Saurians

Director - Mark Polonia (Four Nights in Fear Forest, Trail Cam Sasquatch)

Starring - Mark Polonia, Maria Davis (Feeders, Peter Rottentail), and Matthew Satterly (Church of the Damned, Night Crawlers)

Release Date - 1994

Genre - Action/Sci-Fi

Tagline - "The age of the dinosaurs is reborn"

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     I've reviewed several films from Mark Polonia and his late brother John.  Some of their films are cult classics that many genre fans adore while others are what I would consider barely watchable.  The movies from the pair that I like, I really like, but those that I don't are extremely difficult to finish.  Over the years I've seen dozens of Mark's films and I always look forward to checking out one I haven't seen before so I jumped at the chance to see the sci-fi adventure film Saurians from 1994 when my friends at Visual Vengeance asked if I wanted to review.  I want to take a moment to thank my VV for sending this one over for review.

     The film follows a group of amateur archeologists who find themselves running for their lives when a nearby construction site accidentally unleashes two prehistoric creatures hellbent on eating everything they cross paths with.  

     I went into Saurians knowing a little about the film and how it spawned several sequels.  Sadly, I never had the opportunity to check any of them out until now.  I went into this one very excited to check it out but once the film started rolling I found myself not enjoying it like I would have liked.  The acting in this one is rough around the edges but the cast is dedicated to their roles.  I know I often say this with no budget genre flicks when the cast has no experience but it sums up a lot of these films that I review.  The cast struggles with their dialogue and the intended emotion that the scene calls for but they are giving it everything they have.  I wouldn't call this the worst acting I've seen but a few of the scenes had me laughing with unintentional humor.  The story for this one reminds me a lot of the dinosaur flicks from the drive-in era.  We have a group of archeologists who find themselves face to face with the dinosaurs they are hunting the very fossils of.  It's a simply enough story but the slow scenes and tough dialogue makes it difficult to finish.  Finally, the film uses a lot of classic filming techniques that was a little bit of fun but the lack of fun deaths and memorable effects makes it easily forgettable.  Overall, Saurians is not the fun no-budget film from Mark Polonia that I was looking forward.  I wanted to love it but it just wasn't for me.  I can recommend so many other Visual Vengeance films for you to check out.       

Projection

Director - Ari Groobman (Snapped, I Solve Problems)

Starring - Preslea Elliott (Growers, Nine), Diego Garijo (35, The Long Way Home), and Mikey Gray (Under the Bed, Totally Becky)

Release Date - 2025

Genre - Horror

Format - Streaming (Online Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     I go through spells where I never get to review a short but then I'll find myself with several to check out.  Sometime back, a month or so now, I was asked to review the horror short Projection from director Ari Groobman.  I tried to check it out in a reasonable amount of time but the end of the school year and life got away from me.  I was able to recently check it out and I hate that it took so long to see it because I actually enjoyed it.  I want to thank Ari for sending this one over for review!

     The film follows a young woman and her sister who find themselves renting a new apartment after leaving their parents behind.  However, a fresh start for the pair takes a deadly turn when someone takes a sinister liking to them resulting in a hostile confrontation their first night. 

     I went into this one very blind and found myself very surprised by what I saw.  It was visceral and sort of straight to the point.  I love when a short doesn't waste my time and this one did not.  The acting in this one is very well done.  It's a rather small cast with the supporting cast doing a solid job while the film's protagonist, Mikey Gray, delivers a pretty intense performance during the short's last leg.  I really enjoyed her performance and I hope she returns to the genre again.  The story for this one fits the title perfectly and doesn't over stay it's welcome.  We follow a woman leaving an abusive home life where she finds herself at what could be a potential home invasion.  However, once her life is threatened she projects her abuse onto her potential abuser.  It's a clever short that has great pacing and a fitting title.  With that being said, the title itself is not that appealing which could prevent it from getting the views it deserves.  Finally, the film does have a very bloody moment during the film's final minutes before ending.  It's not gory but the effects work for the film.  I enjoyed it and appreciate how it was handled.  Overall, Projection is a fun little short that doesn't waste your time.  It's got some blood and solid acting but it doesn't really deliver enough to make it memorable.  It's fun but not something you will want to revisit again anytime soon.  Check it out.  

