Plot
A group of naive Yankee tourists take a wrong turn in the Deep South and end up encountering a group of “rednecks” who force them to take part (as “guests of honor” no less) in the centennial celebration of their small town (ironically named “Pleasant Valley”).
In this case, “guests of honor” turns out to be a down-home euphemism, because the visitors been earmarked as victims in a vengeful, sadistic bloodbath cooked up by the spirits of the “2000 maniacs” – townspeople who, a hundred years earlier (towards the end of the Civil War), were brutally massacred by a group of rogue Union army soldiers who subsequently burned the town to the ground.
It means this centennial is a centennial of blood vengeance!
Critique
4.5After the success of “Blood Feast” (1963), Herschell Gordon Lewis reiterates his gory vision of the Seventh Art, using grotesque satire and a healthy dose of black humor as he splatters yet more blood in this Grand Guignol set within a bizarre frame of revenge.
This film is unquestionably superior in quality to its predecessor, but the direction remains a bit sketchy, even amateurish at times, while the famous blood scenes – unsophisticated, to say the least – are dispensed extremely sparingly.
So what we have here is a film noteworthy solely for its historical value and the influence it wielded over future developments in the genre (Lewis is often called the “Godfather of Gore”). Beyond that, from a contemporary point of view, “Two Thousand Maniacs!” comes across as a crude, exceedingly dated product. Lewis assembles his typical second-rate cast, including the return of “Playboy” playmate Connie Mason (June 1963 issue).
The “Trilogy of Blood” will conclude with the following “Color Me Blood Red” (1965).
More Info
Quotes
- It means this centennial is a centennial of blood vengeance! It means... It means we're here to be killed!
- An entire town bathed in pulsing human blood! Madmen crazed for carnage! [Tagline]
Trivia
- This film was inspired in part by the stage musical “Brigadoon” (1947) by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe, which was also adapted for the big screen in the 1954 film of the same name directed by Vincente Minnelli.
- Of note, in 2005, Tim Sullivan directed a remake (“2001 Maniacs”) starring Robert Englund.
- The film reportedly inspired the name of the 1980s alternative rock band “10,000 Maniacs”.
Products
Disclosure
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| Product name | Price | |
|---|---|---|
 | Two Thousand Maniacs! | |
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| Nombre del producto | Precio | |
|---|---|---|
![2000 Maniacos [DVD]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51Xxc8tgIiL._SL75_.jpg) | 2000 Maniacos [DVD] |
| Produktname | Preis | |
|---|---|---|
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| Nom du produit | Prix | |
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| Two Thousand Maniacs [Blu-Ray] |
| Product name | Price | |
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| Two Thousand Maniacs! [Blu-ray] | |
 | Herschell Gordon Lewis, Godfather of Gore: The Films |