It's been a big week for legendary filmmaker Herschell Gordon Lewis. The Godfather of Gore, whose 1963 film BLOOD FEAST is considered to be the first splatter movie ever made, was in Philadelphia this past weekend to host The H.G. Lewis Gore-A-Thon, a theatrical marathon of five of his movies – BLOOD FEAST, TWO THOUSAND MANIACS!, COLOR ME BLOOD RED, THE GRUESOME TWOSOME, and THE WIZARD OF GORE. That event coincided with the announcement that Lewis has taken an acting role in director Brad Twigg's indie slasher KILLER CAMPOUT.
Within the last week, Arrow Video also informed retailers that they will be releasing 14 of Lewis's films in October, available in two separate limited edition Blu-ray/DVD collector's sets.
The films that will be included in these sets are BLOOD FEAST, SCUM OF THE EARTH, TWO THOUSAND MANIACS!, MOONSHINE MOUNTAIN, COLOR ME BLOOD RED, SOMETHING WEIRD, THE GRUESOME TWOSOME, A TASTE OF BLOOD, SHE-DEVILS ON WHEELS, JUST FOR THE HELL OF IT, HOW TO MAKE A DOLL, THE WIZARD OF GORE, THE GORE GORE GIRLS, and THIS STUFF'LL KILL YA!
Although specific details have yet to be revealed, it is known that the 17 disc The Herschell Gordon Lewis Feast edition will have the following supplements:
– Brand new introductions to the films by Lewis
– Hours of extras including newly-produced interviews and featurettes, commentaries, short films and much more
– 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 [limited editions exclusive]
– Additional bonus DVD: Herschell Gordon Lewis: The Godfather of Gore documentary [limited editions exclusive]
– 28-page H.G. Lewis annual stuffed full with Lewis-themed activities plus archive promotional material [limited editions exclusive]
– Newly illustrated packaging by The Twins of Evil [Feast edition exclusive]
The Shock and Gore edition will include all but the Feast edition exclusive packaging, plus
– Fully-illustrated 92-page art book featuring the definitive overview of the entire career of H.G. Lewis written by Stephen Thrower, with a brand new foreword by Lewis
– 160-page paperback of the original Blood Feast novelization, written by Lewis
– 7" vinyl single featuring select tracks from the Blood Feast score
– 14 postcards featuring original artwork for all the films included
– Individually handmade "super gory" eyeball
– Shock and Gore commemorative barf bag
– Newly illustrated packaging and books by The Twins of Evil
Even without the details, this still sounds like an incredible release for some great movies from a filmmaker whose work I highly recommend delving into. Lewis films are a whole lot of fun.
The sets are scheduled to be released on October 24th in the U.K. and the 25th in the U.S. Supplies will be very limited. Only 2500 copies of the Feast edition are being made, and a mere 500 of the Shock and Gore edition. Going for the price of $225.95, the Feast edition is currently available for pre-order on Amazon.
The comment section exists to allow readers to discuss the article constructively and respectfully, focused on the topic at hand.
What’s Not Allowed