criterionforum.org

In 1963, director Herschell Gordon Lewis pulled a cow's tongue out of an actress' mouth on camera, and in doing so, changed the landscape of horror cinema forever. That sequence was just one of numerous gruesome gags featured in Blood Feast, the film credited as being the world's first gore movie. It's no exaggeration to say that the modern gross-out movies of today owe their very existence to the pioneering efforts of H.G. Lewis.

But whilst Lewis is most widely celebrated for his blood-and-guts epics (Two Thousand Maniacs!, The Wizard of Gore et al.), there's more to the prolific director than mere splatter. The filmography of H.G. Lewis reads like a veritable wish-list of exploitation movie madness: tales of sordid photographers (Scum of the Earth), sex robots (How to Make a Doll), biker girl-gangs (She-Devils on Wheels), youths-run-amok (Just for the Hell of It), psychic witches (Something Weird) and hard liquor-loving hillbillies (Moonshine Mountain).

Now, for the first time ever, Arrow Video is proud to present fourteen of the Godfather of Gore's most essential films (including nine Blu-ray world debuts), collected together at last and packed full of eye-popping bonus content. So put your feet up, pour yourself a glass of good ol' moonshine, and prepare yourself for a feast – H.G. Lewis style!

LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS:

• Fourteen of the Godfather of Gore's finest attractions, newly restored from original and best surviving vault materials
• High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentation of the features and extras on 7 Blu-ray and 7 DVD discs
• Additional 2 bonus Blu-rays featuring 1.33:1 versions of Blood Feast, Scum of the Earth, Color Me Blood Red, A Taste of Blood and The Wizard of Gore
• Additional bonus DVD: Herschell Gordon Lewis: The Godfather of Gore documentary
• 32-page H.G. Lewis "annual" stuffed full with Lewis-themed activities plus archive promotional material
• Fully-illustrated 92-page art book featuring the definitive overview of the entire career of H.G. Lewis written by Stephen Thrower [Shock and Gore edition exclusive]
• 160-page paperback of the original Blood Feast novelization, written by Lewis [Shock and Gore edition exclusive]
• 7" vinyl single featuring select tracks from the Blood Feast score [Shock and Gore edition exclusive]
• 14 postcards featuring original artwork for all the films included [Shock and Gore edition exclusive]
• Individually handmade "super gory" eyeball [Shock and Gore edition exclusive]
• Shock and Gore commemorative barf bag [Shock and Gore edition exclusive]
• Newly illustrated packaging and books by The Twins of Evil [Shock and Gore edition exclusive]

BLOOD FEAST (1963) + SCUM OF THE EARTH (1963)

• Brand new introduction to the films by director Herschell Gordon Lewis
• Audio Commentary on Blood Feast with Lewis and producer David F. Friedman
• Audio Commentary on Scum of the Earth by Friedman
• Blood Feast Outtakes
• Blood Perceptions – filmmakers Nicholas McCarthy (The Pact) and Rodney Ascher (Room 237) offer their insight on Blood Feast and the importance of Herschell Gordon Lewis
• Herschell's History – archival interview in which Lewis discusses his entry into the film industry including Scum of the Earth
• How Herschell Found His Nitch – Lewis discusses more of his early work in nudie cuties and the making of The Adventures of Lucky Pierre
• Archival Interview with Herschell Gordon Lewis and David F. Friedman from 1987
• Carving Magic (1959) – vintage short featuring Blood Feast's Bill Kerwin
• Blood Feast Radio Spot and Trailer

TWO THOUSAND MANIACS! (1964) + MOONSHINE MOUNTAIN (1964)

• Brand new introduction to the films by director Herschell Gordon Lewis
• Audio Commentary on Two Thousand Maniacs! with Lewis and producer David F. Friedman
• Two Thousand Maniacs! Outtakes
• Two Thousand Maniacs Can't Be Wrong – Tim Sullivan (director, 2001 Maniacs) on Two Thousand Maniacs!
• Hicksploitation: Confidential – visual essay on the history of the American South's representation in cinema
• David Friedman: The Gentlemen's Smut Peddler – a tribute to the legendary producer featuring Herschell Gordon Lewis, filmmakers Fred Olen Ray, Tim Sullivan and Bob Murawski
• Herschell's Art of Advertising – Lewis shares his expert opinion on the art of selling movies and how to hook an audience.
• Trailers for Two Thousands Maniacs! and Moonshine Mountain

