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dr-j01
Reviews
The Gore Gore Girls (1972)
Maybe not for everyone, but a hell of a show!
Aside from the familiar cinematographic style and manditory gore, this film exceeds the sophistication of any of Herschell Gordon Lewis's previous films by leaps and bounds. The gore effects are sicker and more unnecessarily blatant than ever, and are quite convincing even by today's special effects standards (how many contemporary horror films have the villain squeezing the contents of a REAL eyeball until the juice squirts in all directions, just for show?). Many of my friends, who have seen all of the Faces of Death videos without a flinch, cannot keep from turning away from the extreme sickness of some of these sequences. The acting is at least on par with that of more acclaimed films of the time such as Shaft of French Connection; in particular, Frank Kress, though perhaps not the most photogenic actor, delivers an impressively competent and smooth performance as Abraham Gentry, the all-knowing hero. The soundtrack, written by Herschell, is effectively sleazy in an upbeat way, with the eerily out-of-tune guitar and sax reminiscent of Arch Hall Jr.'s music. And it is this juxtaposition of lighthearted music, comedy ranging from subtle to beyond-toilet-humor, and extreme gore that make Gore-Gore Girls so mind-blowing. And Henny Youngmann's appearance in the film is the best $500 HG could have spent; it takes this opus over the top. Also, as a visual arts student, I especially appreciate the entrancing aesthetic value of the title cards (I know, what does that have to do with anything? But it's my favorite part of the movie.
The Wizard of Gore (1970)
Hands down, the most underappreciated film ever!!!
It is all too unfair and unfortunate that some viewers try to compare a singularly unique piece of DIY cinematic art such as Wizard of Gore by today's Hollywood standards. One needs to merely take the relatively low production values at face value to see that Herschell Gordon Lewis's magnum opus displays pure, fundamental genius and logic on a multitude of levels. The sheer sickness of some of the gore scenes has turned the stomachs of many whom I've shown this film to even today, despite how obviously they were executed for the camera. I personally find the often inept acting entertaining, but again, it is unfair to judge this (or any of Hersch's) films by the caliber of thespianism; the cast did not just finish a run at the Steppenwolf; many were just ordinary folk recruited for the exciting opportunity to appear in a feature film. But it is Lewis's sheer ingenuity that tops this underappreciated classic. Cutting budget corners by filming on-locations around Chicago such as local TV stations, restaurants, and a grade-school auditorium (where Montag's gory stage act takes place!!!) produce a documentarian time-capsule that Hollywood couldn't come close to replicating with a $30,000,000 budget. In addition to directing Wizard of Gore, Herschell also basically wrote the script which recieves almost universal acclaim even from the film's harshest critics. Oh, and did I mention the rather sophisticated freak-jazz soundtrack, also by Herschell. Bottom line: if your uppity, narrow-minded, and only amused by Hollywood flash, don't bother seeing this movie. If you can appreciate do-it-yourself cinematic craft at its finest, SEE THIS MOVIE NOW!!!!