Herschell Gordon Lewis had just broken off from producer David F. Friedman by this point in 1967 and had strayed from the gore genre he helped create to try his hand at sci-fi, kiddie matinee films and hillbilly flicks. With his nineteenth film Lewis, who had already injected a tongue-in-cheek style to his films, decided to go all in and make a gore comedy with The Gruesome Twosome.

Mrs. Pringle runs a wig shop with hair that seems almost life-like. College girls start to disappear as the wig shop flourishes due to Pringle’s maniac, simpleton son who scalps the girls after Pringle traps them in a room in the back of the shop. Eventually some of the girls decide something is fishy with a friend’s disappearance and decide to investigate.

The gore effects for this film seem crude by today’s standards but were, like the gore in Lewis’ earlier films, like nothing anyone had ever seen before. The performances are funny and it works as an absurdist comedy. It is also Lewis’ shortest film as the timekeeper on the shoot failed. The result is a tacked on opening sequence that is very unusual and fun.

Also included is Lewis’ epic vampire tale A Taste Of Blood. Released in 1967 it remains Lewis’ longest film and in his own estimation his most accomplished. Running at almost two hours and featuring imaginative use of color gels to create atmosphere during the scenes of terror, Lewis has claimed it is also his best-acted film. While lead actor Bill Rogers turns in a rather ham fisted performance the film is anchored by another well-acted turn by the reliable Bill Kerwin aka Thomas Wood. As to whether or not it is Lewis’ best, it features all the things that make his films enjoyable and Lewis himself makes a comic guest appearance and that alone makes it worthwhile.

This appears to be the same disc included in the HGL Feast box set. It has the same extras including introductions by Lewis and interviews about his life in the film business. The Gruesome Twosome looks good for the most part but some reels were too damaged to work miracles on. A Taste Of Blood fairs much better but due to the fact that the elements are so old and in some cases negatives lost, some flaws could not be mended. Arrow still did an amazing job of preserving these genre classics from the Drive-In theatre days.