MOONSHINE MOUNTAIN

(directors: Herschell Gordon Lewis; screenwriter: Charles Glore; cinematographer: Herschell Gordon Lewis; editor: Ron Clasky/ Bob Sinise; music: Charles Glore; cast: Charles Glore (Doug Martin), Gordon Oas-Heim (Sheriff Asa Potter), Bonnie Hinson (Laura Carpenter), Jeffrey Allen (Jeb Carpenter), Mark Douglas (Ed Basham), Harry Hoffman (Luther), Marilyn Walters (Della), Gretchen Eisner (Mary Lou Carpenter), Carmen Sotir (Angeline), Ben Moore (Raf); Runtime: 90; MPAA Rating: NR; producer: Herschell Gordon Lewis; Herschell Gordon Lewis; Production; 1974)

“Everything about the film stinks. But it’s fun, and there’s an appreciative audience for such schlock.”

Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz

A comic/murder hillbilly tale about a famous country and western singer, Doug Martin (Charles Glore), living in New York, who goes back to his North Carolina roots with his city girlfriend Della (Marilyn Walters) to search for new material and gets involved in a moonshine scheme run by the Carpenters (Jeffrey Allen, Bonnie Hinson), the sheriff (Gordon Oas-Heim), and Ed Basham (Mark Douglas). The singer ditches his girlfriend for the college student Laura Carpenter, who is spending her vacation with her moonshiner family. Exploitation director Herschell Gordon Lewis (“Something Weird”/”2000 Maniacs”/”Blood Feast”) keeps the indie gory with an axe murder by the psycho killer sheriff, who is angered when Della resists his sexual advances. Charles Glore (alias Chuck Smith) is the writer and stars as the searching country singer Doug Martin. Everything about the film stinks. But it’s fun, and there’s an appreciative audience for such schlock.

REVIEWED ON 5/21/2016 GRADE: C