2. Two Thousand Maniacs! (1964)
Robert E Lee broke a musket on his knee! Unfortunately H G couldn't quite summon up the stated 2000 maniacs - more 150 maniacs - but this does not stop the film being a rollicking jolly piece of entertainment. The film is basically a demented and vicious retelling of the Brigadoon tale. A town called Pleasant Valley was laid to waste in the American Civil war by Union soldiers. It so happens 1964 is its bicentenary and it has magicked itself into existence. By making a road diversion, the citizens of the town manage to trap some modern day couples whom they treat with a little Southern hospitality. This includes: limb dismemberment, being squashed by a giant stone, being rolled down a hill with a barrel full of spikes. Can any of the strangers escape from this murderous bunch of maniacs? Lewis and David Friedman used the money they got from Blood Feast to make 2000 Maniacs! and the difference between the two films in terms of quality is vast. The acting in 2000 Maniacs! Is a little hammy to put it nicely and there is an annoying little boy actor who should be slapped silly for his terrible acting and his effort to ruin the movie. The ending is a bit cliched. However the gore is fantastic and there is a streak of delightful gleeful sadism among the Pleasant Valley folk that makes the dastardly deeds even more over the top. The South's gonna rise again!