The Real Godfather: The Gore Gore Girls

Let's face it: Herschell Gordon Lewis was a very busy man in the 1960s. He had a lot on his plate and delivered many great films like Blood Feast and A Taste of Blood (a very underrated film). Mind you, he also gave us the re-edit of Monster a-Go-Go as well (he didn't write or direct it though). He had done so many films in such a short time that he ran the risk of over-exposing himself and becoming a one-note director. For example, as much good as he has done, George A. Romero is 'the zombie guy.' The man decided to stop making films, but he needed a big swan song to go out on. This brings us to today's film...

The Gore Gore Girls

Our film begins with a vicious murder via face meeting of a mirror. Literally, we get one murder and the titles within the first minute of the film. Trying to set the bar appropriately, I see. We cut to our lead: a detective named Abraham Gentry (who looks like a Tuturro). He is hired by a young woman working for a newspaper to solve the murder. He is paid $25,000 of 1972 money to do so and he gets another $25,000 if he solves it. We immediately learn that this guy is a giant jerk. He is caustic and biting to the woman who is literally only there to give him money. He mocks her, sets up an offer of sex in order to be able to decline it and just generally tries to be a douche-bag. He goes to a bar and runs afoul of a waitress that does not like him. In fairness, he really has it coming. He gets information about another girl from a stripper (after the show, mind you) by way of a $50 bill. Before he goes there, a woman is viciously attacked with a hammer. Her face is smashed up, her eyes are placed back on it and then cut up again. This movie never flinches in the face of blood. Will you?

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After being rude to the police, our hero goes back to the bar with our heroine in tow. He plans to get her drunk, but first wastes his time on an obvious red herring in the form of a crazy Vietnam vet. He also runs into the same waitress, who I'm sure is just an ancillary character and nothing more. Just a note: the waitress changes outfits every times she goes off-camera, making her four outfits for two scenes. Another possible culprit appears in the form of a Women's Rights group. Normally, they would not be, but this is a Lewis film, so the odds are in their favor. After talking to our hero, another girl bites the dust. Her throat is cut, her ass is mangled with a meat tenderizer, it is seasoned and her eyes are plucked out. The latter part of that takes place while parade music plays in the background. Only in a Lewis film! When confronted by the police, Mr. Gentry leads the police in the wrong direction- my hero! Make note of the police's uniforms, which are just blue shirts with badly-stitched 'Police' emblems on the sleeves. After another throat-slitting, a woman gets her face burned by an iron and her nipples cut off. This causes one to spurt out regular milk and another to spurt out chocolate. Her roommate comes home and gets drowned in boiling fry water. I don't say that everyday!

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Despite having so little actual plot, the movie keeps going. Henny Youngman has a small role as a strip club owner...since the movie is not surreal enough. The waitress appears twice (in two different outfits), despite the fact that nobody likes her. An amateur striptease contest takes place at the same club from every other scene & it is all a plot to lure out the killer. Gentry brings the reporter along and gets her drunk, leading her to do a striptease on stage too! Of course, because she did not sign the form, all of her nudity is implied. He takes the woman back to his place, which causes our killer to show up! Our hero intercedes, revealing our killer to be: the waitress! Our hero is so excited about proving the case that he brags to the audience. You're not Woody Allen, so stop that! The woman flees out the window, but falls and has her head run over by a passing car. In a bit of last minute exposition, it is explained that she was a former wrestler and stripper who got burned in a fire. She was so jealous of the strippers that she killed and maimed them. The lady does not take being used as bait very well at first, but changes her mind quickly. Before anything serious happens, Gentry pulls down a curtain on the film. Not cool...or logical, man! The End.

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This movie is really, really weird. The plot is silly, basically just stringing together murders with a very loose narrative. They give you super-tiny hints towards the killer's motive, but the culprit is not exactly hard to decipher. Gee, I wonder if it's the character that keeps popping up for no good reason again and again?!? The death scenes are just extremely self-indulgent and strange. None of the dummies used for them look remotely real, but do have a creepy quality in and of themselves. One thing I did not touch on was the music, which consists of about three to four song cues used over and over again. Mind you, it beats Good-bye Uncle Tom's use of only two songs for a nearly three-hour film! The effect is off-putting though when he uses the silly music during a couple of maiming scenes. What exactly are you trying to say, Herschell? With its dark, humorous tone and crazy killing scenes, the movie is definitely not for everyone. For those who like the twisted stuff, but don't necessarily like the current bit of 'torture porn' out there, this is a good rental. Or you could just watch it on Instant Viewing via Netflix. You'll miss out on Lewis' commentary though.

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Next up, Lewis' big return was 30 years in the making. Is it like fine wine or old, stinky cheese? Stay tuned...