Michael Berryman is your host for the second (and sadly, final) volume of Gorgon Video’s compilation tapes. It’s a shame the series never continued because over thirty years later, they make for an interesting time capsule for horror fans. Heck, this never even got an official release, so I guess we should be thankful for what we got.
Stuart Gordon is the subject of the first segment. He fondly reminisces about working at Empire Pictures and talks about his troubles with the ratings board. They show the infamous “head” scene from Re-Animator, highlights from Dolls and Robot Jox, and a clip from one of the short films he made when he was a kid. He also talks about his next film, The Pit and the Pendulum, which he says will star Peter O’Toole and Billy Dee Williams. Sadly, those guys wound up not starring in the movie, but it’s fun to imagine how that would’ve played out if it came to fruition.
The next segment is on magicians/comedians Penn and Teller who introduce clips from their upcoming film, Penn and Teller Get Killed. (Directed by Arthur Penn!) The highlight is when they show you how they did their particularly gruesome trick on Comic Relief. We then move onto a brief segment on Halloween. A short clip of the original is shown and Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers director Dominique Othenin-Girard is briefly interviewed. (“We are dealing with the youth of TODAY!”)
Special effects god, Screaming Mad George is up next. He takes us on a tour of his make-up shop, shows off some of his paintings, and talks about his influences. Highlights from his amazing work in Curse 2: The Bite and some footage from one of his musical performances are also shown.
The next segment features a “Gore-Met” who tells you how to make your own stage blood. His formula is pretty standard, and he’s kind of annoying. I would’ve much rather seen how Screaming Mad George does it.
Paragon Arts is the subject of the next sequence. They show clips from their films Witchboard, Night of the Demons, and their latest production, Night Angel (which was directed by Othenin-Girard, who also shows up again). This is followed by a short bit about Zap Comix. It feels a little out of place, but it’s worth it just for the brief interview with R. Crumb. Most of the time is spent on S. Clay Wilson though
Like the first volume, there’s another review corner segment. He reviews Deadly Obsession, Return of the Living Dead, Deranged, and Suspiria. Then, the Gore-Met returns for another blood recipe before Brian Yuzna shows up to take Gorgon on tour of the set of The Bride of Re-Animator. David Gale and a very tired looking Jeffrey Combs are interviewed, Screaming Mad George is glimpsed working on effects, and Johnny Legend appears briefly.
Things start winding down during the long sequence of a necking couple at a drive-in. They make lame jokes and watch clips from Horror Hotel and The Devil’s Partner. Then there’s a short film showcase, and the tape concludes with a trailer for Puppet Master.
This volume is fun for a while. However, it runs out of steam once it starts veering away from the interview subjects. It would’ve made for a good hour-long video, but at nearly ninety minutes, it ultimately goes on way too long. Still, it’s worth watching for the segments on Gordon, George, and Yuzna.
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