Plenty of accusations of misogyny are levied at horror films, and while I think that there are certainly some exhaustingly outdated tropes of slut-shaming and what can be seen as a troubling reenforcement of rape culture in many shock flicks, it's rare that I find myself leaving a movie and thinking "gee whiz, that film hates women."
I left "The Gore Gore Girls" thinking "gee whiz, this film hates women."
Let me get things back on their typically culturally-relativistic track by saying that I adore director Herschell Gordon Lewis' paleo-gore epics "Blood Feast" and "2,000 Maniacs." They're far-out gross-outs that play as sicko comedies, and Lewis' obsession with re-purposed animal parts from the butcher's shop is a unique take on the depiction of blood and guts. "Blood Feast" is particularly tongue-in-cheek in its use of meat, what with its themes of cannibalistic buffets and blood sacrifice. All this is to say that I wasn't exactly UN-prepared for the assault on my eyeballs that was "The Gore Gore Girls," Lewis' last foray into gorehound filmmaking prior to his re-emergence in the early aughts.
There's a salacious glee taken in showing the graphic mutilation of the female victims, including the complete obliteration of women's faces. While the gore effects aren't exactly convincing (in fact, they look just like a broken mannequin's head has been filled with butcher's remnants), the lingering shots of gloved hands squeezing and smashing this meat-that-was-allegedly-a-person are deeply disturbing. It doesn't help matters that the mood vacillates wildly between this kind of vicious violence and a zany, vaudevillian brand of comedy. Frequently, both moods are shoved down one's throat simultaneously in scenes like the one where a woman's nipples are cut off with scissors, causing white milk and chocolate milk to spill forth in turn. Genital mutilation--now fortified with wackiness!
Red herrings abound, from the melon-smashing 'Nam vet who is a strip club frequenter to the militant feminist who has threatened to murder strippers in the past. Speaking of militant feminism--you know what you never hear about anymore? Bra burning. You know what this movie is uniquely obsessed with? Bra burning. Letting one's breasts drape freely within one's sweater is tantamount to planting a kiss on the devil's ass.
The movie's got no love for the feminists, but neither is it very empathetic towards the strippers, who are portrayed as dim-witted and sex-starved, or merely as bodies to toss in harm's way.
Perhaps most vexing of all is the fact that I can't deny this movie's impact. It's a hateful piece of movie-making, no doubt about it, but it manages to be thought-provoking in its very dementia. There's some Brechtian fourth-wall bashing in the form of Gentry's direct addresses to the audience, who are treated as if they are as smart as Gentry. This was particularly problematic to me, because it implies that the audience shares some of Gentry's More Questionable Viewpoints, like that whole "it's totally fine to drug women and get women killed if it means a hefty payday" thing. And back to that kooky humor--IT WORKS. It's shocking and grotesque, but I'll be damned if it doesn't elicit a very uncomfortable chuckle or two.
"The Gore Gore Girls" isn't what anyone would call a particularly good movie, but its sheer, balls-out, batshit insane embrace of offensive humor and graphic violence make it a very memorable movie. In its credit, it IS the best film I've ever seen where Henny Youngman and a bucket of sheep's eyeballs are given equal screen time.
17 comments:
I always have a problem with the overly misogynistic films. I think one of the reasons I never got very into Franco was because the first of his films I saw was "Ilsa: The Wicked Warden" in which the rape-party scene turned my stomach more, even, than the previous two movies.
Best use of a meat tenderizer to an ass, ever. So ridiculously goofy, its insane. But its HG Lewis. I wouldn't expect anything less.
I caught this one on Netflix instant recently, and I was struck by how Gentry reminded me of a much meaner, slimier, slightly-more-sober William Powell/Nick Charles from THE THIN MAN movies. Or maybe that was just the quadruple-strength Old Fashioneds talking.
I also remember thinking for a solid 10 minutes, "Henny Youngman? That CAN'T be Henny Youngman! No, wait, it HAS to be...but it CAN'T be! Take my knife, please!" :P
Comment verification: "terifo." Like "boffo," but an order of magnitude more terrific.
I saw this years ago at a HG Lewis film festival. Yes, a film festival! All HG Lewis, all day long! Absolutely brain numbing...
