Beloved horror directorHerschell Gordon Lewis, who was affectionately known as the “Godfather of Gore,” haspassed awayat the age of 87.Lisa Petruccifrom Something Weird Video, the company that distributed his movies and was named after the filmmaker’s 1967 film of the same name, broke the news in a Facebook post. Here’s what she had to say about the filmmaker below.
“Sad news. I’m sorry to have to tell you thatHerschell Gordon Lewishas passed away.Herschellwas a dear friend to Mike and I. Like an uncle. I’m glad we got to spend time so much time with him over the years. RIP to theGodfather of Gore, I’ll miss you…”
Nocause of deathhas been reported at this time. TheFacebookpost announcing his death did not reveal any additional details about the filmmaker’s passing.Herschell Gordon Lewiswas born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1929. After studying journalism in college, he became a professor of English literature at Mississippi State University before working at an Oklahoma radio station and a Chicago ad agency, where he made numerous TV commercials in the 1950s, before teaming up with producerDavid Friedmanto make horror movies.
After making a number of low-budget sex films then known as “nude-cuties,” such asLiving Venus,The Adventures of Lucky PierreandBoin-n-g, he made the now-iconic 1963 filmBlood Feast, which single-handedly spawned the “splatter film” genre. Despite overwhelmingly negative reviews, the film cashed in on word-of-mouth from the marketing campaign, and this success paved the way for numerous other horror films such asTwo-Thousand Maniacs,Something Weird,She-Devils on Wheels,The Gruesome Twosome,The Wizard of Gore, andThe Gore-Gore Girls. Between 1963 and 1972, when he retired after major film companies started invading his territory,Herschell Gordon Lewisdirected 29 horror films.
Herschell Gordon Lewisreturned to the advertising and marketing world after leaving filmmaking behind, writing advertising and mailings for marketers worldwide. He has authored 32 books on marketing including “On the Art of Writing Copy,” and he is a member of the Direct Marketing Association’s Hall of Fame. He returned to filmmaking in 2002 withBlood Feast 2: All U Can Eatand 2009’sThe Uh-oh Show, and his last filmHerschell Gordon Lewis' BloodManiais currently in post-production. That project is ahorror anthologycomprised of four segments, directed byHerschell Gordon Lewis,Kevin LittlelightandMelanie Reinboldt.
