Namn: Herschell Gordon Lewis
Födelsedatum: 15 Juni 1926
Födelseord: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Känd för:
- Blood Feast
- 2000 Maniacs
- The Gruesome Twosome
- The Gore Gore Girls
Herschell Gordon Lewis även kallad ”The Godfather Of Gore” är förmodligen en av de viktigaste personerna när det kommer till skräckfilm. Hershell gjorde filmer som inte ens skulle bli accepterade idag, extrma våldsscener, blod och sex, ni som sett någon av Hershells filmer vet vad jag pratar om. Wicked Splatter har fått nöjet att ställa några frågor till Hershell. Hershell är känd för att ha producerat b.la 2000 Maniacs, Blood Feast, Wizard Of Gore och även The Gore Gore Girls.
Wicked Splatter: Are you working on anything special right now?, Can you tell our readers anything about Win, Lose or Die?
Herschell: We’re supposed to shoot that film next month. It’s a script I’ve written, and I’m to direct it, but as I send this message I’m having a problem getting a firm starting date from the producer.
Wicked Splatter: Can you tell us a little but about the script for Win, Lose or Die?
Herschell: My preferred title is “Grim Fairy Tales”. The producer and I are in serious discussions about this. Plotline: A television program is titled “Truth … or uh-oh!” If the contestant answers correctly, he or she wins prizes worth many millions of dollars. But if the answer is wrong, “Uh-oh!” Off comes a limb. Eventually the evil programmer is caught in his own web.
Wicked Splatter: What did you think about the movie ”Blood Diner” that is almost an exact copy of the Blood Feast movies?
Herschell: I never have seen that movie, which as I understand it was made by someone named Jackie Kong. Jim Maslon, who now owns “Blood Feast,” told me years ago that this was supposed to have been “Blood Feast 2” but Jackie Kong had other ideas. I really know nothing about what it is or what is in it.
Wicked Splatter: What production are most proud of?
Herschell: My favorite always has been “2000 Maniacs!” … and even after making “Blood Feast 2” that pride still exists.
Wicked Splatter: You wrote ”My favorite always has been “2000 Maniacs!” can you explain why you choose 2000 Maniacs as your favourite movie?, Why is this so special?
Herschell: This film quickly followed our no-budget winner, “Blood Feast”. To me, it’s the movie that legitimized this type of film. The acting is light-years better than “Blood Feast”; but beyond that, it was my script, my music, and even my job as cameraman and lighting director. So I take a paternal view of this one.
Wicked Splatter: According to IMDB.com you started to do Drama movies and that your first horror movie was Blood Feast. Why did you go from Drama to extreme gore?
Herschell: The movie business is a business, and those who ignore the business aspects and treat it as a pure art form or an extension of their egos have a problem. I found no enthusiasm among exhibitors for dramatic films that had less production value than the major companies could deliver. With gore, I established and “owned” an entire new species.
Wicked Splatter: You have probably made movies in all the possible genres, everything from drama to musicals and funny gore movies, what do you like to do most?
Herschell: I enjoy the challenge of moviemaking, regardless of the genre. The marriage of creative and technical is exhilarating.
Wicked Splatter: How was the reaction when your movies was released back in the 70ies? Did they laugh at it or were they shocked?
Herschell: I was regarded as an outlaw. Only when theatres began reporting the boxoffice results … and others began imitating the techniques … did legitimacy begin to appear. Then, as now, younger audiences understood the sardonic humor and laughed where they were supposed to laugh. Older folks were (and still are) less appreciative.
Wicked Splatter: Did you have any trouble with the MPAA?
Herschell: In my opinion any independent producer who operates outside the Hollywood system has trouble with the MPAA. In short order, I quit submitting films for ratings. Jacky Morgan, who produced “Blood Feast 2,” released the movie in two versions – an “R”-rated version designed for mass-market video stores and an unrated version for everyone else. I see no value whatever in the “R”-rated version. Again as an opinion, if a major company had made that movie, it would have had an “R” rating with no cuts.
Wicked Splatter: What motivates you to do gore movies?
Herschell: Gore movies are where my reputation lies. If someone wants me to direct a more conventional film, I positively am available.
Wicked Splatter: What other directors do you admire and get influenced by?
Herschell: That is an impossible question, and I’ll tell you why: I know of no director of renown whose successful product is the result of a low budget. On a more exalted plane, Peter Jackson did a remarkable juggling job with the overblown “Lord of the Rings” … and despite an apparent lack of a sense of humor, Martin Scorsese is highly talented.
Wicked Splatter: What do you want to be remembered by?
Herschell: I have no illusions about my position in motion picture history. It certainly is satisfying to be regarded as “The Godfather of gore.” I would be more gratified is I could have a budget that would enable me to combine gore, humor, realistic effects, and adequate acting talent. That may be an impossible dream.
Wicked Splatter: Can you see that your movie making has been as an influence for other horror movies today?
Herschell: That question is one others should answer. I’ve been told many times that today’s horror films are the natural descendants of “Blood Feast” … but no director should be the one to claim the role of influencing others. That is theirs to say.
Wicked Splatter: Final question, is there something you want to say to our Swedish readers?
Herschell: Yes! I love you and your country. Invite me back.
FILMOGRAFI
| Blood Feast 2: All U Can Eat The Blood Trilogy Outtakes The Gore Gore Girls Black Love Year of the Yahoo! This Stuff’ll Kill Ya! The Wizard of Gore Miss Nymphet’s Zap-In Linda and Abilene The Ecstasies of Women How to Make a Doll Just for the Hell of It Suburban Roulette Alley Tramp She-Devils on Wheels The Magic Land of Mother Goose Blast-Off Girls The Girl, the Body, and the Pill Something Weird The Gruesome Twosome A Taste of Blood Jimmy, the Boy Wonder Sin, Suffer and Repent Color Me Blood Red Monster a-Go Go Moonshine Mountain Two Thousand Maniacs! Scum of the Earth Bell, Bare and Beautiful Goldilocks and the Three Bares Blood Feast Boin-n-g Nature’s Playmates Daughter of the Sun The Adventures of Lucky Pierre Living Venus The Prime Time |
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