Compass Rose

Director - Andy Milligan (Surgikill, The Weirdo)

Starring - Anthony Moscini (Seeds of Sin, Gutter Trash), Anne Linden (Hot Erotic Nights, The Vixens), and Candy Hammond (The Promiscuous Sex, Seeds of Sin)

Release Date - 1967

Genre - Drama

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

      Many years ago I bought The Ghastly Ones and since then I've seen several of his horror titles.  I have seen his more erotic and drama centered films like Vapors and Seeds of Sin when I think it was Vinegar Syndrome released them.  I wasn't really a fan then but I'm really looking forward to checking out some of these other films after watching The Degenerate: The Life and Films of Andy Milligan.  The next movie in the set is the 1967 film Compass Rose.  This was one I had never heard of before and couldn't wait to check it out.

     The film, the best I can tell, follows a group of drag queen performers in an NYC underground theater where they encounter drug addicts, perverts, and other degenerates that inhabit the scene.

     Like all the films in this set, Compass Rose was never completed by Milligan so we have no idea what his final vision was for the film but as it sits currently it is damn near unwatchable.  I went into this one really excited to see some of the things I had learned about him from the documentary but the movie is pieced together the best as possible but that doesn't give us a lot to go on.   The acting in this one is a lot of fun but it is rough.  The cast really gets into their roles and brings a lot of energy in some of the scenes but the dialogue delivery is rough.  Their inexperience is evident but I still had fun with their energy in several of the scenes.  The story for this one is extremely lacking.  I'm sure Milligan had a story or idea in his head when he originally started the film but I have no idea what the end game was without it being finished.  It's extremely difficult to follow and has very little direction as is.  I seriously wanted to get into it but I was confused through most of it.  Finally, don't go into this one expecting deaths.  We do have some nudity and an incoherent story if that's more your speed.  Overall, Compass Rose was a very difficult film to finish.  While I liked the characters and the cast, it was a rough experience.  I wanted to like it but it's not a fun watch as it is.