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2,000 Maniacs

Play trailer 2,000 Maniacs 1964 1h 15m Horror Play Trailer Watchlist
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45% Tomatometer 20 Reviews 50% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Ratings
The Southern hamlet of Pleasant Valley was the scene of a massacre during the Civil War. Now, once every hundred years the ghosts of the dead return and wreak havoc. Three Yankee couples are lured into town and invited to the centennial of the tragedy, which turns into a murderous parody of rural celebration, as the guests are dismembered, barbecued, stoned and otherwise inventively dispatched. The last living pair, Tom (Thomas Wood) and Terry (Connie Mason), attempt to escape the bloodshed.

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2,000 Maniacs

2,000 Maniacs

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Critics Consensus

It didn't take much to thrill early splatter fans, and Two Thousand Maniacs! proves it with its shrill soundtrack, basement-level theatrics, and goofy flesh-tearing gore.

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Critics Reviews

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J. R. Jones Chicago Reader 03/30/2019
This is a real odd duck -- inspired by Brigadoon, of all things, with a score that alternates between cheesy midnight-movie organ and high-spirited bluegrass -- but its bloodthirsty hicks have become a genre standard. Go to Full Review
Marjorie Baumgarten Austin Chronicle 03/10/2003
The movie will have you cringing and smiling at the same time. Go to Full Review
Mattie Lucas From the Front Row 08/06/2019
1/4
Nonsensical and illogical. Go to Full Review
Fernando F. Croce CinePassion 03/30/2019
Having picked up a modicum of craft since Blood Feast, Lewis integrates the gruesome money-shots less maladroitly into the story. Still, his sideshow-barker shamelessness remains undimmed. Go to Full Review
TV Guide Staff TV Guide 03/30/2019
This is easily Lewis' best film. Go to Full Review
Alan Jones Radio Times 03/30/2019
2/5
While as badly acted and technically inept as any Lewis drive-in exploiter, the cheaply graphic effects still carry a potent charge. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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J1gsaw P. @j1gsawpupp3t Jul 26 More about this flick can be found in my podcast via Spotify “The Underground Podcast” See more Wayne K 05/18/2023 The genres of splatter and, to a greater extent, hicksploitation, are probably not familiar to most moviegoers. A lot of horror films are inherently violent and blood drenched, so most would assume that such a category was completely redundant. Hicksploitation is the kind of genre you've probably witnessed but just never considered. The most famous examples are probably Deliverance and one of my personal favourite horror films, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Two Thousand Maniacs is an extremely early example of the genre, and it makes you wonder what people in the south would think of it today. It's somewhat a commentary on the Civil War, and how it represented a country at the height of its division. The film is a carnival of horrors befalling a group of North country Americans finding themselves stuck in a Southern town during a dubious bicentennial celebration. It's inspired by the musical Brigadoon of all things, and the concept at its heart is pretty clever. Its not the kind of film that you shout about to your friends. The joy of watching it is seeing a low budget film come to life, how so much is done with so little. It's riddled with continuity errors, poor sound quality, flashed frames, awkward cuts and bad dubbing, not to mention a pretty big plot holes that opens up right at the end. But pointing them out is one of the things that keeps you engaged. The grossness and depravity are part of the atmosphere its creating and the story its telling, rather than just being there for mindless exploitation. Many will be bored and/or repulsed by it, but many, including myself, appreciate its earnest, creativity and bargain-basement charm. See more 07/12/2020 worst movie i saw in my life Bad acting,stupid scenario,after 5 minutes you just want that banjo music to ceased and the remake in 2005 was not better See more steve d 06/01/2020 ridiculous splatter film with humorously bad acting little story and laughable special effects. So bad it's good? See more 01/03/2017 What a blast. Considering its time, place and intention Lewis did a good job with this. Tim Sullivan made a great point, in that it feels a lot like an old EC comic, in so many ways. I'm going to watch the rest of the Lewis films with that idea in mind. See more 07/23/2016 A goofy and sinister twist on Brigadoon, Hershell Gordon Lewis delivers yet another odd curiosity with Two Thousand Maniacs. The small southern town of Pleasant Valley is celebrating its centennial by luring six unsuspecting yankees to the festivities under the guise of being their guests of honor, only to find out the residents want to exact revenge on the northerners for the atrocities committed against their ancestors by the Union army in the Civil War. Armed with a bigger budget, the acting and overall tone isn't as campy as other Lewis offerings but the fairly creative death scenes, over the top politically incorrect portrayal of southerners, and generally weird vibe make Two Thousand Maniacs a must see for Lewis fans. See more Read all reviews
2,000 Maniacs

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Movie Info

Synopsis The Southern hamlet of Pleasant Valley was the scene of a massacre during the Civil War. Now, once every hundred years the ghosts of the dead return and wreak havoc. Three Yankee couples are lured into town and invited to the centennial of the tragedy, which turns into a murderous parody of rural celebration, as the guests are dismembered, barbecued, stoned and otherwise inventively dispatched. The last living pair, Tom (Thomas Wood) and Terry (Connie Mason), attempt to escape the bloodshed.
Director
Herschell Gordon Lewis
Producer
David F. Friedman
Screenwriter
Herschell Gordon Lewis
Distributor
Something Weird Video
Genre
Horror
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Mar 20, 1964, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 28, 2017
Runtime
1h 15m
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