It: Welcome to Derry Season 1

Creator(s) - Jason Fuchs (Wonder Woman, It: Chapter Two), Andy Muschietti (Mama, It), and  Barbara Muschietti (Mama, They Will Kill You)

Starring - Taylour Paige (The Toxic Avenger, Brothers), Jovan Adepo (Overlord, Watchmen), and Stephen Rider (Daredevil, Luke Cage)

Release Date - 2025

Genre - Horror

Tagline - "Go back to where IT all began"
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     I've read a lot of Stephen King's work over the years.  His novels and short stories, along with Goosebumps, was one of the reasons I fell in love with the horror genre.  He's a titan in the horror and literary worlds but I would be lying if I said I was an expert in his work.  Sure, I've read a lot of his work and watched many adaptations over the years but I can't verify how close these adaptations are to their source material.  What I can say is that a lot of his written work and their adaptations are a lot of fun.  Sometime back I was sent word that IT, specifically Andy Muschietti's two films starring Bill Skarsgard, was getting the television treatment.  I didn't follow it closely but I knew I would eventually be checking it out.  Fast forward to a few weeks back and I was lucky enough to get the blu release sent over for review.  I wasn't able to get to it right away but made time for it as soon as I could.

     The series takes place in the town of Derry in 1962 where a young boy went missing.  Several months later three more were brutally murdered in a theater where only one girl survives.  One of the theater's employees, a black single father, is arrested for the murder.  His daughter, the lone survivor, and two other students start looking further into the missing student and the blood soaked history that Derry shares where they uncover the truth about Pennywise.

      I know I paraphrased a lot with the show but it throws a lot at us without over doing it.  It did take some time to gain some traction with me and it wasn't until episode 3 or 4 that I actually started getting into it but once I did I was really hooked.  The acting in this is great for the most part.  Some of the characters are very unlikable and it's not because they were written that way.  The cast is really dedicated to their role and deliver some seriously impressive performances especially from the young cast.  As the series progresses we have some intense performances that shows why everyone was cast in their respective roles.  The story for this season serves as a prequel of sorts to It and It: Chapter Two.  We get a lot of insight into some of the previous feeding cycles of Pennywise along with why he took on the appearance of the clown.  We also get a lot of social commentary from the early 60s mixed in with the character development.  It's very well written and works well but my biggest issue with the show was how long it took to get going.  The first three or so episodes could have been condensed to give the viewer more to grab onto.  Finally, this series doesn't hold back with the visual effects.  I know practical effects can be pricy especially when you have a show with eight episodes   However, a good deal of the visual effects look like shit.  They are very noticeable which was good for a laugh the first few times but they do become eye rolling as the show moves on.  Overall, It: Welcome to Derry Season 1 was a great continuation of what the 2017 film and it's sequel established.  While I can't remember exactly how accurate those films are to the written work, I can safely say that I enjoy it very much.  I do hope we have a season 2 eventually but until then I highly recommend checking out season 1.  

     

House of Seven Belles

Director - Andy Milligan (Blood, Dragula)

Starring - Dolores Barcia, Peter Barcia (Legacy of Blood), and Elaine Boies (Legacy of Blood)

Release Date - 1979

Genre - Drama/Horror

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     As I prepared to toss in the final film in this set from Severin Films, I wondered if it would be a film that could be followed or another abysmal watch.  The movie was a bit different than the previous films in the set as it was shot in the late 70s before he ran out of money to finish it while the other unfinished films were shot in the 60s and fell on the cutting room floor as he moved on to other projects.  The film, House of Seven Belles, s a period piece horror drama that did not have an ending.  This intrigued me and made me think that it would be watchable until the last leg of the film.  I was mostly right.

     The film follows seven southern belles whose family was once prosperous but has since fell on hard times since the civil war.  However, they are all fighting for the little bit of inheritance that is left and along their journey is a various characters ranging from rapists, wounded soldiers, and a murderer who is stalking the property killing people one by one.

     I went into this one knowing absolutely nothing about it besides the fact that it was completely shot aside from the ending.  I had no idea it was a period piece about the deep south and filmed in New York but I found myself really enjoying it.  The acting in this one is very loud and stiff.  The cast is inexperienced and not really into their roles in a lot of the scenes.  We have a lot of screaming, flat dialogue, and no emotional range.  I really wanted to like these characters but it felt like a stage play with an anger management group.  The story for this one is not what I was expecting and found myself really drawn into it.  It's a period piece drama that has some slasher elements tossed in randomly.  It does not make a lot of sense and some of the scenes left me scratching my head but it held my attention which says something.  On the opposite side of the same coin, the lack of an ending is a bit disappointing.  Finally, the film does have a few deaths but they are not that memorable.  Honestly, I enjoyed them in the film itself but they don't really stand out and use minimal practical effects.  Overall, House of Seven Belles is not the film I was expecting from Andy Milligan.  It's an odd period piece set after the civil war with slasher tones and a lot of unlikable characters.  It's the biggest surprise in this set and one I would recommend watching.  It's still far from perfect and a movie I will never revisit but it's still wild for what it is.  

Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me!

Director - Andy Milligan (Legacy of Blood, Fleshpot on 42nd St.)

Starring - Natalie Rogers (Tricks of the Trade, The Very Naked Canvas), Don Williams (The Ghastly Ones), and Peter Ratray (The Abyss, Walls of Glass)

Release Date - 1968

Genre - Drama

Tagline - "No one man could satisfy her"

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     I didn't know what to expect when I started diving into this Gutter Auteur set from Severin.  I was familiar with Andy Milligan's work prior to this but it was limited to a handful or so films that I had added to my collection over the years.  He was a very polarizing filmmaker that was not very consistent with his films but the few that I do like, I really like.  I started this marathon with The Degenerates because it was one I had wanted to see for some time but soon followed that up with the documentary about him and Compass Rose.  I was not a fan of Compass Rose but that didn't stop me from immediately throwing in Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me! from 1968.  

     The film follows a promiscuous house wife that starts going behind her husbands back to sleep around.  He's abusive and doesn't show her the attention she craves but several men, along with her husband's best friend, give her what she needs.  However, when he starts to sever ties with her as to not hurt his best friend, she starts scheming up ways to get him back until her husband ultimately discovers that she is sleeping around and not taking care of their child.

     I went into Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me! expecting it to be another unwatchable movie where the story was never finished by Milligan but what I found was a bit of an erotic drama that does have a lot of issues but still works as a coherent film.  It's not the best film I've seen but it was still watchable.  The acting in this one is leagues above Compass Rose but there is still a lot of room for growth.  We see some very well acted scenes sporadically throughout the film but other scenes show inexperience and awkwardness with the dialogue.  The story for this one is a little more straight forward but does have some rough editing at times.  A slutty housewife with a drunk husband going around lookin for strange is nothing we haven't seen before in sexploitation and it's not really done in an original way here.  It works to watch especially if you are going through this set like I am but it's not something I can recommend.  Finally, the film has a little blood but it's not a movie with a body count or great effects.  The movie is focused on the sleazy housewife and that's it.  Those of you wanting memorable deaths will be very disappointed.  Overall, Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me! is very middle of the road and forgettable but it's watchable which is more than Compass Rose.  

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.  

The Degenerate: The Life and Films of Andy Milligan

Director(s) - Grayson Tyler Johnson (Toast, Community Service) and Josh Johnson (Rewind This!, Creation is Violent: Anecdotes on Kinski's Final Years)

Starring - John Borske (Bloodthirsty Butchers, Gutter Trash), Alex DiSanto (Nightmare in Psycho Town, Bad Seeds), and Gerald Jacuzzo (The Man With Two Heads, Torture Dungeon)

Release Date - 2025

Genre - Documentary

Tagline - "Strictly adult entertainment"

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     I've reviewed more documentaries this year than I have previously.  Hell, I've probably reviewed more this year than I have the last two or three years combined.  I love documentaries but I'm not really a fan of reviewing them as it entails a lot to cover.  I usually try to simplify it as much as possible which does most documentaries an injustice.  Anyway, I recently watched several documentaries sent over from Severin as part of their various collection sets.  The first was about the films from Spain following the death of their dictator while the second was on the life and career of the legendary Christopher Lee.  As I move over to the Gutter Auteur set from Severin, I find myself watching another one.  This time it's the 2025 doc. The Degenerate: The Life and Films of Andy Milligan.  Milligan is a filmmaker I was familiar with but I'd be lying if I said he was one I admired or genuinely enjoyed.  I did like a few of his films but for every one of his films I liked there was a few that I didn't care for.  Anyway, I went into this set excited and after watching The Degenerates, I figured it made sense to watch this one next.  

     This follows an in depth look at the personal life and career of Andy Milligan featuring interviews from film historians, collaborators, and personal friends.  We see him growing up as an Army brat, to the stage, and filmmaking all while being openly gay before he died of AIDS.  

