I've seen a few Herschell Gordon Lewis films and in general I'm not a fan. Admittedly, I've not yet seen any of his blood trilogy, but based on his films that I have seen this one is by far the best. The opening scene is wildly entertaining, featuring two wigs in a shop window talking to each other. It sets the tone for the rest of the film.

The movie features many fun, engaging scenes that are enjoyable to watch even if they often have nothing to do with the plot, including several ridiculous minutes during which a man guzzles beer and stuffs his face with potato chips while his girlfriend tries to get him to tell her he loves her.

Additionally, The Gruesome Twosome features more character development than other Gordon films I've seen, especially from the female lead and the quirky old lady who runs the wig shop. And I was honestly surprised by the acting at certain points. In particular, the guy who played the mentally challenged son of the old lady did a great job. Usually those roles seem poorly cast in low budget films like this. The actors can never seem to get it quite right, but this guy really nailed it. It made me wonder if maybe he really was mentally challenged in real life.

The editing is very sloppy and I got the idea that the filmmakers didn't spend much time on it or care about it. They were probably in a rush to get it shown. But that makes it better and more enjoyable. Some scenes that otherwise may have been pretty dull become hilarious due to the bad editing. I get the feeling that the filmmakers had to have known this.

The Gruesome Twosome is never boring and at just over an hour in length, I could watch it again and again. And I probably will.

H.G. Lewis like to stage bloody set pieces. However in order to show them off he likes to make a feature length film. Many of them aren't very good and they're padded out to make the 70 minute mark. The gruesome Twosome is one of those films. The film revolves around a crazy old lady who makes nice realistic looking wigs and her ogreish son. She has a secret in her wig making that you'll find hair raising. They're many filler scenes placed through out the movie. The most notorious one (and clever) takes place in the beginning where two wigs are holding a conversation. The gore set pieces are cool but you'll have to sit through the movie to experience them.

Recommended for campy cult fans.

B

Herschell Gordon Lewis splatterfests are always good for some genuine chuckles, although in order to get to the good stuff here, one has to sit through quite a bit of padding. And that's saying something, since this only runs 72 minutes long as it is. The gore is deliciously tacky and plentiful when it appears, and there are some brilliant touches. To start with, the movie is opened with the surrealism of two Styrofoam wig heads having a conversation about the upcoming plot - after which, one of them gets stabbed. Too bad most of the movie isn't that inspired. At the very least, much like other HGL efforts from this era, there's a lot of entertainment to be had with the antagonists, as demented a pair as you'll ever see.

Elizabeth Davis stars as Mrs. Pringle, a dotty old woman who specializes in making realistic wigs. Just how does she craft these things? Let's just say that it involves luring young women to her place of business, under the pretense of offering them room for rent, and then ushering them into her back room, where they're promptly introduced to her drooling idiot son Rodney (Chris Martell), who's quite handy with knives. A college coed named Kathy (Gretchen Wells), an obsessive wannabe Nancy Drew, notes the amount of her peers disappearing, and makes a nuisance of herself playing amateur detective.

Were it not for Davis and Martell, this wouldn't be that enjoyable. They just play their parts for everything that they're worth. Davis is especially hysterical. The rest of the acting is pretty much what you'd expect from anything Lewis directed. (Look for Ray Sager in a bit part; he went on to play the title role in Lewis's "The Wizard of Gore".) Still, some of the padding is amusing, especially when Kathy and pals dance about while about enjoying some KFC. While this doesn't reach the lunatic heights of "Blood Feast", "Two Thousand Maniacs!", or even "The Gore Gore Girls", "The Gruesome Twosome" is still an okay watch for people who favour the trashy and silly B flicks of decades past. Sometimes you can't ask for more.

Isn't that right, Napoleon?

Six out of 10.