HORROR FILM MAKER: STUART GORDON

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The younger generation of genre enthusiasts may not be fully aware of Stuart Gordon and the profound impact that he had on the horror movie industry in the 1980’s. But to those who grew up during this home video boom-time  (and the accompanying hysteria of “video-nasties and other alarmist nonsense), his name was one that you actively sought out when you wanted a “real” horror movie experience that was gory and markedly different. With one of his best works (“From Beyond”) due for a major re-release in an uncut form for the first time on UK Blu-Ray and DVD, it seems a good time to shout about his previous work and draw people’s attention to his impressive filmography.​

​“..A good head on his shoulders …

and another one on his desk”

Stuart Gordon was born in 1947 in Chicago. In his teenage years and early twenties, he gained a reputation as being as a rebellious playwright, and enjoyed baiting the powers that be. By 1968, he had produced and written a number of contentious plays, and had even been arrested for obscenity after he produced/directed a political version of “Peter Pan” (which contained anti-Vietnam views, simulated drug-trips, and a whole lot of nudity). After this he continued to write/produce/direct many more plays, and establishing a permanent theatre company in Chicago (“Organic Theater Company”). During this time, he had also met and married Carolyn Purdy-Gordon, who would also have many parts in his future movies, but in an entirely justified way! His first foray into cinema was a filmed performance of “Bleacher Bums”, a play which he directed in Chicago in 1979. A non-genre piece, it was a snapshot in the lives of a group of Baseball fans. However this was followed by his first entrance into horror and would be a doozy!

Gordon had been discussing horror movies with his friends one night prior to 1985, and he had apparently be-moaned the fact that the genre was flooded with Vampire films (some things never change!), but hardly any Frankenstein-type flicks. As Gordon was an avid reader of the great H.P. Lovecraft (the classic horror writer), one friend pointed him towards the “Re-Animator” stories by that author. A series of short stories, they told of experiments performed by one Herbert West, and his attempts to bring the dead back to life. However, this results in a number of freakish entities that track West down and subject him to a nameless fate. Short on detail, but big on creepiness; Gordon thought they would be ideal for the stage. However, some friends in the entertainment industry advised him that this type of horror wouldn’t work on the stage, and he should look towards making a low-budget film. Armed with a deal from the film factory of the time, that was Empire Pictures, and the support of his writers and cast from the “Organic” company, he started on the picture…

Released in 1985, “Re-Animator” is a superb exploitation picture. It somehow touched a nerve with US cinema audiences at the time, and was a big hit with critics and public alike. Along with “American Werewolf in London” and “Evil Dead 2”, it is the quintessential fusion of horror and comedy. Gory in the extreme and with some jaw-dropping scenes (especially Dr Hill’s head and his … err … “moment” with the leading actress Barbara Crampton), it really was something special at the time. The great Jeffery Combs (who went on to everything from “Star Trek” TV series, to “The Frighteners”) is intentionally OTT as Dr Herbert West and an absolute riot. The “Re-Animator” of the title, he has somehow manufactured a glow-in-the-dark serum that will bring corpses AND parts of corpses back to life. Not only that, but it super-charges them as well. This is probably the first (and only valid) time we have running corpses. After West decapitates a snooping rival (David Gale as Dr Hill), he unwisely brings the body and head back to life, with Hill then spending the rest of the film carrying his own head about and injecting other corpses. The main reason for its success was that it’s played so beautifully straight by the cast, and that the gore is so unashamedly spattered about. The makeup effects guru admitted that they used 24 gallons of fake blood during the filming! A surprise success in the states, it was also one of the biggest video rentals in the UK just as that business was reaching its peak. Due to the unexpected success of the film, a delighted Gordon looked for other projects…

“Humans are such easy prey”

Gordon started to look at Lovecraft’s writings to see if there were any other pieces that were appropriate for immediate screen treatment. He felt comfortable with the company of actors that he had forged relationships from “Re-Animator” and his theatre work, and was particularly eager to do another film with Jeffrey Combs and Barbara Crampton. Crampton in particular was put in some very uncomfortable positions (literally!) in his previous film, and yet still gave a thoroughly credible performance. The project picked was based on a (very) short story by Lovecraft called “From Beyond”. Its basic premise was that there were ethereal nasties in other dimensions that couldn’t wait to get a hold of us, but were unable to … until scientists make a dimensional doorway. The film was rushed through production by Empire Pictures, and released in 1986 to capitalise on the success of “Re-Animator”.

