Two Thousand Maniacs

Rating:
Summary: A chilling Real-world subtext
Review: It was twenty years after I first saw 2000 Maniacs when it hit me that the year in which it was made, 1964, was the same year that three civil rights workers from the North had been murdered by the Klan in Mississippi. This was a time when, in some ways, the war of the states was still being fought, and it's interesting (and chilling) to consider the possibility that H.G. Lewis, a southerner whose films played well in the south, was drawing consciously or unconsciously on southern rage that was very real and occasionally quite murderous.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent DVD!
Review: 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!

Rating:
Summary: Classick!
Review: This film is far superior to the crude Blood Feast, and is probably Lewis' best film. The picture quality here is very sharp and bright, but suffers slightly from digital artifacting during panning shots. The sound could be better, but that is mainly due to the sound recording on location, and is not a problem of the disc. The DVD features the trailer, commentary, and about 16 minutes of out takes set to the catchy theme music from the film. The commentary is great, just like on the other Lewis DVDs. This drive-in classic is not to be missed.

Rating:
Summary: Classick!
Review: This film is far superior to the crude Blood Feast, and is probably Lewis' best film. The picture quality here is very sharp and bright, but suffers slightly from digital artifacting during panning shots. The sound could be better, but that is mainly due to the sound recording on location, and is not a problem of the disc. The DVD features the trailer, commentary, and about 16 minutes of out takes set to the catchy theme music from the film. The commentary is great, just like on the other Lewis DVDs. This drive-in classic is not to be missed.

Rating:
Summary: Redneck Drive-In Splatter-fest!
Review: This isn't one of the grossest Herschell Gordon Lewis flicks that you'll see, and the gore is really more laughable than stomach-churning. Reminds me of the movies I used to see at the Terrace Drive-In as a kid -- cheap exploitation/horror flicks aimed at a teen audience. Bad acting & even worse hairdos & makeup. But fun, as always...

Rating:
Summary: Haha...wow...
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Greasy, sleazy, and cheesy. A classic.
Review: 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 definately 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!

Rating:
Summary: A Real Tear Jerker
Review: Warm & fuzzy; Family oriented, like 'Good Will Hunting.'

Rating:
Summary: YEEEEEEEE HAWWWWWWW! The South's Gonna Rise Again!
Review: 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.