TWO THOUSAND MANIACS! REVIEWED
“Two Thousand Maniacs!” is the ideal Hicksploitation film. Borrowing equally from fantasy and horror, the movie creates a bizarre landscape. Shot near what would become Walt Disney World, Lewis saw the magic in showing the idealized South for what it is. A failed cause that needs the blood of the young to survive. Heads come off, bodies are stretched and limb after limb are sacrified to keep this thing going a little longer. Having previously owned the Something Weird release, this is probably the best the film has looked.
The special features are rich, as they take you through Lewis’s approach to the film. Plus, you get to see Moonshine Mountain as a bonus feature. That one is pretty forgettable, but stay to watch the rednecks go crazy. If you’re looking for a double feature, watch Brigadoon first.
SPECIAL FEATURES
- Bonus Feature! 1964’s Moonshine Mountain
- Introductions to the films by H.G. Lewis
- Archive audio commentary on Two Thousand Maniacs! by H.G. Lewis
- Two Thousand Maniacs Can’t be Wrong – filmmaker Tim Sullivan on H.G. Lewis’ gore classic
- Hickspoitation: Confidential – visual essay on the depiction of the American South in exploitation cinema
- David Friedman: The Gentlemen’s Smut Peddler – a tribute to legendary producer David F. Friedman featuring interviews with H.G. Lewis, filmmakers Fred Olen Ray and Tim Sullivan and editor Bob Murawski
- Herschell’s Art of Advertising – H.G. Lewis shares his expert opinion on the art of selling movies
- Two Thousand Maniacs! Outtakes
- Trailers
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly-commissioned artwork by The Twins of Evil
A/V STATS
- 1.85:1 1080p transfer
- LPCM MONO
