Andy Milligan was born on 12 February 1929.
Milligan was an important exploitation filmmaker in the 1960s and 1970s. He certainly put some interesting things in his films. But I don’t know a single one that really works. I’ve tried to like his work. Most people dislike his films for the content. They are extremely abrasive. But I can take all that. My problem is that they are mostly pretty boring.
His films were a good indication of who he was. He clearly had mental problems. And despite working a lot, he was awful to his collaborators. He isn’t distinct in this way. Exploitation filmmakers tend to be horrible people. But they generally make films I want to watch. So I didn’t try all that long to appreciate Milligan’s work.
I’m not alone! Michael Weldon really disliked Andy Milligan’s films. So I figured I’d do another round-up of his complaints as I did for Larry Buchanan. But let me be clear: Buchanan was way more talented and a much better person. So I feel a lot better doing this to Milligan.
- The Ghastly Ones (1969): “The gore effects are so laughably bad that you can see a rubber leg bounce… If you’re an Andy Milligan fan there’s no hope for you…”
- Bloodthirsty Butchers (1970): “Pathetic remake of The Demon Barber of Fleet Street…”
- Torture Dungeon (1970): “Cheap gore film from Staten Island.”
- The Body Beneath (1970): “More terrible junk from Staten Island’s Andy Milligan…”
- Guru, the Mad Monk (1970): “Sixty-two minutes that only seem like hours.”
- The Man With Two Heads (1972): “[A] terrible version of the Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde story made by Staten Island’s Milligan in England.”
- The Rats Are Coming! The Werewolves Are Here! (1972): “Awful cheapie about a family of werewolves in 19th-century England.”
- Blood! (1974): “Horrible horrors from Staten Island.”
- Legacy of Horror (1978): “The trouble is that you have to sit through one of the worst written, acted, and directed films to reach the gory climax, where people get sawed, knifed, axed, and punctured.”
- Carnage (1983): “It is a typically senseless Milligan movie.”
Weldon said nice things about one Milligan film, Fleshpot on 42nd Street (1973). “I like this color drama better than most of Milligan’s horror movies. The acting isn’t bad, parts are funny…” Unfortunately, I could only find a complete copy that is badly cropped. But this is a Milligan film. It’s not like it looks great regardless!
Andy Milligan via The Movie DB under Fair Use.