Customer Reviews

Two Thousand Maniacs

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I am starting to achieve a grudging admiration for the cinematic wonders produced by Herschell Gordon Lewis. Lovingly referred to by horror fans as the Godfather of Gore, Lewis, along with producer David Friedman, created a series of ultra low budget schlockfests throughout the 1960s that ushered in the age of the gore flick. Starting off with his 1963 classic "Blood Feast" and moving on from there, Lewis never expressed qualms about bad acting, cheesy special effects, plodding pacing, and gutter level production values. Lewis's films went on to great success at drive-in theaters across the country, but with the advent of DVD all of his classics have received the royal treatment so that new generations of brave explorers can enjoy his masterpieces. You need a pretty strong stomach to survive an H.G. Lewis film: it's not the unrealistic gore that makes you sick, but the sheer shock that anyone would conceive such atrocious acts and present them as entertainment. Even more shocking is that his films ARE entertaining, which makes you wonder about your own state of mind.

Having just told you about the gore in his films, "Two Thousand Maniacs" is not the goriest H.G. Lewis film; in fact, it isn't even close. For the ultimate in Lewis gore you need to watch "The Wizard of Gore" or his latest film, "Blood Feast 2: All U Can Eat." Those films are truly revolting in their grim depictions of onscreen carnage. No, "Two Thousand Maniacs" is a subtler Lewis at work. There are still numerous scenes of bloody violence throughout the film, most noticeably some nasty hatchet work, a drawing and quartering, a rock crushing, and a barrel rolling "contest" that looks amazingly, painfully realistic (a degree of realism being a first for Lewis). But the violence takes a backseat to the story, as well as to the brain numbing dramatic skills of Playboy model Connie Mason. I quickly discovered that if you can survive watching Connie Mason, you could make it through anything life throws at you. The rest of the cast isn't much better, but compared to Mason's theatrical dexterity they look like graduates of the Royal Shakespearean Theater.

"Two Thousand Maniacs" is the story of a little southern town named Pleasant Valley and its centennial celebration. In order to appreciate fully the festivities, the townspeople lure in two carloads of Yankees with trick road signs. This is the first indication that something fishy is going on, although the travelers have no inkling that they are about to suffer a fate worse than one could possibly imagine. The strangers, one of whom is the inestimable Connie Mason, express bewilderment as the entire town turns out to greet them with waving Confederate flags and cheers of joy. The town mayor, who certainly ranks as one of the most amusing characters in the annals of film history, insists they stay in a local hotel in order to celebrate with the townspeople. He even assures his guests that the hotel bill is on him, in case the travelers feel burdened by the awesome responsibility of staying over for a few days. The group of carpetbaggers grudgingly acquiesces, with only Tom (a teacher heading to a convention in Georgia) questioning why a southern town celebrates the anniversary of the end of the Civil War. Lewis doesn't waste too much time getting into the gore, and the whole story plays out amidst banjo music, waving flags, and lots of rebel yells. The conclusion even attempts a surprising twist for a movie of this caliber, as the viewer discovers the secrets of Pleasant Valley and its gruesome celebrations.

"Two Thousand Maniacs" aims for the funny bone as well as the churning stomach. Just look for the two hayseeds (named, appropriately enough, Rufe and Lester) that do most of the legwork getting the Yankees into town. Both take their roles so over the top that it's easy to write it off as prejudice against the South on the part of the filmmakers. In fact, many stereotypes in this film are downright offensive. Even still, the whole thing is great fun. Lewis filmed the picture in St. Cloud, Florida in roughly two weeks, and most of the people seen in the background shots actually lived in that town. The residents of St. Cloud went out of their way to accomdate Lewis during the shooting schedule, and many of these people saw the finished product and expressed their enjoyment of the film. The rest of the South apparently saw something in this film, as Lewis states on the commentary track that "Two Thousand Maniacs" was a big hit at drive-ins throughout the South.

This DVD release has gobs of extras, including numerous outtakes (a lot of which show Connie Mason brushing her hair), tons of stills, and a gallery of promotional material associated with the release of the film. The best extra is the commentary track with Lewis and Friedman. This commentary is easily one of the best I have ever heard on a DVD, and it is one of the funniest as well. By listening to the comments about the film, you learn that Connie Mason was a terrible driver, that Lewis performed the title track to the movie, and that softballs thrown during the shooting of the rock crushing scene damaged parked cars just beyond the range of the camera. Friedman and Lewis get so chummy here that I wondered if doing these commentaries led to the making of "Blood Feast 2." Whatever the case, you cannot go wrong with this DVD. The picture quality is AMAZING for a film of this age and budget. "Two Thousand Maniacs" is a great introduction into the grotesque world of H.G. Lewis.

Two Thousand Maniacs is camp perfection. It was H.G Lewis' second movie and it remains the Schlockmeister's best to date.

