2000 Maniacs (1964) - A Small Retrospect on the "Splatter Film"

If you are a fan of Rob Zombie or if you know someone who is, then you have probably heard one of Herschell Gordon Lewis’ movies mentioned as a song title or at the very least within the lyrics of one of Rob Zombie’s songs. Herschell Gordon Lewis is considered to North American horror what Lucio Fulci was considered to Italian horror – the “Godfather of Gore.” Lewis is credited for creating the horror sub-genre “splatter film” where the violence in the movie is propelled to profound extremes.

2000 Maniacs is one of the earliest “splatter films” written and directed by Herschell Gordon Lewis in 1964. Six people; some strangers, some couples travelling knee deep in southern territory are lured to a town called Pleasant Valley. When they arrive, it seems like the entire town is there to meet and greet these Yankees. There is even an evening banquet that is set to be held that very night recognizing these folks as the guests of honor. The problem is that the town of Pleasant Valley was destroyed during the Civil War and the citizens of Pleasant Valley, led by Mayor Buckman, did not take too kindly to that action, therefore their spirits rise every one-hundred years for the centennial celebration of Pleasant Valley’s existence, and every centennial the citizens take out their vengeance on wandering northern folk.

2000 Maniacs is well known for it’s over the top characters, b-movie style production, and intentional focusing on gore. In the film there is a woman who has all of her limbs ripped from her body by wild horses, a boulder is dropped upon an unsuspecting young man; the exploitation of brutality knows no bounds in Herschell Gordon Lewis’ movies. The modern day splatter films such as the Saw series and Final Destination pick up the reigns where movies like 2000 Maniacs and Blood Feast prospered and became popular among the drive-in crowds for their bad acting and relentless, mutilating visuals, which is a tradition that is easily followed but uneasily mastered. Just because a horror movie is violent doesn’t meant it’s good. There needs to be that positive intangible that Lewis’ films possessed – that glorified respect that comes with being a filmmaker and 2000 Maniacs has it in spades.

Recently, the film was remade by writer/director Tim Sullivan as 2001 Maniacs with Robert Englund donning the role of Mayor Buckman, and has been followed by a sequel 2001 Maniacs: Field of Screams, and while these films honor the ideals of a splatter film, the look of the characters bodes more to a circus-type atmosphere where as Lewis’ original killers looked more like your next door neighbor, and in my opinion, made the movie much more frightening. 2000 Maniacs is an unsung classic among horror movies, and for those like myself who care more for the story rather than the gore, 2000 Maniacs is a welcomed exception to the standards because it reminds us that there have always been people drawn to the macabre and the bizarre, and in their arms that is where we feel free to be ourselves.