THE WIZARD OF GORE /THE GORE GORE GIRLS Double Feature

THE WIZARD OF GORE (1970)
Directed by Herschell Gordon Lewis
Written by Allen Kahn
THE GORE GORE GIRLS (1972)
Directed by Herschell Gordon Lewis
Written by Alan J. Dachman

New this week on DVD/BluRay is a pair of Herschell Gordon Lewis’ classics. As a kid, I remember going through the horror section of my local video store, watching every horror film I could get my little hands on. BLOOD FEAST was one of them I remember distinctly because of the over-the-top gore. Unfortunately, these two H.G. Lewis classics were not on the shelf and honestly, this is the first time I had a chance to see them. Out of both films, THE WIZARD OF GORE wins hands down as the better one, but both feature what has come to be Lewis’ signature: gals and gore and both do it well.

THE WIZARD OF GORE plays perfectly into Lewis’ penchant for theatrics. The spectacle of the ritual is evident in his earlier films, but here, Lewis’ monster is literally performing on stage–when Montag the Magnificent calls an audience member on stage to perform in his magic show, the person rarely makes it back to their seat. Touching upon everything from aspects of the Grand Guignol to Vegas show hypnosis to talk show television, Lewis explores the world of spectacle pretty superbly as the spectator becomes part of the experience and the lines between reality and stage theatrics blur.

Of course, as with many of Lewis’ films, the cast Lewis gets never seem to live up the his story. Acting-wise, THE WIZARD OF GORE is pretty bad with people seemingly reading lines in between snores.

What THE WIZARD OF GORE does do well is the gore. Much of the bright red stuff flows freely in this film. Bodies are dissected, bisected, picked and pulled apart and defiled in numerous ways that serve as a disgusting echo of classic magic tricks. Lewis’ focus on this gore is unflinching as Montag takes apart one victim after another in gory fashion.

Like THE WIZARD OF GORE, THE GORE GORE GIRLS is filled with stomach-churning segments of bodily harm and decimation. Again, Lewis shows his interest in the ugliness of the human spectacle as he tells the story of a series of murders, all of the victims go-go dancers, and a detective who is dedicated to finding out who and why.

Again, thematically, the story is strong, but man, is this film a tough pill to swallow. The acting is the pits and the writing is ham-fisted with numerous characters having to explain their motives and motivation in lengthy discourse. Even after the crime is solved and the murderer is unmasked, the detective has to overexplain again the reasoning behind it all.

Still, there are moments of goodness to be had with THE GORE GORE GIRLS. Henny Youngman makes an appearance, again most likely highlighting Lewis’ spectacle theme by focusing on a standup comic. Youngman being quite popular at the time, this was probably a big draw. The death of the murderer who falls from a two-story window and then is run over by a passing car is hilarious and almost ends the film on a redeeming note, if not for the forced explanation towards the end.

If you’re looking for over the top gore and lots of it, this double feature is going to satiate that gore jones. But beware: though thematically sound, this is rough stuff to sit through as the acting and clumsy writing are bound to put off some. By far not my two most favorite of Lewis’ gore films, but still, this double feature is a must have for gore fiends.