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In 1963, Herschell Gordon Lewis wrote and directed Blood Feast, creating the splatter genre with primitive gore effects. Critics hated it, but audiences flocked to see it. He followed with Two Thousand Maniacs and other gore films before moving into advertising, where he built a successful career. Directors John Waters, Robert Rodriguez, Quentin Tarantino, and James Gunn cite him as an influence.
Names, aliases, and relatives of Herschell Gordon Lewis — birth name, kin, and personal ties.
Herschell Gordon Lewis by the numbers — life, work, and family.
Herschell Gordon Lewis — early life, career, personal life, and legacy.
Herschell Gordon Lewis was born June 15, 1929 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to Geraldine Waldman and Calvin Emmanuel Goldberg, Jewish immigrants from Poland and Russia. He attended Northwestern University, Roosevelt University, and Mississippi State University, and later taught English literature at the college level.
Blood Feast 1963 gave birth to the splatter film. Lewis wrote, directed, and scored the movie for $8,000 in Miami. It became a box office hit despite harsh reviews. He continued with Two Thousand Maniacs 1964 and Color Me Blood Red 1965, often working with producer David F. Friedman. After Friedman left for California, Lewis directed more gore films including The Gruesome Twosome 1967 and The Wizard of Gore 1970. When big studios moved into splatter, he quit filmmaking and forged a successful advertising career. He wrote 32 books and earned a spot in the Direct Marketing Association’s Hall of Fame. He returned to film later with Herschell Gordon Lewis’s BloodMania, planned for 2015.
Lewis married Margo Ellis on September 1, 1979, and they stayed together until his death. He had a son, Robert. Outside of film, he ran his own advertising firm, Communicomp, in Plantation, Florida. He died in his sleep on September 26, 2016 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, at age 87.
Herschell Gordon Lewis is called the Godfather of Gore for inventing the splatter subgenre with Blood Feast. His work inspired directors John Waters, Robert Rodriguez, Quentin Tarantino, and James Gunn. He won the Time Machine Award for his film contributions. Decades after their release, his old films still play in theaters.
The complete filmography of Herschell Gordon Lewis — every film, TV show, and documentary credit, ranked by popularity.
Every award, honor, and recognition received by Herschell Gordon Lewis — Grammys, hall-of-fame inductions, civic honors, lifetime achievements.
Herschell Gordon Lewis's bibliography — every authored, edited, and co-written book, ranked by edition count.
A wall of memorable lines from Herschell Gordon Lewis — lyrics, interviews, and off-the-cuff remarks captured over a lifetime.
I See Filmmaking as a Business and Pity Anyone Who Regards It as an Art Form.
Little-known facts about Herschell Gordon Lewis — origins, oddities, and behind-the-scenes details from a public life.
He worked in advertising and financed most of his own films. He pioneered the splatter film in the 1960s with Blood Feast 1963, Two Thousand Maniacs! 1964, and The Wizard of Gore 2007. He is often called the Godfather of Gore.
He did most voice-overs in his films, including theatrical trailers, to avoid paying extra actors.
For over 20 years he taught graduate-level mass communications courses and lectured at professional seminars worldwide.
He headed his own advertising firm, Communicomp, in Plantation, Florida, and wrote a regular copywriting column for Catalog Age magazine.
Father of Robert Lewis.
Son of Geraldine Waldman and Calvin Emmanuel/Manuel Goldberg. His parents were Jewish immigrants, his father from Russia and mother from Poland.
His first collaboration with exploitation producer David F. Friedman was Living Venus 1961, a fictionalized account of Hugh Hefner and Playboy. They then made erotic films including Boin-n-g! 1963 and Adventures of Lucky Pierre 1961 on a $7,500 budget that grossed three times its cost.
He directed Carving Magic 1959, a promotional film for Swift & Company starring Harvey Korman.
American filmmaker best known for creating the splatter subgenre of horror.
During his retirement from filmmaking, he wrote over twenty books on advertising, including The Businessman’s Guide to Advertising and Sales Promotion 1974.
AllMovie wrote: With his better-known gore films, Herschell Gordon Lewis was a pioneer, going further than anyone else dared.
He served three years in prison during the 1970s after a fraud conviction.
His third gore phase pushed the genre further with The Wizard of Gore 1970 and The Gore Gore Girls 1972, the latter featuring Henny Youngman and marking his semi-retirement from film.
Often called the Godfather of Gore a title also given to Lucio Fulci, his film career included other exploitation genres like juvenile delinquent films and nudie-cuties.
He explored taboo subjects in the 1960s including juvenile delinquency Just for the Hell of It, 1968, wife swapping Suburban Roulette, 1968, and birth control The Girl, the Body, and the Pill, 1967.
Quick answers to the questions readers ask most about Herschell Gordon Lewis.
Celebrities similar to Herschell Gordon Lewis — same craft, ranked by reach.
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