I passed on the popcorn...
oh boy, this one- HGL's definitive self-parody but yeah, wimmen-hatin' for sure. Still, i get the feeling it was a reflection of what he imagined his audience was becoming- increasingly jaded. and wimmen-hatin'...
For later HGL, I preferred the Wizard of Gore to this one. The humor wasn't as forced, and it was less blatantly misogynistic. I can't remember if it was the Gore Gore Girls or Salo that put me off of chocolate milk for a good five years.
What bugs me about HGL is that he's an intelligent guy and knows how to make money, but he doesn't give a rat's ass about making a decent product, even one that's transparently exploitative. Gore Gore Girls is like his 25th movie, but it could be his first from the way it's shot. I always get the feeling that he just holds his audience in total contempt. (I think that's the difference between Lewis and his former partner Dave Friedman.)
Darius, the good news about Franco is that the majority of his movies *aren't* gruesomely anti-female. In fact, I find "Vampyros Lesbos" to have really well-drawn female leads (and NO, friends--that is NOT an "if you know what I mean" statement). I've yet to see "Wicked Warden," though its reputation precedes it, and you're not alone in deeming it way over the top.
Planet of Terror, you're right about the insanity of this movie! It's like HG Lewis cranked the dial ALL THE WAY to the right and just let things go completely nutty. That's what made the gendered stuff so--yeah, I'm gonna say it--startling to me.
Vicar, astute observation about THE THIN MAN. Maybe it was an intentional parody? And I, for one, find what some might call "the over-imbibing of whiskey" merely helps illuminate this kind of vital cultural text ;)
Cranky Yankee, did you feel like you were bonked upside the head with a rubber mallet after an all-day HGL fest?! I mean, I dig his films, but ONE AT A TIME is usually plenty for me. The kiddie movies are especially WTF worthy.
Prof. G, I think you're onto something regarding the movie reflecting more on perceptions of the audience than on the filmmakers themselves. I always hesitate to dub a filmmaker as being any type of "-ist" perpetuating any type of "-ism," but the movie certainly came across as being AGGRESSIVELY down on its female characters. That's not to say the male ones came across as particularly virtuous either, but none of them had their heads turned to pulp ;)
Fred, I've seen bits of "Wizard," and the Baron has been nagging me to see it. I think he just wants to watch it in order to be more informed on the Crispin Glover remake...!
MDG, I think your observation echoes Prof. G's! You guys are pretty wise dudes--I'm rethinking my stance here...
Here's the thing, this was the first HGL movie I ever saw. And I have to say that it is still the only one that actually fucks my shit up. I found myself holding my hands up to the screen and yelling, "Oh... God... oh, no!"
Taken apart, this film individual pieces do nothing but make me giggle. The stripper dancing in front of the mirror. The meat tenderizer to the ass. The chocolate nipple next to the regular milk nipple.
As you said, something about the combination of ridiculousness and horror makes it wholly unsettling, and in that sense, it becomes the only HGL film that actually horrifies me. It's still a strange experience for me to watch this film.
(Incidentally, I am wearing a Gore Gore Girls tee shirt right now.)
But you are also right when you say that it is absolutely misogynistic. And it is unabashedly so. I think, ultimately, that it's unapologetic nature is what makes it such an offensive affair to me. (And probably also why I feel such guilt when I admit that I love it so.)
I finally watched this yesterday.
I hate to say it, but I think it had a fairly good script. Not necessarily that the subject matter was good, but there was at least a cohesiveness that is rarely found in blood-and-titty movies.
The best part, and I'll admit it took me a while to catch on, was how the waitress Marlene was in a completely different get-up every time she appeared. Even in the same scene. She'd take their drink order as a redhead in blue, and return with drinks as a blonde in pink. If she was ever in the same outfit twice in the film, I'll eat my head (sorry, Oliver Twist).
I hate that the feminists were anti-stripper, but unfortunately there is still plenty of that going around. I have a friend who is a stripper, and people always give her shit when they find out. She's a nice girl trying to take care of her kids. What's wrong with that? We need to learn that sex and sexuality are not vile (though it can be), but it is going to be a long time before we change this country's attitudes.
Since this comment went on so long, I might have to flesh it out (so to speak ;-) and make a post for my blog.