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It’s actually a very different film in tone, much more serious with little or no humour, and some quite “out-there” ideas. Combs and Ted Sorel play a couple of meddling scientists (Crawford and Pretorius) who have created a device known as the “resonator”. This stimulates the “Pineal Gland”, which does exist and is known as the “3rd eye” by those into mysticism. Nobody knows what it does though. Basically an appendix in your head!  This has the effect of opening up the human mind to seeing other dimensions. Unfortunately the squelchy monsters then see us, and they transform Pretorius into a shape-changing monster, whilst Crawford also begins to change. Crampton is brought into the mix as a doctor, and Ken Foree (Dawn of the Dead) as a detective. The “resonator” also stimulates the sense of pleasure and pain, so gives Gordon a chance to throw in a bit of mild S&M and have Crampton wear a bit of leather (!). As a whole it’s not as successful as “Re-Animator” and certainly lacks the same sense of fun, but it does have a lot of imagination and flair. There are some nice effects, especially the giant worm that nearly eats Crawford, and the ever-transforming Pretorius. Ted Sorel relishes the lines he hisses out in this role, and the way he delivers “Humanssss are sssuch easssy prey” and “Leeeettt it happen, Crawford!”, makes the spine tingle. It’s telling that due to the gore and S&M references, “From Beyond” has never been released uncut in the UK, until February 2013! It never had the same impact as “Re-Animator” but developed a real cult status, especially in the US.



“From Beyond” was shot in Italy, on sound stages that originally belonged to fabled film producer Dino DeLaurentiis. Almost shot alongside it was Gordon’s next horror, “Dolls”. This was in essence a sort of fairy-story, but with added violence and some pretty-damned creepy toys. Just before Chucky and “Childs Play”, and well before “Puppet Master”, “Dolls” was released in 1987. It told the heart-warming tale of two rotten parents, some kids and some dodgy British hitch-hikers, who are forced to spend the night at a creepy mansion, owned by a salt-of-the-earth old couple (who are naturally witches of course). The house is stocked full of little dolls and toys, who are actually the previous visitors. This is a cheap and cheerful little film, with some nice little touches. It reminds you of one of the Amicus films, with a cautionary moral to it, especially the “Devil Dolls” story in the film “Asylum”. The old couple and the Dolls only attack those that deserve it; the kids and another goofy hitchhiker are spared a grisly death. Mind you, the others have their eyes plucked out and feet sawn off! The special effects aren’t great, but some nice moments, like a giant Teddy Bear ripping its fur off to show its true nature, are entertaining. Pretty much forgotten these days, it’s still worth catching up with.

“A bizarre descent into Hell”

Gordon was now on a roll with Empire Pictures. With his last three films, his credentials within the genre were assured, and most of his future films would have the tag-line “...from the maker of the cult classic Re-Animator” on the posters. He was now constantly writing and directing, and started to broaden his horizons a touch outside of the horror genre. In fact, in 1989, he co-wrote “Honey, I shrunk the kids”, which went on to be filmed as Disney’s much-loved effects-fest. In 1989 he also finished off “Robot Jox”. You think giant robots started with “Transformers” and “Pacific Rim”? Nope! This film went through much wrangling with the studios, filmed over several years (on and off). It’s a straight forward Sci-Fi tale of huge Robots, manned by appointed “jockeys” (the “Jox” of the title), having staged fights to settle land disputes, as opposed to just nuking each other. Apart from some quite decent effects (for its time), there’s not a lot here to recommend, and the production problems show. All I will add is that this is the film from where the “Crash & Burn” fist-bump was originally depicted, and should be immortalised for that fact alone!



In 1990, Gordon dipped his toe into TV movies and directed “Daughter of Darkness”. Rather more subdued than any of his previous works, this was a moody gothic piece, with the lovely Mia Sara (“Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”) looking for her father and getting drawn into a Romanian vampire cult. No gore, but a nice lip-curling performance from Anthony Perkins. It’s actually quite well regarded by a lot of genre fans and is certainly more entertaining than some modern day vampire fables (*cough*Twilight*cough*again*cough).