COLOR ME BLOOD RED (1965) + SOMETHING WEIRD (1967)

• Brand new introduction to the films by director Herschell Gordon Lewis
• Audio Commentary on Color Me Blood Red with Lewis and producer David F. Friedman
• Audio Commentary on Something Weird with Lewis and Friedman
• Color Me Blood Red Outtakes
• The Art of Madness – visual essay on the recurring motif of mad artists as killers in horror cinema
• Weirdsville – film Scholar Jeffrey Sconce on Something Weird
• Lewis on Jimmy, the Boy Wonder, his 1966 children's musical
• A Hot Night at the Go Go Lounge! – Lewis' 1966 dance short
• Trailers for Color Me Blood Red and Something Weird

THE GRUESOME TWOSOME (1967) + A TASTE OF BLOOD (1967)

• Brand new introduction to the films by director Herschell Gordon Lewis
• Audio Commentary on The Gruesome Twosome with Lewis
• Audio Commentary on A Taste of Blood with Lewis
• Peaches Christ Flips her Wig! – the San Francisco performer on The Gruesome Twosome
• It Came From Florida – filmmaker Fred Olen Ray (Scalps) on Florida Filmmaking
• Herschell vs The Censors – Lewis discusses some of the pitfalls involving local censorship and the lengths to which angry moviegoers tried to stop him
• Trailers for The Gruesome Twosome and A Taste of Blood

SHE-DEVILS ON WHEELS (1968) + JUST FOR THE HELL OF IT (1968)

• Brand new introduction to the films by director Herschell Gordon Lewis
• Audio Commentary on She-Devils on Wheels with Lewis
• Garage Punk Gore – filmmaker and musician Chris Alexander discusses the films and music of Herschell Gordon Lewis
• The Shocking Truth! – Bob Murawski on his lifelong love for Herschell Gordon Lewis and what he has learned from Lewis' films
• Lewis on his 1968 film The Alley Tramp
• She-Devils on Wheels Radio Spot
• Trailers for She-Devils on Wheels and Just for the Hell of It

HOW TO MAKE A DOLL (1968) + THE WIZARD OF GORE (1970)

• Brand new introduction to the films by director Herschell Gordon Lewis
• Audio Commentary on The Wizard of Gore with Lewis
• Montag Speaks – a brand new interview with Wizard of Gore actor Ray Sager
• The Gore The Merrier – an interview with Jeremy Kasten, director of the 2007 Wizard of Gore remake
• The Incredibly Strange Film Show: Herschell Gordon Lewis "The Godfather of Gore" – episode of the Jonathan Ross-hosted documentary series focusing on Lewis' films, featuring interviews with Lewis, producer David F. Friedman, actor Bill Kerwin, John Waters and more
• The Wizard of Gore Trailer

THIS STUFF'LL KILL YA! (1971) + THE GORE GORE GIRLS (1972)

• Brand new introduction to the films by director Herschell Gordon Lewis
• Audio Commentary on The Gore Gore Girls with Herschell Gordon Lewis
• Audio Commentary on This Stuff'll Kill Ya! by camera operator and Lewis biographer Daniel Krogh
• Regional Bloodshed – filmmakers Joe Swanberg and Spencer Parsons discuss the Midwestern roots and work ethic of Lewis' output and how The Gore Gore Girls represents the shift into transgressive '70s cinema that would dominate the American horror landscape
• Herschell Spills His Guts – Lewis discusses his career post-The Gore Gore Girls, why he left the film industry and his role as a leading figure in the copywriting industry
• Gore Gore Girls Radio Spot
• Trailers for This Stuff'll Kill Ya! and The Gore Gore Girls

Happy for the fans but happier still for my wallet: this is the first Arrow set in a long time that I'll be able to sit out on!

Where did you find this? It seems like they're still trying to be coy about it.

Probably like people at blu-ray.com : http://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.php?p ... ount=25383" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Right click the arrow logo, open in new tab and you'll see this in the address bar http://www.boxofgore.com/images/top.png" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

snip the top.png off it and you'll get the image directory. They'd already uploaded the pack shot.

Note that these picture files have now been taken offline but Dom fortunately saved it !

