Herschell Gordon Lewis and John Waters in Split Screen

Earlier this week, we shared our interview with John Pierson, creator and host of the TV series Split Screen, which chronicled the emergence of a vibrant American independent film movement at the turn of the century. Almost two decades after the show premiered on IFC, we’re bringing it to the Criterion Channel at FilmStruck, with six half-hour-long installments joining the service every six weeks.

Before you dive into the series, enjoy the above sneak peek from Split Screen’s first episode, which was broadcast in 1997. Shot in Baltimore’s A.T. Jones & Sons costume store, the segment features “Godfather of Gore” Herschell Gordon Lewis (who passed away earlier this year) and “King of Trash” John Waters discussing their experiences watching each other’s films and, in the excerpt above, bonding over the challenges that their incendiary films posed to the modern rating system.