THE LEGEND
CRIMSON ORGY is the world’s most notorious cult movie. Some claim it is the first
true “snuff film” ever made. Others insist it’s a hoax. Now, for the first time, the whole story
can be told...
In August of 1965, two exploitation filmmakers
named Shel Meyer and Gene Hoffman set out
to make the most violent horror movie in the
history of cinema. Shooting in the remote town
of Hillsboro Beach, Florida, they assembled a
small crew of amateurs and set up production
headquarters in a dilapidated rest stop
called the Sand Palace Motel.
A string of problems
beset the filmmakers, each
more serious than the last.
By day two, lead actor Vance Cogburn had been
arrested and local deputy Sonny Platt threatened to shut
down the production. The approach of a massive hurricane did
not improve morale among the crew. Recklessly ignoring the
danger, Meyer and Hoffman soldiered on, determined to get their
project in the can.
Exactly what happened on the night of August 8th has been
debated for decades. Agreed upon is the fact that one member
of the production team died in a horrifically gruesome way.
The explanations of how and why vary greatly, depending on
who’s telling the story. Most unsettling of all the theories put
forward is that the death was intentionally staged for the cam-
era, to be used in the final cut of the film.
UPDATE II: Austin Williams’ follow-up novel to CRIMSON ORGY, entitled THE PLATINUM LOOP and featuring the return of go-for-broke film producer Gene Hoffman, is now available. Visit Upaya House for more information and to purchase.
UPDATE I: A feature film version of CRIMSON ORGY is currently in development. Check back here for more updates in the coming months. Further information can be found at Williams’ blog on Goodreads.
With the publication of the book
CRIMSON ORGY by Austin Williams,
the debate can finally be put to rest.
For anyone interested in the underbelly
of American pop culture, where the
public’s appetite for simulated carnage
meets the inner demons of those driven to
satisfy that demand, CRIMSON ORGY is a
must-read. Click the PURCHASE link
to get your own copy.