Herschell Gordon Lewis was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award last night at the New York City Horror Film Festival and wasted little time before commenting on the current state of the genre.

Following the screening of his favorite of his own films, Two Thousand Maniacs! (1964), Lewis accepted the award, saying, "I'm truly honored, folks.  Thank you."  For a moment, the man who long ago was dubbed "The Godfather of Gore," seemed at a loss for words.  Then, after briefly explaining that Two Thousand Maniacs! was "the first [movie] we took seriously," Lewis became effusive:  "I love you guys, you're like me—gorehounds. Brain damaged."

In the good-natured but often highly critical remarks that followed, H. G. Lewis took aim at the industry, horror "auteurs," and, frequently, himself.  "If I'd known that [my films] would get this sort of attention, I would've made better pictures."  In keeping with such self-effacement, Lewis seemed to resist those who would read greater significance into his body of work.  For example, he was quick to dismiss the notion that Two Thousand Maniacs! was intended as a social or political critique of the South, clarifying his strong personal ties to the region and pointing out that, "We have rednecks in every part of the country.  Especially Washington [D.C.]."

Yet while he was modest about his own filmmaking accomplishments, Lewis consistently contrasted the '60s era of "outlaw," audience-centered entertainment with today's pretentious, navel-gazing horror flicks.

  He described his own aspirations in down-to-earth terms, saying he wanted his audiences to think to themselves, "They had a good time making this [movie] and we're having a good time watching it."  Similarly, he emphasized that, "No one was going to walk out of the theater feeling cheated."  His goals as a filmmaker were simple:  to have his work show a return on investment and to "involve" the audience in the cinematic experience.  Aesthetic and personal considerations were not on his mind when he made a film.  "It's not a matter of pride, it's not a matter of art—you have to get the film in the can."

Indeed, he summed up his entire philosophy with this blunt aphorism:  "You don't make a movie that you want to make, but [one] that somebody would want to see."  At another point he asked rhetorically, "Is 'slickness' a criterion in making motion pictures?"

Lewis also described two current projects that he is trying to get off the ground, Grim Fairy Tales and Mr. Bruce and the Gore Salon.  The former features a satirical look at TV game shows by presenting one called "Truth or…Uh-Oh."  The latter pokes fun at weight loss programs by focusing on a company that lops off limbs and replaces them with lightweight, stainless steel prosthetics.  Indeed, Lewis made a point of lamenting that "current splatter movies have no sense of humor, so the audience has no relief."

In closing, as if demonstrating his credo about leaving audiences satisfied, he led the theater in a rousing sing-a-long of the main theme from Two Thousand Maniacs! (which he himself had sung on the soundtrack).  Watching him in action, it was hard not to be impressed by the man's energy, honesty, and generosity of spirit.