So what films is this set likely to include? I think I've only seen Color Me Blood Red, which I found oddly endearing.

All the titles Something Weird released at the very least, I'm sure-- the Gore Gore Girls, A Taste of Blood, She-Devils on Wheels, the Gruesome Twosome, the Wizard of Gore, and Something Weird

There are supposed to be 12 (at least) with Blood Feast and Blood Feast 2 quasi-certainties.

If Arrow are continuing the trend of rescuing the titles that Tartan Video previously put out in the UK then hopefully they'll be able to release: Blood Feast (which was cut by 23 seconds on the Tartan DVD), Color Me Blood Red, The Gore Gore Girls, The Gruesome Twosome, She Devils On Wheels, Two Thousand Maniacs! and The Wizard of Gore.

I wonder how they will handle the aspect ratios. On the US BD, Blood Feast looked about right in 1.85:1 (and there is evidence that is an ideal ratio for it), but Two Thousand Maniacs and Color Me Blood Red were heavily cropped top and bottom, with the credits presented at around 1.55:1 windowboxed.

domino harvey wrote:All the titles Something Weird released at the very least, I'm sure-- the Gore Gore Girls, A Taste of Blood, She-Devils on Wheels, the Gruesome Twosome, the Wizard of Gore, and Something Weird

They seem to have released a lot more than just those.

Hopefully Just for the Hell of It is on the HG Lewis box. That movie is insanity!

I'd love to see some of his hick comedies in here. they're not good, but they're fun.

Orlac wrote:I wonder how they will handle the aspect ratios. On the US BD, Blood Feast looked about right in 1.85:1 (and there is evidence that is an ideal ratio for it), but Two Thousand Maniacs and Color Me Blood Red were heavily cropped top and bottom, with the credits presented at around 1.55:1 windowboxed.

Maybe this was the result of the credits being erroneously transferred at a cropped 1.33:1 and then having to be cropped again to fit the rest of the film as close as possible? Because the films themselves are full 1.85:1 and look just as good as Blood Feast.

The old transfers have an incorrect colour space as well that needs correcting, but I imagine these are all new transfers anyway.

I wonder how old those transfers were? They were similar to the Monsters HD titles Dark Sky used to release - cropped on all 4 sides, with credits windowboxed.

According to the Amazon listing, this will include 18 discs totalling 1175 minutes. I'm guessing this will be a Dual Format release - so either 8xBD + 10xDVD or 9xBD + 9xDVD - but I wonder how many films will be included in total?

Doesn't sound like it's gonna be a cheap set though. I reckon this will be around the same price as the Rivette set, maybe even more.

Amazon has it listed for £175.

I would strongly advise those curious who haven't actually seen any of these movies to at least watch one before plunking down ~$200 on this set, as Gordon's style and directorial attributes are not for everyone and I'd say he has more than his fair share of detractors/skeptics

rapta wrote:According to the Amazon listing, this will include 18 discs totalling 1175 minutes. I'm guessing this will be a Dual Format release - so either 8xBD + 10xDVD or 9xBD + 9xDVD - but I wonder how many films will be included in total?

Adding the runtimes for the six films in Something Weird's HGL collection + the Blood trilogy + Blood Feast 2 only comes to 855 minutes, leaving room for probably 3-4 more films.

Arrow licensed 12, right? Didn't Fran Simeoni tweet about it during the year? Did I imagine this?

Using my guessing prowess, I'll say it'll be 8 BDs (based on the cover having eight different colors surrounding it) with half of them splitting two films.

In 1963, director Herschell Gordon Lewis pulled a cow's tongue out of an actress' mouth on camera, and in doing so, changed the landscape of horror cinema forever. That sequence was just one of numerous gruesome gags featured in Blood Feast, the film credited as being the world's first gore movie. It's no exaggeration to say that the modern gross-out movies of today owe their very existence to the pioneering efforts of H.G. Lewis.

But whilst Lewis is most widely celebrated for his blood-and-guts epics (Two Thousand Maniacs!, The Wizard of Gore et al.), there's more to the prolific director than mere splatter. The filmography of H.G. Lewis reads like a veritable wish-list of exploitation movie madness: tales of sordid photographers (Scum of the Earth), sex robots (How to Make a Doll), biker girl-gangs (She-Devils on Wheels), youths-run-amok (Just for the Hell of It), psychic witches (Something Weird) and hard liquor-loving hillbillies (Moonshine Mountain).

