Starring - William Grefe (Cool as Hell 2, Dark Universe), Frank Henenlotter (Basket Case, Frankenhooker), and Steve Alaimo (The Hooked Generation, The Naked Zoo)
Release Date - 2016
Genre - Documentary/Horror
Tagline - "If there were rules to making a movie, one director would break them all!"
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)
Rating (out of 5):
After a couple days of fun and exploitation goodness, I've finally reached the end of my William Grefe journey. Prior to reviewing this box set I had only seen two of his films and was really looking forward to these. Surprisingly, almost all of these films were extremely fun regardless of how cheesy they were. As I reach the end of my journey I find myself reviewing the only film in the He Came from the Swamp not directed by William Grefe. The last film is the William Grefe centered documentary They Came from the Swamp: The Films of William Grefe from documentarian Daniel Griffith.
The documentary follows the filmmaking career of Florida maverick William Grefe. It begins with a look back at his first acting gig when he was hired on as a writer and due to scheduling difficulties he was hired on to direct his own story. Soon he was directing other racing films before helming two genre defining drive-in era horror films before moving on to other films of his. During each year and film discussed we get several interviews from cast and crew that have great stories about working on these films.
They Came from the Swamp is a fantastic documentary that covers the entire filmography of William Grefe as a director. I found it to be exceptionally informative and only fueled the desire to see his other films that I have not yet like Stanley and a few others. It's attention to detail sheds some much needed light on several of his projects while giving new fans a lot of behind the scenes information and stories to enjoy. The interviews in this has a lot to offer ranging from the cast and crew who worked on the project, to lifelong fans, and other filmmakers that were impacted by Grefe's work. It's nice seeing such a wide range of people with so many different insights into the films discuss each film. The topics discussed are in chronological order starting from his earlier films up until he stopped directing. Having each film discussed evenly throughout the film works especially for genre fans who are truly interested in hearing about the behind the scenes of some of these historical films. I love how thorough the interviews are and the topics that go from film to film really works. I learned so much and considering how iconic several of these films are it was great to hear these amazing stories behind them. Finally, this is a top tier documentary with some smooth editing, nice transitions and perfect pacing. Daniel Griffith is a career documentary filmmaker and all the time and experience he has truly shines here. Overall, They Came from the Swamp is a fantastic and informative look into the legacy of Florida's most underrated filmmaker. What Griffith brings to the table and showcases here is absolutely astonishing. I highly recommend it.
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