American exploitation filmmaker and the ‘Godfather of Gore’ Herschell Gordon Lewis has passed away aged 87, distributors Something Weird Video have announced on Facebook.
Begginning his career as a producer with 1959’s The Prime Time, Lewis then began directing, releasing a series of erotic “nudies” in the early 1960s before switching to horror for 1963’s Blood Feast, which is considered to be the first “gore” film and ushered in the splatter genre.
Lewis went on to produce a number of low-budget gore films catering to the drive-in market, releasing titles such as Two Thousand Maniacs!, Color Me Blood Red, A Taste of Blood, The Gruesome Twosome, The Wizard of Gore and The Gore Gore Girls, as well as venturing into other areas of exploitation film, and even children’s movies.
Having retired from the industry in the early 1970s, Lewis returns in 2002 with the sequel Blood Feast 2: All U Can Eat, and followed it up in 2009 with the splatter comedy The Uh-Oh Show!. He also contributed to the horror anthology film Herschell Gordon Lewis’ BloodMania, which is yet to be released [watch the trailer here].
Originally published September 26, 2016. Updated November 30, 2022.