Now, for the first time ever, Arrow Video is proud to present fourteen of the Godfather of Gore's most essential films (including nine Blu-ray world debuts), collected together at last and packed full of eye-popping bonus content. So put your feet up, pour yourself a glass of good ol' moonshine, and prepare yourself for a feast – H.G. Lewis style!

LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS:

• Fourteen of the Godfather of Gore's finest attractions, newly restored from original and best surviving vault materials
• High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentation of the features and extras on 7 Blu-ray and 7 DVD discs
• Additional 2 bonus Blu-rays featuring 1.33:1 versions of Blood Feast, Scum of the Earth, Color Me Blood Red, A Taste of Blood and The Wizard of Gore
• Additional bonus DVD: Herschell Gordon Lewis: The Godfather of Gore documentary
• 32-page H.G. Lewis "annual" stuffed full with Lewis-themed activities plus archive promotional material
• Fully-illustrated 92-page art book featuring the definitive overview of the entire career of H.G. Lewis written by Stephen Thrower [Shock and Gore edition exclusive]
• 160-page paperback of the original Blood Feast novelization, written by Lewis [Shock and Gore edition exclusive]
• 7" vinyl single featuring select tracks from the Blood Feast score [Shock and Gore edition exclusive]
• 14 postcards featuring original artwork for all the films included [Shock and Gore edition exclusive]
• Individually handmade "super gory" eyeball [Shock and Gore edition exclusive]
• Shock and Gore commemorative barf bag [Shock and Gore edition exclusive]
• Newly illustrated packaging and books by The Twins of Evil [Shock and Gore edition exclusive]

BLOOD FEAST (1963) + SCUM OF THE EARTH (1963)

• Brand new introduction to the films by director Herschell Gordon Lewis
• Audio Commentary on Blood Feast with Lewis and producer David F. Friedman
• Audio Commentary on Scum of the Earth by Friedman
• Blood Feast Outtakes
• Blood Perceptions – filmmakers Nicholas McCarthy (The Pact) and Rodney Ascher (Room 237) offer their insight on Blood Feast and the importance of Herschell Gordon Lewis
• Herschell's History – archival interview in which Lewis discusses his entry into the film industry including Scum of the Earth
• How Herschell Found His Nitch – Lewis discusses more of his early work in nudie cuties and the making of The Adventures of Lucky Pierre
• Archival Interview with Herschell Gordon Lewis and David F. Friedman from 1987
• Carving Magic (1959) – vintage short featuring Blood Feast's Bill Kerwin
• Blood Feast Radio Spot and Trailer

TWO THOUSAND MANIACS! (1964) + MOONSHINE MOUNTAIN (1964)

• Brand new introduction to the films by director Herschell Gordon Lewis
• Audio Commentary on Two Thousand Maniacs! with Lewis and producer David F. Friedman
• Two Thousand Maniacs! Outtakes
• Two Thousand Maniacs Can't Be Wrong – Tim Sullivan (director, 2001 Maniacs) on Two Thousand Maniacs!
• Hicksploitation: Confidential – visual essay on the history of the American South's representation in cinema
• David Friedman: The Gentlemen's Smut Peddler – a tribute to the legendary producer featuring Herschell Gordon Lewis, filmmakers Fred Olen Ray, Tim Sullivan and Bob Murawski
• Herschell's Art of Advertising – Lewis shares his expert opinion on the art of selling movies and how to hook an audience.
• Trailers for Two Thousands Maniacs! and Moonshine Mountain

COLOR ME BLOOD RED (1965) + SOMETHING WEIRD (1967)

• Brand new introduction to the films by director Herschell Gordon Lewis
• Audio Commentary on Color Me Blood Red with Lewis and producer David F. Friedman
• Audio Commentary on Something Weird with Lewis and Friedman
• Color Me Blood Red Outtakes
• The Art of Madness – visual essay on the recurring motif of mad artists as killers in horror cinema
• Weirdsville – film Scholar Jeffrey Sconce on Something Weird
• Lewis on Jimmy, the Boy Wonder, his 1966 children's musical
• A Hot Night at the Go Go Lounge! – Lewis' 1966 dance short
• Trailers for Color Me Blood Red and Something Weird

