Vornoff-3
Sometimes the way to enforce narrative is through distraction. When Lewis directed "Blood Feast," he invented gore as a genre by showing audiences what had always been implied previously. He returned to the genre the next year, intent on bringing audiences more of what they couldn't believe. His script reads like a demented Twilight Zone: 3 couples arrive in a small Southern town to be greeted by the populace and told they are "guests of honor" at the "centennial" of an event that is never elaborated. One by one the guests are killed by their hosts in disgusting and imaginative ways. In some weird way, it touches upon current issues, such as racial tensions in the South and communities that wish the War had not been lost. In his DVD commentary, Lewis observes that the small Florida town he shot this in was thrilled to decorate the town in Confederate flags and participate in the fantasy, even to the point of fake-killing yankees. He says they didn't know how gross the film would be, but they must have seen some of the makeup. There is one scene in which everything stops after the quartering of one of the victims, and one gets the sense it may have been sinking in on the "actors" what they were involved with. Then the Pleasant Valley Boys begin a rousing chorus of "Dixie" on their banjos, and everyone enthusiastically joins in. And how they are killed! Jason Vorhees never in his most imaginative moment never dreamt of such torments. These moments of clever, creative, bizarre, gruesome horrors are punctuation for long periods of seemingly ad-libbed dialogue inside of square frames with no noticeable cinematic qualities. It's a standard not everyone can appreciate, today most people encounter Lewis in a recorded format, and fast-forwarding through the "slow parts" will lessen the impact of the gore-artistry. The distraction element is important for the full experience, but few today have the attention-span to enjoy being lulled into complacency. And besides, most modern fans can't find a date to make out with on the sofa.
Tromafreak
This is it, gang. Herschell Gordon Lewis's greatest accomplishment (so far). After the massive success of a little gore-soaked experiment called Blood Feast, H. G. Lewis and Dave Friedman decided to make a new gore-epic, with some real money, and maybe even some ideas for a decent storyline, this time. A real gore epic. They originally wanted to call this movie Ten Thousand Maniacs, but with a cast of no more than 40 or 50, that would just be insulting the viewers intelligence. And so, Two Thousand Maniacs was born. This time around, the name of the game is Civil War vengeance, cleverly disguised as Southern hospitality.Unsuspecting yankees, just passing through "the South", get tricked into stopping by the little town of Pleasant Valley (what state was that, again?). So, now, 2,000... or, let's just say a whole bunch of eager hicks have surrounded the yankee's cars, making it crystal clear that this week, and this week only, their purpose in life is to shower these people with Southern hospitality... or at least a whole bunch of food and alcohol, and Betsy, if she's around. Why all the fuss over a bunch of lost yankees? Well, hell, son, it's the Centennial!! That's right, it's been 100 years since The Civil War ended, and it's high time we all put our differences aside, and make peace with our brothers and sisters from the north, and let some of them in on our shin-dig... Yeah!! That's what we'll tell 'em. They'll sure 'nough never expect to be mutilated in extremely painful, yet, kinda creative, and often humorous ways. We got all sorts of ideas. Such as..."The four horses" "The barrel roll" "Ol' teeterin' rock" "The axe throwin' contest" (if there's time) We got us some good un's. Dogged if we don't!!! And what about that other little sub-plot that never got explored? You know, when everybody was cheering over that guy being dead, and then Rufus busts out with "You know what happens to anybody that backs out. Let's hear us some music". What was that all about? One of the first, if not the first ever feel-good B-Horror cult classic in American history. Definitely the first one to offer gruesome killings that offer gore, so, of course you gotta take it seriously as a Horror movie, but surprisingly, the cheesy humor, questionable acting, often-ridiculous dialog, and all-around ineptness doesn't over-shadow the Horror element at all, not at all... alright, maybe a little, but I love this movie, and I passionately recommend it to anyone who will listen. Two Thousand Maniacs is by far the best piece of B-cinema you're gonna find out of the 60's. I won't lie to ya, there ain't as much gore as there was in Blood Feast, but we're talking about a much, much more fulfilling experience. Guaranteed to keep your attention, and to put you in a good mood. The highlight, for me (besides the barrel roll), is good ol' Jeffery Allen, the guy that plays Mayor Buckman. That big, loud, entertaining hick makes the movie all the more likable. Obviously, Herschell didn't really put a huge amount of thought into this one, then again, maybe he did. I mean, compared to some other Lewis fiasco's I've come across, over the years. For a real wake-up call, as to the difference between a regular B-movie, and an unwatchable B-movie, check out another one of Herschell's flicks, How To Make A Doll, but you gotta go through Dr. Gore to get to it, so, good luck with that. For anyone who might find Two Thousand Maniacs as awesome as I do, I would recommend ignoring the fact that a remake of this movie exists. Seeking out Moonshine Mountain would be in your best interests. That is, unless you require gore. In that case, can't help ya, because Two Thousand Maniacs is truly one of a kind. 10/10
BA_Harrison
Two Thousand Maniacs, Hershell Gordon Lewis's demented take on the legend of Brigadoon, doesn't quite do justice to the ingeniuity of its concept, but still qualifies as an enjoyable slice of low budget cult horror (and one of Lewis's most watchable films) thanks to spirited performances from an enthusiastic cast (ie., they can't act, but they give it all they've got), a bucket or two of gore, and, believe it or not, even some memorably toe-tappin' songs from bluegrass musicians The Pleasant Valley Boys!The film sees a group of travellers tricked into taking a detour that leads them to the Southern town of Pleasant Valley, where they are invited to take part in the town's Centennial celebrations by the impossibly cheery Mayor Buckman (Jeffrey Allen). Once settled into their hotel rooms, which have been laid on for free by the townsfolk, each visitor is lured away to take part in a special celebratory event that ultimately leads to their gory demise.Suspecting that something is amiss, pretty Terry Adams (June 1963 Playboy Playmate, Connie Mason) and her hitch-hiker companion Tom White (William Kerwin) make a bid for freedom, closely followed by the citizens of Pleasant Valley, who are actually civil war ghosts seeking revenge for their massacre by Yankee soldiers one hundred years earlier.Not only does Lewis deliver his trademark splatter and tongue-in-cheek campy humour, but he also manages to conjure up quite a bit of atmosphere and even some tension, proving that he is capable of more than just grossing out his audience. Those looking to be grossed out, however, should not be disappointed with the film, which features an arm removed by axe, a man being pulled apart by horses, another man pushed inside a barrel pierced by nails and rolled down a hill, and a woman squished by a huge boulder.