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One of my personal favourites from Gordon was released in 1990. “The Pit and the Pendulum” is a rip-roaring amalgamation of several Poe stories, which ties into the heinous acts performed on common people by the Spanish Inquisition … and nobody expected that! (Sorry. Monty Python reference unavoidable there). Set in Spain in 1492, it follows the Grand Inquisitor Torquemada (marvellously played by the great Lance Henriksen), as he terrorises the local populace and tortures those accused of being witches. Hypocritically he becomes enamoured by one particular local girl, and it’s torn between his faith and his lust … and her boyfriend bears the brunt of his fury.
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Unashamedly adult in nature; a girl is examined for a “Satan’s mark”, and the pendulum ultimately does some great slicing, it is much underrated which is a pity. Even Oliver Reed turns up for a while, and chomps away at the lavish set! Incidentally Peter O’Toole was originally cast as Torquemada, but pulled out due to ill health and production changes. Imagine Reed and O’Toole together again! It’s quite hard to get hold of on DVD, but does play quite frequently on cable film channels.

​“Hidous, Hungry, and Loose!”

It was clear now that Gordon was a remarkably prolific and efficient film-maker. Although his movies may or may not get theatrical releases, they invariably more than made their money back on the home video circuit. He had also established a reputation for getting good results with a limited budget, and to be able to utilise some of the more well-known names in the genre to good effect. His largest budgeted film came next in 1992. “Fortress” is a sci-fi film, but my God it’s bloody! Set in 2017, it gave Gordon the chance to have a bit of a pop at current politics, as well as present a damned good actioner. Set in the building of the title, this is actually a prison set in a deep pit, guarded by rockets and lasers. Good ol’ stoic Christopher Lambert is chucked inside for the terrible crime of having more than one baby (!), wherein he tries to escape and reunite with his preggers wife. This is great fun, bodies are decimated by lasers and security turrets, and all prisoners have to ingest an “intestinator” which plays havoc with their inner-workings if they mis-behave. Well worth catching, it was actually a cult hit, causing a belated sequel to be filmed 8 years later (not by Gordon).



Gordon’s original plan to make Lovecraft inspired films with a small group of actors, had fallen by the wayside over the years, but he returned to the idea in 1995 with “Castle Freak”. Bouncing off another short story (“The Outsider”), he brought back his original muses (Jeffrey Combs & Barbara Crampton) to the cast. John Reilly (Combs) inherits a mediaeval castle from a relative. He brings his fractured family to the property, but is unaware that something horrific stirs in the basement that will cause death and destruction. This was actually one of Gordon’s first films that altogether avoided a theatrical release and went straight to video. It’s not a bad film, but it’s not really on par with “Re-Animator” or “From Beyond” and the Lovecraft connection is even more tenuous than in those films. Jonathan Fuller does give a nice (almost) sympathetic performance as the “Freak”, and there is a nice plot-twist towards the end, but the film received a fairly lack-lustre reception, which was enough to steer Gordon slightly away from tales of terror for a while.



In fact in 1996, his next film (“Space Truckers”) was a comedy sci-fi. Likeable enough, and with a nice laid-back performance from Dennis Hopper, but it had no genre elements to it. Neither had “The Wonderful Ice-Cream Suit” in 1998, which was another filmed stage production that he had been involved with. Around this time, he also directed some episodes of the Disney TV series of “Honey, I shrunk the kids”.  He didn’t desert the genre though and returned to put a new spin on Lovecraft in 2001.

​“They wanted a fall guy … They created a monster!”

From 2001 onwards, Gordon hit a different phase of his movie-making career. First up was the return to a cherished project that he had never been able to get off the ground, even though he had been trying since “Re-Animator”. Along with “The Call of Cthulhu” and “At the Mountains of Madness” (which Guillermo Del Toro has been trying to film for bloody years!), one of H.P. Lovecraft’s most beloved stories is “The Shadow over Innsmouth”. The story tells of a young man who visits a dilapidated coastal town and discovers that the locals have been inter-breeding with a horrific race of sea-dwelling monsters.  It was something that Gordon had wanted to film since “Re-Animator”. He finally got his chance in 2001 with “Dagon” (ironically the name of another unrelated Lovecraft story). The film is actually a Spanish production, as is the entire cast. The film is not bad, but falls far short of what could have been. There isn’t a plot as such, just the leading character dashing around the village, making one shock discovery after another. The tone sits uneasily between European horror and US style exploitation. However, there is some excellent queasy imagery, and the shock twist(s) and aquatic-themed scares are mostly effective. Not widely distributed (apart from in Spain, unsurprisingly enough), it is still worth a look if you can hunt down the DVD.



