Godfather of Gore Herschell Gordon Lewis has died
Horror director Herschell Gordon Lewis has died.
According to Something Weird Video, the 87-year-old filmmaker, considered to be the creator of the ‘splatter’ horror sub-genre, has passed away.
“Very sad news. We’re sad to report that Herschell Gordon Lewis has passed away,” they said. “Herschell was a dear friend and colleague of ours and will be missed very much. Our deepest sympathies to his wife Margot and his family. RIP to the Godfather of Gore…”
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Of course, Herschell Gordon Lewis became renowned for ‘Blood Feast’ - the first ‘gore’ film which told the story of a psychopathic caterer who kills women so that he can include their body parts in his meals… performing sacrifices to his ‘Egyptian goddess’, Ishtar.
Released in 1963, the film was billed as a “totally inept shocker” by Variety, that was “an insult even to the most puerile and salacious of audiences,” with a “senseless” screenplay and “amateurish” acting.
But that didn’t put a stop to Lewis’s filmmaking.
He went on to create such inventive titles as ‘A Taste of Blood’, ‘The Wizard of Gore’, ‘The Gruesome Twosome’, ‘Scum of the Earth!’ and ‘She-Devils on Wheels’… and after a hiatus since 1972, he returned in 2002 with the sequel, ‘Blood Feast 2: All U Can Eat’.
Of course, Lewis’s earlier films were more in the genre of soft-core erotica, with nudie-cuties such as ‘The Adventures of Lucky Pierre’ and ‘Goldilocks and the Three Bares’.
Still, it’s his grindhouse classics that proved to be the most memorable… and Herschell Gordon Lewis will be fondly remembered as the Godfather of Gore.
Herschell Gordon Lewis died 26 September 2016, aged 87.
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Picture Credit: Box Office Spectaculars, Imagination Worldwide
