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.)
