Meet The “Blue Face” Of Horror!
With the chaotic 2017 Oscar telecast naming the wrong film for Best Picture, it’s time to look at other films that were “overlooked” for the Academy’s top honor…in fact, here are three classic films that never got the recognition they deserved:
“In Cranium-Cleaving Color!”
Take a moment to look closely at all three of these posters, including the “cranium” line at the bottom of “The Ghastly Ones”…how could you ever miss such classic horror cinema?
Now, if you turned the Oscars upside down and shook REALLY HARD, you would come up with the Director of these three films – arguably the worst movies ever committed to celluloid – time to meet Andy Milligan!
Grindhouse Lives!
Meet Andy Milligan, who may just be Staten Island’s greatest filmmaker!
Yes: STATEN ISLAND’S GREATEST FILMMAKER!
Here are some exampleS of his “masterpieces”, beginning with an early work of art:
I mean, the title alone NEEDS to be shouted out from the Oscar podium – but as you can imagine, the creative visionary behind this gem had many more classics to come:
All of these movies are the work of Andy Milligan, a quirky filmmaker who wanted to shock America.
These are films that you can savor over and over again, especially when they include dialogue like THIS:
Dusty Cole: How’s your mother?
Cherry Lane: She threw me out. I guess she got tired of me using all her hairspray.
Shooting on budgets that hovered around $10,000, Milligan turned out 29 movies between 1965 and 1988 – moves that were:
“In Dripping Blood Color!”
While the posters were classic grindhouse “come ons”, his movies were appallingly shot, often ludicrously plotted “shock” films – but that’s what played in 42nd Street grind houses, drive-ins and avant-garde film festivals in the late 60’s and 70’s…
Milligan churned out film after film, with some of exploitation’s greatest movie titles!
Torture Dungeon! (1969)
Bloodthirsty Butchers! (1970)
The Body Beneath! (1970)
Guru, the Mad Monk! (1970)
The Rats Are Coming! The Werewolves Are Here! (1972)
“EXPLICIT BEYOND BELIEF!”
And they weren’t just horror films – no, Milligan knew how to sex it up as well!
Fleshpot On 42nd St. “Erotic, Sensual and Smoldering!”
That’s right, they weren’t all horror films, Milligan also loved deviant sex – and blew the lid of 42nd Street’s sleazy sex trade!
The plot of this classic was simple: A street whore desperately seeks love and acceptance against the backdrop of the criminal element of early 1970s Times Square.
Here is a seven minute scene shot on location – you get a real clear idea of Milligan’s filming “style”:
The film featured classic Milligan dialogue like this:
Cherry Lane: Didn’t your mother ever tell you that you shouldn’t go out with strange men?
Dusty Cole: Bob’s not strange. He’s dull.
Wel, enough said! Let’s get back to what Milligan REALLY liked – movies that he filmed:
“In Cranium-Cleaving Color!”
How can you resist a movie that offers this tagline!
The Ghastly Ones!
You are seeing a trend: classic grindhouse poster art – sex, violence, SHOCKS BEYOND BELIEF! – c’mon in suckers, the water’s fine!
First, check out the trailer:
Then, check out the “Doctor’s Warning” on the poster – a classic “come on” for the suckers at that time…love it! Now, back to “The Ghastly Ones” plot: Three married couples are forced to spend the night in a Victorian-era house where they start getting killed off by a deranged psycho who’s bent on claiming an inheritance they are all entitled to.
Here’s a great bit of trivia, thanks to IMDB: In several of the fight scenes of the film, the crew and their cameras and sound equipment are visible. There are also moments when the director can be heard softly reminding the actors of their lines.
Now THAT”S film making! Here’s another example of Milligan’s madness – starring this “blue-faced” women:
The Body Beneath!
This is arguably is masterwork, mainly because these blue-faced beauties show up for no reason, but they liven up the pace of the film!
Check out the trailer, which proclaims that the movie was “filmed in the graveyards of England!”
In this movie, Milligan captures the eerie horror of-, ah who’s kidding who? Do you REALLY care what it’s about? It’s slow-moving and laughably bad in a dementedly fun way! I mean, you have to watch it in order to find out why these women look like THIS!
There is so much more on Andy Milligan to share, including a book that tells the hilarious, and ultimately sad story of an awful filmmaker who managed to make a number of movies that are still being enjoyed today!
Click on my story here:
I’m not trying to pick on Andy Milligan – after all, he made movies, so bravo for that! In fact, there are a number of filmmakers who had their own “unique” vision for movies:
All Hail Tommy Wiseau!
If you know “bad cinema”, then of course you know “The Room”, considered one of the most hilariously inept films ever made – and there is a great book that tells the whole “behind the scenes” story!
Greg Sistero’s starred in the film alongside Wiseau, and he gives a “no holds barred” look at the madness behind the moviemaking…read all about it here:
https://johnrieber.com/2013/10/27/tommy-wiseaus-classic-the-room-now-a-book-tommys-secrets-revealed/
Let me know your favorite “bad movies” – they are all worth celebrating!
Categories: 70's Cinema, Action Films, Books / Media, Cult Movies, Exploitation films, Film Fight Club, Great Films, Grindhouse, Halloween, Hollywood, Horror films, Independent Cinema, Memoirs, Movies, New York, Obscure Movies, Revenge Movies, Sexploitation Movies, Talent/Celebrities, Uncategorized
johnrieber 
Some more Rieber gore-classics there, John.
They must come under the ‘so bad it’s good’ category!
Best wishes, Pete.
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Exactly Pete…they are examples of really bad films that are fascinating to watch – the guy made 29 of them!
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