To celebrate the appearance of one of the genre’s greatest names on The Calling Hours Horror Podcast next week (2/3 at 8 PM EST), I am going to remind the old school fans and educate the newer generation to the films of “The Godfather of Gore” Herschell Gordon Lewis, the innovator of the Gore film…

“Strippers at a sleazy club are being mutilated at an alarming rate. A pretty reporter enlists the aid of a debonair detective to solve the case and land her a front-page story. Soon, the two are wading through evidence against a vegetable-pulverizing freak, a creepy college student, and a group of angry feminists.”

1972 brought us what many thought was Lewis’ final jaunt into the genre he made famous with The Gore Gore Girls. A bit more sexually risque and callous with violence, the film at times comes across as a poke at the feminist movement and the chauvinistic tendencies of men during the 70’s. The film does have technical flaws (particularly in the audio department), but it leads to quirky charm and almost ambivalent nature (or lack thereof) of the characters. The film is certainly tongue in cheek (HA!), with copious amounts of nudity and gore. Faces are smashed into mirrors, irons burn flesh, one of the strippers has her buttocks bludgeoned with a meat tenderizer (with the addition of having salt and pepper poured into the wounds) as well as a host of other gratuitous nasty bits. The “fourth wall” is broken several times during the film by the lead character and helps to lend a comedic bent to the film. There are plenty of red herrings and while some may find the manner in which the killer (and WHO the killer is) to be hokey, I found that it actually made sense and was a satisfying conclusion to the film. As an interesting side note, when Lewis submitted the film to the MPAA, it was given an X rating. It would be another 30 years until Lewis graced our screens again…

Directed: Herschell Gordon Lewis

Produced: Herschell Gordon Lewis

Written: Alan J. Dachman

Starring: Frank Kress, Amy Farrell, Hedda Lubin, Henny Youngman

Music: Herschell Gordon Lewis (as Sheldon Seymour)

Cinematography: Alex Ameri

Edited: Alex Ameri (as Eskandar Ameripoor)

Production Company: Lewis Motion Picture Enterprises

Blu-Ray and DVD Editions

The Herschell Gordon Lewis Collection from Image Ent (2004)

The Wizard Of Gore/ The Gore Gore Girls Double Feature from Image Ent (2012)

The Gore Gore Girls: Special Edition from Image Ent (2000)