GORE BEAT (2008) ***
Exploitation movie guru Johnny Legend made this entertaining video magazine showcasing the best (and worse) in horror films from today and yesteryear. Legend interviews directors John (Animal House) Landis, Fred Olen (Cyclone) Ray, Brian (Society) Yuzna, and Ray Dennis (The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies) Steckler and tells a lot of behind the scenes stories.
Landis by far gets the most screen time and is easily the most entertaining as he talks about promoting his first film Schlock, making clay-mation shorts as a kid, meeting Rick Baker for the first time, being cut out of 2001 Maniacs, and how in the 70’s Hollywood Boulevard rivaled New York’s 42nd Street for quality grindhouse movies. Legend interviews Ray about his surf music album, how he put up money to make Star Slammer (outtakes and bloopers are shown), as well as his professional wrestling career. Legend recounts with Yuzna how he weaseled his way into a small part in Bride of Re-Animator and Steckler pretty much just pimps himself.
Trailers for Schlock, Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers, Society, Primitive Love, Bloody Pit of Horror, Invasion of the Blood Farmers (“Don’t eat before you see it, and you’ll have nothing to lose!”), and Death Farm are also shown and are a lot of fun. Like most of Johnny Legend’s recent DVD releases, it’s a little spotty and jumps all over the place, but if you’re a fan of any or all of these directors (especially Landis), you’ll definitely want to check it out.