Godmother of Gore

Doris Wishman. Roberta Findlay. Two of the undisputed female titans of sexploitation. But there’s another name that is often forgotten, and underrecognized, as a sexual pioneer in an industry that wasn’t always welcoming to women—especially those with strong opinions. We’re talking about Louise ‘Bunny’ Downe. In planning for our episode about “The Girl, The Body, and The Pill,” we learned that Louise, the film's writer as well as assistant director (and former nudie-cutie actress), had just recently passed away. The moment felt right to give her a proper sendoff. So, for Episode 15 of the The Sin Syndicate podcast, we spoke with professor and screenwriter Janna Jones about her Bunny-based screenplay (“Cheap, Sexy and Shocking!”), Louise’s importance as a woman in the field of exploitation moviemaking, as well as her contentious relationship with one of the genre’s biggest names, Herschell Gordon Lewis. Prepare a 500 page paper on the relationship between men and women, and join us as we discuss the “muddy morality” of the birth control pill, Louise’s creative drive to create something meaningful, and the still controversial topic of in-school sex education. But more than anything, we hope you’ll accompany us in celebrating the life of one of sexploitation’s most underappreciated do-it-all artists, the still mysterious (just as she wanted it), Allison Alma Louise Bunny Downe—the “Godmother of Gore.”Links:Subscribe to our PatreonRead Janna Jones’ essay, Neither the Nudie-Cuties nor the Gore Watch "The Girl, The Body, and The Pill" on the Something Weird ChannelInstagram with us at The Sin SyndicateFollow us on Letterboxd: Gentry & CaseyListen to other podcasts on Someone's Favorite ProductionsContact us: [email protected]:(00:00:31) Intro(00:02:31) Rest in Peace Louise(00:07:48) Louise in Miami(00:15:40) Rewriting Louise’s Ending(00:22:49) Abortion and The Pill Onscreen(00:31:22) Louise’s Influence(00:47:18) Breaking New Ground(00:51:17) Picture Palaces(00:57:37) Louise’s Silence (01:02:00) The Cast(01:19:10) The Lesson for TodayLinks:Join the community on PatreonInstagram with us at The Sin Syndicate Follow us on Letterboxd: Gentry & CaseyCheck out the Something Weird ChannelListen to other podcasts on Someone's Favorite ProductionsContact: [email protected]