Gordon’s next project was a belter, which floored critics and fans alike. Based on a book by our own Charlie Higson (from the “The Fast Show” and a prolific genre novelist), who also wrote the screenplay, “King of the Ants” was released in 2003. Although sounding like a monster flick, it is actually a grim and gritty thriller/horror. It follows the story of Sean Crawley (Chris McKenna, a well-known face on US TV) who is a drifter/odd-job man. He becomes entangled with a small (but brutal) criminal gang, run by Ray Matthews (Daniel Baldwin). Used by the gang to commit a local murder, he attempts to get paid for the act, and instead gets brutally tortured. This causes him to “snap” and all hell breaks loose. Ignore the fact that this comes from “The Asylum” Film Company (home of the “Mockbusters” like “Mega-Piranha”), this is stern stuff! The extreme violence is not there for shock value, and this was before “Torture Porn” (HATE that phrase!!) became fashionable. It is a serious film that just shows how inhumanities can begat worse inhumanity. Daniel Baldwin is great as usual, but George Wendt also appears and his persona is a million miles away from the affable Norm in “Cheers”! Unfortunately, due to its extreme nature (at the time anyway) it became a festival favourite, as oppose to a theatrical release. However, this confirmed that Gordon could tackle “serious” themes in the cinema (genre or otherwise), and critics responded to this…

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Having seemingly found a new bench-mark in the genre, Gordon’s next project was another drama/thriller/horror. “Edmond” was released in 2006, written by David Mamet, and with a first-class cast (Julia Stiles, Mena Suvari, Denise Richards, Joe Mantegna, and William H.Macy). The film follows Edmond Burke (a brilliant performance by Macy) as his life is changed by a Tarot card reading. A repressed and bland businessman, he now decides to live for instant gratification, and as a result several people feel the brunt of his anger. Again, this was a festival favourite, as oppose to a commercial success, and is very light on genre elements, but between the acting of Macy and the writing of Mamet, it certainly has impact.

​“Homeless man lives in car windshield!”

Now entering into his sixties, Gordon devoted his time between his beloved theatre work, TV series, and one further film.

In the well regarded US TV series, “Masters of Horror”, he directed two of the most gory and shocking (and my opinion … best) episodes. These were “The Dreams in the Witch House” (Lovecraft again) and “The Black Cat” (Poe this time) in 2005 and 2007. He also made the only (in my opinion, again. Just protecting myself from “haters”) scary episode of the recent “Fear Itself” series, with the tale called “Eater” in 2009.



In 2007 he also released his most recent film “Stuck”. This was based on a genuine true story, where a US woman hit a homeless man whilst driving drunk. He became trapped partway through the windscreen, but she simply drove into her garage and allowed him to succumb to his wounds, before disposing of the body (!). The film pretty much sticks (hah!) to that narrative with Brandi (Mena Suvari) smacking into Tom (Stephen Rea) whilst off her head on drugs. The film then concentrates on Brandi’s misguided attempts to ignore poor old Tom, while he tries to escape from his impromptu imprisonment with massive wounds. Slightly lighter than his previous two movies (not particularly hard considering…), this nonetheless shares some of the same themes as “King of the Ants” and “Edmond”, in that “ordinary” people will perform inhumane acts in the heat of the moment. Bolstered by excellent performances by Suvari and Rea, it is a cracking little movie and well worth seeing. I won’t say if the film climax echoes the outcome of the true incident though …



That’s Gordon’s filmography so far. He is now concentrating on theatre productions of “Nevermore” (“An Evening with Poe”) and “Re-Animator – The Musical” (!), both of which tour regularly (even to the Edinburgh Fringe) and are smash hits.

The works of Stuart Gordon and his achievements should not be taken lightly for a number of reasons. For one thing, he has amassed an incredibly eclectic and loyal group of supporters in the acting industry. Jeffrey Combs, George Wendt, Mena Suvari, Joe Mantegna, and many others have continually appeared in his productions and vocally paid tribute to his skills. Barbara Crampton, as well as appearing in many of his films, touchingly interviewed him in Fangoria magazine in 2012 (which is full of further plaudits from actors), and proclaimed him to be “the Gentleman of Splatter”. It’s impossible to ignore what a ground breaking film “Re-Animator” was when it was first released, and just how uncompromising his most recent work has been. So here’s to you Stuart Gordon, and the legacy of your films. “You’ve Got Red on you” salutes you as another Master of Horror.

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