The plot is sort of a Twilight Zone affair, involving an isolated southern town that refuses to acknowledge the outcome of the Civil War. Instead, they celebrate their centennial by luring some unsuspecting Yankees to town and proceeding to find creative ways to ritualistically and creatively torture, dismember, and murder them.

If you have seen other Lewis films, you already know certain things about his style. Yes, it is crude and exploitative, silly and stupid. The actors are always amateur and awful, on par with the thespians in Ed Wood's films. But the good ones, like Two Thousand Maniacs, are also funny, hugely entertaining, and strangely fascinating.

This film is simultaneously repellent and amusing, even endearing. The premise is so zaney, the villians so filled with sadistic glee, the mutilations so glorified, it starts to work on levels that I'm not sure H.G. intended. This is the kind of sleaze art that influenced much of John Waters' earliest and best work.

This is definitely the best Herschell Gordon Lewis film. It is the best executed and most effective and, by far, the most enjoyable. Kick back and enjoy the freakshow. The south shall rise again!

The transfer is fantastic! Not to mention the movie itself which, as all H G Lewis fans know, is utterly depraved and fantastic! This is definitely not to miss. The commentary is great, with David Friedman (think that's how it's spelled) and good ol' Hersch himself! Very informative, you can actually learn some things from these masters of shlock. The DVD is great, the movie is better. Great music!

2K MANIACS is a blessedly twisted ghost story with enough goofy gore and bad acting to satisfy any / all fans of cinematic idiocy. Herschel Gordon Lewis' opus of hicktown vengeance is a marvel considering it's 1964 release date! Without the bloodletting, TWO THOUSAND MANIACS would be fairly dull. With the scenes of communal sadism however, it's like watching a bizarre cross between THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW, HEE HAW, and THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE! Never before (or since) have so many hillbillies gathered together in order to mutilate and kill unwary visitors from north of the Mason / Dixon line! Lewis has created a ghoulish feast of horror, a cautionary tale for any who would dare travel to the southern hinterlands! Beware! Rufe and Lester just might be waiting, putting up their fake detour sign, and hoping a car full of damn yankees will happen by! Stay away from Pleasant Valley! Drive right on past and avoid it's hellish centennial celebration! Don't end up like the poor saps who were cut, chopped, hacked, drawn and quartered, crushed, poked, and otherwise eviscerated! You have been warned...

2000 Maniacs! is perhaps the greatest movie ever made. Watching this jaw dropping lunacy one can only imagine what Lewis could do with a George Lucas sized budget (although I have a hunch Lewis would shoot the flick for 30 grand and pocket the 150 million). For years I've been debating what makes this lil exploitation film so disturbing. Is it the quality of the 16 mm film (the dvd is surprisingly colorful and clear, but still has that early 16 mm look), is it the hammy overacting (the killers seem to be having a little too much fun!) Is it the obviously fake yet sickening mannequin arm that gets hacked off by these crazed hillbillies? There is absolutely not a trace of socially redeeming value in this film. Watching this, one doesn't know whether to laugh or be sick. Great hillbilly musical numbers, a classic stiff performance by former playmate Connie Mason, and bizzare murders makes this a must. Easily Lewis' finest film. This DVD includes a great audio commentary by Lewis and Friedman, a great gallery, etc. I can't praise this film enough. Critics that name Lewis as one of the worst directors of all time are clueless, they just don't get it.

Wow! I must say that before the DVD release, I had never seen this film. I bought it on sheer reputation, and I was not disappointed. The transfer is fantastic, and looks as though the movie was shot yesterday. Wonderfully depraved and bloody, this one is not to be missed. Buy it just to hear the title song, written and sung by Herschell himself. The commentary alone is worth the price of the DVD, as you get to hear from the masters themselves, as they beam with pride about their favorite movie.