THE GRUESOME TWOSOME (1967) + A TASTE OF BLOOD (1967)

• Brand new introduction to the films by director Herschell Gordon Lewis
• Audio Commentary on The Gruesome Twosome with Lewis
• Audio Commentary on A Taste of Blood with Lewis
• Peaches Christ Flips her Wig! – the San Francisco performer on The Gruesome Twosome
• It Came From Florida – filmmaker Fred Olen Ray (Scalps) on Florida Filmmaking
• Herschell vs The Censors – Lewis discusses some of the pitfalls involving local censorship and the lengths to which angry moviegoers tried to stop him
• Trailers for The Gruesome Twosome and A Taste of Blood

SHE-DEVILS ON WHEELS (1968) + JUST FOR THE HELL OF IT (1968)

• Brand new introduction to the films by director Herschell Gordon Lewis
• Audio Commentary on She-Devils on Wheels with Lewis
• Garage Punk Gore – filmmaker and musician Chris Alexander discusses the films and music of Herschell Gordon Lewis
• The Shocking Truth! – Bob Murawski on his lifelong love for Herschell Gordon Lewis and what he has learned from Lewis' films
• Lewis on his 1968 film The Alley Tramp
• She-Devils on Wheels Radio Spot
• Trailers for She-Devils on Wheels and Just for the Hell of It

HOW TO MAKE A DOLL (1968) + THE WIZARD OF GORE (1970)

• Brand new introduction to the films by director Herschell Gordon Lewis
• Audio Commentary on The Wizard of Gore with Lewis
• Montag Speaks – a brand new interview with Wizard of Gore actor Ray Sager
• The Gore The Merrier – an interview with Jeremy Kasten, director of the 2007 Wizard of Gore remake
• The Incredibly Strange Film Show: Herschell Gordon Lewis "The Godfather of Gore" – episode of the Jonathan Ross-hosted documentary series focusing on Lewis' films, featuring interviews with Lewis, producer David F. Friedman, actor Bill Kerwin, John Waters and more
• The Wizard of Gore Trailer

THIS STUFF'LL KILL YA! (1971) + THE GORE GORE GIRLS (1972)

• Brand new introduction to the films by director Herschell Gordon Lewis
• Audio Commentary on The Gore Gore Girls with Herschell Gordon Lewis
• Audio Commentary on This Stuff'll Kill Ya! by camera operator and Lewis biographer Daniel Krogh
• Regional Bloodshed – filmmakers Joe Swanberg and Spencer Parsons discuss the Midwestern roots and work ethic of Lewis' output and how The Gore Gore Girls represents the shift into transgressive '70s cinema that would dominate the American horror landscape
• Herschell Spills His Guts – Lewis discusses his career post-The Gore Gore Girls, why he left the film industry and his role as a leading figure in the copywriting industry
• Gore Gore Girls Radio Spot
• Trailers for This Stuff'll Kill Ya! and The Gore Gore Girls

Ribs wrote:Arrow licensed 12, right? Didn't Fran Simeoni tweet about it during the year? Did I imagine this?

No, but two were picked up later, making fourteen in total.

Incidentally, you'll doubtless have noticed that some films are being presented in two aspect ratios. Arrow were incredibly conscientious about trying to get this right, but establishing the OAR with these films is unusually difficult, partly because they may well have been intended to be screenable in either 1.33:1 or 1.85:1, and partly because... well, there's a reason why HGL has never been mistaken for Peter Greenaway when it comes to immaculately-framed compositions. Normally, it's reasonably easy to tell the optimum aspect ratio of a film by eye (the last time I had to make such a decision myself was with Russ Meyer's The Seven Minutes, which couldn't have been more obviously 1.85:1), but it's a fair bit tougher with these films! Hence the decision to offer a choice of ratio for five of the films.

...and Arrow's not selling this through their website, so there's no points giving back £16/32?

I take it there will be a more affordable edition (sans eyeball, barf bag, etc.) eventually available through the usual channels.

Yes, that's the £175 version on Amazon. It's exclusive to Amazon in the UK.

Apparently the website for the Box of Gore is only shipping the UK version to the UK.

So if all you want are the films, the Herschell Gordon Lewis Feast will do the trick?