Being anti-sex industry is not the same as being anti-sex. Everyone has a friend who is a "stripper" who is a "lovely person." Most critiques of the sex industry have very little to do with sex workers as individual people. It's about the economic structure of the sex industry.
Of course, the feminists in the movie are a parody of Limbaugh Feminazis (which barely and rarely exist in my experience). One cannot assume that their version of feminism is the one that proliferates society. It's not.
Also, for every anti-porn feminist there is a sex positive feminist. There are far too many types of feminism to reduce it to "feminists are anti-stripper"--especially because most feminists (even anti-porn ones) are not anti-stripper.
I wasn't trying to bad mouth feminist, btw. I consider myself to be a feminist, despite how corny and passé that sounds coming from a man.
We (the people) do tend to blame the sex worker rather than the industry for the flaws. I am pro-stripper. They are not all lovely people, but they are doing a job and deserve at least that much respect. Men who go to strip clubs typically treat strippers worse than anyone else, which is utterly insane. You don't go for the beer, ambiance or chicken wing buffet.
Certainly the feminists in TGGG are an exaggeration by a screenwriter that does not appear to hold them in high regard, but sex and empowerment is a touchy subject. As the country turns to the rIght Feminism is often considered to be a dirty-hippie way of thinking (as you mentioned, Rush Limburger). Many pro-sex/pro-sexuality feminists are lumped into the Paglia camp, despite their feelings on her particular brand of feminism.
Sex and sexuality are unfortunately the albatross around America's neck. Between abstinence-only education, abortion rights, and same sex marriage, our country can't keep its mind off people's genitals and how they intend to use them. The sexual underground has always been around, it is just more public these days. By that same token, the acceptability of sex by the loudest of our citizens has changed very little, save perhaps, for the worse.
Darius and Missy, I think you both raise some excellent and extremely valid points! I struggle with my relationship to feminism due in large part to my attitudes towards sex and the sex industry. I feel that, culturally, we need to do a better job of dealing with our feelings about the performers and not make the kind of value judgements about them *as human beings* that typically get made. I am also a free speech extremist and a strong believer in personal accountability, and that's where I depart from ideas about coercion fueling the industry. This isn't to say coercion and abuse *don't happen*, but I'm not convinced they're primary market forces.
But on a MUCH LIGHTER NOTE, I took a course with Camille Paglia during my undergrad work. She's quite a character, let's just say. She taught us to see vaginas and penises EVERYWHERE, except--notably--in the work of Georgia O'Keefe, which portrayed *ears*. She was probably joking, but she also seemed very genuinely batty O_o
I think I understand what you're saying much better now. And I think I generally agree. Yes, we do tend to be much more judgmental of the individual sex worker than we should be, but the "theory" itself is not at all about individual judgments. Also, I have noticed more pity than negative judgment among the people I run 'round with--which is its own kind of discrimination.
Though, I should say that I have been lucky to be around people whose focus has been entirely on the industry itself, which is, of course, where my criticisms lie.
Also, your comments about our (American) obsession with other people's genitals is spot on, and I've not heard it put quite that way before.
To be reductive, I'm not sure I'll ever understand why anyone *really* gives a shit about things that have no effect on them at all.
*Sigh*
Kate, I replied before I read your comment. I completely agree with you about accountability. For me, the sex industry is an extreme version of alienated labor, and that is entirely where my criticism lies. Factory work is bad enough, but when your entire body becomes the product and you are very removed from the profits of a labor based on your body--that I cannot abide.
@TK - I do like Paglia, no matter what her views might be (I am not a student of hers at all, but I do have her famous book of which I forget the title). I am sure she is a nut job, and I mean that in the most loving fashion.
@Missy - I type faster than I think, sometimes. It is a difficult subject that even the most wizened of us find to be untenable. My bottom line: men and women should have equal rights and protections, be they civil, economic, professional, sexual, social, economic, and reproductive. Add anything that does not fit those categories. Friends? :-)
I hate to use the phrase "went too far" with a movie like this, and I like a movie that's unafraid to offend, but this one is a little too much. Worse yet, it's just not very good at all. I realize that there's a line between "a character hates women" and "the movie hates women", but some of the kill scenes in here are so insulting that I suspect that Lewis was banking on protests that would result in free publicity. Maybe the fact that Lewis could go as far as he did in this movie without raising a protest was his sign to hang it up.
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