     I'll be honest and admit that I didn't know a lot about Milligan before this documentary.  I knew he had fought with his cast and crew during filming and died sometime back but I had no idea he was openly gay and died as a result of AIDS.  This was kind of an eye opening documentary in regards to his backstory and how that shaped his films.  This also confuses me as to why I never seen him mentioned among other LGBTQ+ filmmakers.  He more than deserves to be on those lists.  I may not like all his work but making films as long as he did during the decades he did is commendable.  The interviews in this one are insightful and not always one sided.  We get a full look at his up bringing, career, and personal life through several eyes.  These interviews are not sugar coated either.  We get a real look at him and see how he was as a person.  I really dislike films that gloss over the negatives but this one doesn't.  You get to see the real Milligan.  The topics discussed follow his life chronologically and, in some instances, are very informative.  While some are thorough than others, it does offer a wide variety of what made Andy Milligan stand out.  Finally, this one is edited and shot very well.  The transitions look great and the cinematography looks amazing.  I was really impressed by how well this one looks.  I was familiar Josh Johnson's previous docs and knew he would do a great job but this one is easily his best looking doc.  Overall, The Degenerate: The Life and Films of Andy Milligan is an informal and well put together documentary about a true cinema maverick.  While I wouldn't say I'm a fan of his work, the fact he was openly gay and creating movies during a time when this could get you hurt means he was truly passionate about it.  I highly recommend checking this one out especially if you have no idea who Andy Milligan was.  Check it out.  

The Degenerates

Director - Andy Milligan (The Naked Witch, The Man with Two Heads)

Starring - Bryarly Lee (Omnibus, Studio One), Marcia Haufrecht (The Sopranos, Dog Day Afternoon), and Anne Linden (The Vixens, The All American Honeymoon)

Release Date - 1967

Genre - Sci-Fi

Tagline - "They always go down to the lowest depths of human sensuality"

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     There is a lot of filmmakers that were lost to time over the decades as beta and VHS made way to DVD and blu but many boutique labels have made it their mission to find these films. Director Andy Milligan is a filmmaker I was somewhat familiar with.  I began collecting movies when I was in high school and sometime during my college years I found a copy of The Ghastly Ones on DVD for a decent price.  I went ahead and snagged it for my collection.  One of the campus officers would often borrow this movie and during my last year there I gifted it to him.  Sadly, this was one of the few Milligan films that I had seen until a few years back when Severin released their Andy Milligan set.  I snagged a copy and checked it out.  Not all of his films hit for me but I enjoyed most of them.  A few weeks back Severin announced a second Andy Milligan release and this one would feature several lost films of his along with a documentary.  I quickly shot them an email requesting this one for review and they were kind enough to send it over.  It only made sense to start with the The Degenerates from 1967 which is the movie of his that I had always wanted to see but never had the chance.  I want to thank Severin for sending this one over!

     The film takes place some time after a nuclear disaster.  A group of men are searching for survivors when they cross paths with a group of women barricaded in an old farmhouse.  They soon learn that no everyone wants saved and not everyone is a victim.

     I went into The Degenerates knowing a little about the plot but that is about it.  I knew what to expect from the acting and the story but it wasn't until I was getting ready to put my review together that I learned that the film was originally unfinished and had to be edited together to make it more coherent.  With that being said, I actually enjoyed it for what it was.  It is extremely rough around the edges but it's still fun.  The acting in this one is what you would expect from an early Milligan flick.  The cast is really into their roles and you can see how dedicated they really are in some of the more intense scenes but the overacting and lack of emotional depth made a few scenes really awkward.  Some of the cast would go on to have pretty stellar careers but it's clear that this is some of their first films and used it as a learning experience.  The story for this one fits in with the late 60s sci-fi trend with the cold war in full effect.  However, what sets it apart from the others is the role reversal of the women being the depraved.  The film does suffer from pacing issues and I can only assume that some of the middle portion of the film was never filmed which left some gaps in the story but it still finds a way to work in a sexploitation kind of way.  Finally, those of you looking for a bloody flick will be very disappointed.  The film is very light on the effects and the deaths are not gruesome. The movie is clearly a no budget affair and they did not have money in the budget for memorable deaths.  Overall, The Degenerates could have been a career defining film from a fringe filmmaker but was never finished for various reasons.  I would have loved to see what Milligan really envisioned but this is the best we can do.  This is a must see for any cult cinema fan.  Check it out.