Herschell Gordon Lewis, ‘godfather of gore,’ dies at 87

LOS ANGELES – Herschell Gordon Lewis, the horror filmmaker known as the “godfather of gore,” died Monday at 87.

The director of such films as “Blood Feast” and “Two Thousand Maniacs” died in his sleep at his home in Pompano Beach, Florida, his spokesman James Saito said.

Lewis pioneered the horror genre in the 1960s known as the “splatter film,” which intentionally focused on gore and gruesomeness.

His low-cost, envelope-pushing films unabashedly featured blood, violence and nudity.

Other horror films created by Lewis included “A Taste of Blood,” ”The Wizard of Gore,” ”The Gruesome Twosome,” ”She-Devils on Wheels” and “Scum of the Earth!”

Lewis worked in advertising and financed most of his own films.

John Waters, Robert Rodriguez, Quentin Tarantino and James Gunn are among the modern-day filmmakers who were inspired by Lewis’ work.

Gunn posted his condolences on Twitter and said Lewis “changed cinema.”