Where to start, well, the southern accents are bad, plain and simple, in fact, the best portrayed southern accent was by Tom White (William Kerwin), whom was, in the film, simulating the twang in attempt to phone out of Plesantville. Additionally, Lester MacDonald (Ben Moore) and Rufus Tate (Gary Bakeman) gave horrible portrayals. Rufus being in a pressed clean shirt, an obviously new hat and perfectly white teeth, not to mention a ghastly attempt at a southern drawl. Coupled with Lester, whose character made a more valiant attempt at being the country bumpkin, wearing overalls and covered in dirt. However, Moore's overacting was enough to make your teeth itch. In addition, the audio is bad, the dialogue sounds as if the players are shouting in a small quonset hut (although, the sound track is awesome and fitting).
That being said, believe it or not, I enjoyed the movie. The hokiness seemed to fit and some of the scenes of gore were great. Guy cuts woman's thumb while showing her his knife's sharpness. To resolve the matter, he cuts off her thumb. Things obviously out of hand (no pun intended), brings the bleeding, crying woman to the town mayor where they cut off her arm, in spite of her thumb (pun intended), priceless and silly, in a backwoods, Deliverance kind of way.
In one scene, the troupe of maniacs separate husband and wife David Wells (Michael Korb) and Beverly Wells (Yvonne Gilbert). After some pressuring, you see David being lead up a hill where there is a yellow barrel with the confederate flag affixed to the surface. The barrel is on its side and without top or bottom. They tell David that is it a tradition to have a Yankee crawl through the barrel before it is rolled (you can see where this is going). Naturally he resists, however, they coerce/bully him to travel through, and as you can guess, once inside the barrel, they hold him there. Although, before the barrel is pushed down the gently sloping mound, the mayor produces a hammer and some wicked looking long nails which he then pounds into the barrel. Needless to say, David didn't make it through the ordeal. This was sinister indeed, I found myself proclaiming the proverbial "No Way". Another gruesome demise was when John Miller (Jerome Eden) was Quartered (pulled apart by four horses). Speaking of this, which I found a little misplaced. After the quartering, the group that was once elated, became sullen, after an uncomfortable silence, Lester said something along the lines of "You know what happens to those that don't follow through" this didn't fit, no harm though, the scene was quickly recovered.
The movie continues in an expected way with the Hero and Heroine narrowly escaping after the usual cat and mouse. Beverly Wells, is smashed by a boulder that is propped up and rigged to drop in the fashion you may see with a carnival dunk tank. There is an epic twist though, that I enjoyed very much and it is here that I will stop, I feel that in this case, to give it away, would make it a little less enjoyable. I will state that the remake with Robert Englund is very good, adhering to the original interpretation and incorporates more humor (without ruining the feel). The remake also had a superior set, where the original utilized a more modern town that didn't fit. In addition, 2001 Maniacs expounded on the ending's twist, in a way that I thought improved the film. We can't discount though, the plain creepiness of some of the characters in the original, I got the feeling that these people, really were homicidal inbred yolkels. Happy Horrors

This movie is odd to say the least. First of all... its not scary haha I'm sorry but... its not. Although its entertaining... and I really enjoy the commentary on this. I've only seen a little of blood feast and I can assure you that is a much more thrilling movie. But, this concept is great! At first its kinda bad... but... once you watch it 2 times and watch it with your friends you'll enjoy it. Its not half as gory as it says... maybe in the 60s' but not anymore! Still... worth a look and entertaining. Definatly more gore than horror.

I can't recommend this enough to fans of campy horror films..this movie made me a huge fan of H.G. Lewis and this DVD looks great..I am only 20 years old so this moive had its prime way before I was born..but thanks to Something Weird video, I was able to get my hands on this cheesy horror gem..plenty of extras,great commentary, and the movie looks good considering some people thought it wouldn't see the light of day since it's last release {maybe 1984? by comet video?}..anyways I'm talking from the perspective of a horror fan who missed the explotation bang in the 60s but hopefully these H.G. Lewis classics will give a new generation of horror fans a look into the past..

It is truly difficult to know what to say about this film. Honestly, I found its combination of campy corniness and gleeful carnage somewhat unsettling. Modern filmmakers have capitalized on and far exceeded this exploitation classic in shock value and realistic effects, but there is something about the faces of the crowd in '2000 Maniacs' (which belonged to the residents of St. Cloud, Florida, where the movie was filmed) and their honest enthusiasm for the events onscreen that I found elementally disturbing.

Well, this film is what it is. The entire population of Pleasant Valley have turned out for a centennial celebration, and they've detoured three northern couples into town to experience their version of southern hospitality. Except in this case, the centennial marks the anniversery of the destruction of the town by Union troops during the Civil War and of the atrocities committed, and Pleasant Valley is hungry for vengeance. In a hoedown/state fair sort of mood, they alternatively chop, quarter, nail, and crush their guests - and happily sing Dixie the whole way through.

William Kerwin as one of the Northern men and Jeffrey Allen as the town's mayor sell their roles fairly well, but overall, this film is peppered with below average actors and over the top southern stereotypes. Linda Cochran, as the requisite Daisy Mae/Southern Belle character is quite lovely to look at though, giving even Connie Mason (Playboy's favorite playmate) a run for her money in the eye-candy department. Poor acting never stopped a determined low budget director though, and Herschell Gordon Lewis, along with producer David Friedman, basically creates a new genre of film with '2000 Maniacs' and their preceeding film 'Blood Feast' - the 'splatter' film.

It makes no sense to me to suggest that '2000 Maniacs' will have a wide appeal - I probably can't recommend it enough to those who enjoy early exploitation and hixploitation films, nor can I recommend enough that those who can only appreciate modern film techniques and competent acting to stay away. One other point worth mentioning about this package - along with the (dubious) historic nature of the film, there is a terrific commentary by Lewis and Friedman that contains a wealth of anecdotal information about it, which I found highly entertaining in its own right.

Based purely on my own enjoyment of the film, I would rate it between 3 1/2 and 4 stars, though realistically it probably deserves about 2 1/2. The commentary by the filmmakers is at least worth another half star, so I'll give it 3 and call it a day.