ReFocusing on the Godfather of Gore

 

REFOCUS: THE FILMS OF HERSCHELL GORDON LEWIS (THE AMERICAN DIRECTORS SERIES) edited by Calum Waddell) (2026 Edinburgh University Press / 232 pages)

Having already dealt with directors such as Doris Wishman, Abel Ferrara and John Waters, the latest academic exploitation film treatise in Edinburgh University Press’ ReFocus series looks at the Godfather of Gore. There are essays from ten contributing writers, while editor Waddell provides and introduction and pieces on Lewis’ hardcore feature BLACK LOVE, as well as BLOOD FEAST 2: ALL U CAN EAT.

The book is divided into three sections, covering just about every era of Lewis’ filmography. The first section deals primarily with Lewis’ Blood Trilogy, and oddly, the first chapter is a look at Carving Magic, a short Lewis shot that fans of BLOOD FEAST may have seen as an extra on DVD and Blu-ray editions. Author Jack O’Dwyer gives an interesting case of how this film may have been a precursor to the gore films that were to come. My favorite piece in section two, by David Scott Diffrient, examines how Lewis used scents in some of his features, something I don’t think many viewers ever took the time to notice, and among the third section, dedicated to Lewis’ legacies, Joseph M. Sirianni compares Lewis and John Waters’ like-minded fan bases as well as the similarities between their films.

I’m always on the fence when dealing with academic looks at exploitation and cult films: while in this case, there are some interesting ideas brought forth, you also must wonder how many of these ideas were ever Lewis’ original intention(s). If you’re a Lewis fanatic, you’ll want to add this to your collection, but mere mortals might want to wait for the softcover edition (Edinburgh released this in January of 2026 as a $125.00 hardcover, obviously as a textbook the editor will be using as part of his classes. If you told me back in 1983, when I first saw BLOOD FEAST, that there’d one day be college classes taught about it, I’d probably have laughed). I’m not sure there’s much new here for seasoned Lewis fans, but some essays offer solid insights.

Despite the book falsely accusing me of being a misogynist* (which the editor does on page 196, by quoting something I said in my book Suburban Grindhouse about actress Connie Mason—something both Lewis and producer David Friedman told me in person at two separate conventions), it’s always entertaining listening to academics try to make the films we grindhouse rats grew up on sound proper.

(*-After contacting the publisher and pleading my case, editor Waddell agreed to remove his remarks about me in future editions. That was quite cool of him.)