Two Thousand Maniacs! (1964)

User Rating:

5.6/10   

Director:

Herschell Gordon Lewis

Writer:

Herschell Gordon Lewis (writer)

Release Date:

20 March 1964 (USA)

Genre:

Horror

Tagline:

An Entire Town Bathed In Pulsing Human Blood! Madmen Crazed For Carnage!

Plot:

Six people are lured into a small Deep South town for a Centennial celebration where the residents proceed to kill them one by one as revenge for the town's destruction during the Civil War.

Plot Keywords:

Centennial | Civil War | Celebration | Revenge | Yankee

Cast

Connie Mason	...	Terry Adams
William Kerwin	...	Tom White (as Thomas Wood)
Jeffrey Allen	...	Mayor Buckman
Shelby Livingston	...	Bea Miller
Ben Moore	...	Lester MacDonald
Jerome Eden	...	John Miller
Gary Bakeman	...	Rufus 'Rufe' Tate
Mark Douglas	...	Harper Alexander
Linda Cochran	...	Betsy
Yvonne Gilbert	...	Beverly Wells
Michael Korb	...	David Wells
Vincent Santo	...	Billy
Andy Wilson	...	Policeman
Candi Conder	...	Switchboard Operator
The Pleasant Valley Boys	...	Bluegrass musicians

Also Known As:

2,000 Maniacs
Centennial (USA) (fake working title)

Runtime:

87 min | UK:84 min | Argentina:90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-18 | France:-18 | Argentina:18 | Australia:R | New Zealand:R16 | Spain:18 | UK:18 | USA:Unrated

Filming Locations:

St. Cloud, Florida, USA

Company:

Jacqueline Kay

Trivia:

Connie Mason, playing the part of Terry Adams, was Playboy magazine's Playmate of the Month for its June 1963 issue.

Quotes:

Rufus Tate: We got us some good 'uns! Dogged if we don't!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Trailer Park of Terror (2008)

Soundtrack:

Rebel Yell

Awesome Early Splatterfest

Two Thousand Maniacs! is the second installment in the sleazy classic "Blood Trilogy" by Herschell Gordon Lewis. It is a superb film and very important to the gore genre. This early splatter fest features enough carnage(and very realistic-looking blood for its time) to compete with any of today's modern gross-outs.

The premise is simple enough. Travelers are lured to a small southern town full of blood-thirsty Confederates seeking revenge on Yankees upon the centennial of the end of the Civil War. Fooled into thinking that they are the guests of honor at the town's centennial celebration, the travelers soon find themselves in the middle of barbaric blood rituals with seemingly no means of escape.

While the acting is a little sub-par and exaggerated at times, it does not detract from the film but, rather, adds to the sleaze factor. The action slows down a little toward the end, however, the ultimate conclusion is unique and quite chilling. Overall, Two Thousand Maniacs! is a very worthy watch and a great addition to any gore hound's collection.