blood Feast', 'Two Thousand Maniacs!', 'Just For The Hell Of It', 'Wizard Of Gore', and numerous other mind-blowing slabs of celluloid entertainment will be celebrating his 78th(!) birthday.

Without Herschell Gordon Lewis and his amazing contributions to cinema in the 60's and 70's, films (horror and exploitation) would not have evolved in such an entertaining and mind-melting way. Imagine the shocked reactions of an unsuspecting 1963 audience to the amputation, heart removal, and tongue-ectomy lovingly depicted unblinkingly in a glorious up-close technicolor viewing of 'Blood Feast', at the local drive-in...




Movie-goers were never the same after their initial collision with Lewis's opening salvo 'Blood Feast', and it's grisly and demented counterpart 'Two Thousand Maniacs!' (yes I realize the clip below is not for Two Thousand Maniacs, YouTube was being very uncooperative and I can't very well rip video from DVD whilst at work)...




At this point on the Cosmic TimeLine, new genre of film was unleashed upon the blood thirsty populous of planet Earth. Prior to H.G.'s sanguine dabblings, he cut his teeth on early nudie films such as 'Goldilocks And The Three Bares' and the awesomely titled 'Boin-n-g'. Ever the Polymath, Mr. Lewis was also an instrumental forefather to the always-splendid 'Roughie' genre of exploitation film. His 'Scum Of The Earth' is an excellent example of this delicious film-type.

Not one to be content with repetition, the incomparable Mr. Lewis branched into other areas of cinematic entertainment during the late 1960's. Good ol' Herschell tackled such weighty topics as juvenile delinquency, birth control, and the sexual revolution. He also ventured into the netherWorld of psychic phenomena, women's motorcycle gangs, the music industry, hillbilly musicals, and even children's features.

Between 1960 and 1972, Mr. Lewis directed a staggering 35 films. Not only did he direct these films, he was also usually the man behind the camera AND the man responsible for the soundtrack. Between 1963 and 1968 H.G. directed a ridiculous 22 films! Not only is the man prolific, he is also an incredible showman, singlehandedly responsible for the promotion and marketing of his fantastic films. H.G. is quite the renaissance man- since his retirement from film in 1972, he has become one of the World's leaders in Direct Marketing. He currently has 20 books in print!


Not one the rest contentedly on endless stacks of cash, Mr. Lewis returned to the Director's Chair in 2002 with the long awaited follow-up to 'Blood Feast 2- All U Can Eat', the long awaited follow-up to his original classic...



I am sure everyone who reads this page (all three of you), have fallen under the incomparable cinemagic spell of H.G. Lewis. However, f you have yet to witness Mr. Lewis' particular brand of cinematic madness you really owe it to yourself to dive in to his vast and insane oeuvre. I would start out with 'Blood Feast' or '2000 Maniacs'. From there, advance to his late 60's/early 70's gore classics ('The Gruesome Twosome'...



'The Wizard Of Gore'...



'The Gore Gore Girls')...



After this you should be ready for his non-gore Masterpieces ('She-Devils On Wheels'...



'Just For The Hell Of It' (sorry, the only clip I could find on YouTube has some very unfunny MST3K as the audio accompaniment, and
'Something Weird')...




At this point you will be a better and cooler person....

So in honor of one of the Universe's Grandest Entertainers, Coolest Film-makers, Unparalleled Showman, and All-Around Guru- Celebrate! Color Your World Blood Red!Partake in Red Drink! Maim! Mutilate! and by all means, watch some of Herschell Gordon Lewis' one-of-a-kind, spectacularly entertaining, wigged-out, blood-dripping celluloid MasterWorks- Your Soul will Thank You!!!