Tag Archives: Severin Films

Book Review: The Ghastly One

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The Ghastly One: The 42nd Street Netherworld of Director Andy Milligan
Revised Edition Published by FAB Press, 2022. 256 pages.
By Jimmy McDonough

This has been one long journey. I started reading this revised edition back in 2023, but for some reason, I kept putting it down for a variety of reasons. There were other projects that got in the way, books I needed to get to that were sent to me to review, and life in general. But first and foremost, it was probably just because it is such a depressing story!

I knew of Milligan from seeing a few of his movie titles on VHS back in the day, namely The Rats are Coming! The Werewolves are Here! (1972) but never watched too many of them. In 2021, when Severin Films released their box set, The Dungeon of Andy Milligan, that featured 14 of his films, I knew I would pick it up. By that time, I had really become interested in a lot of these different low budget filmmakers, such as Steckler, Adamson, Buchanan, and knew that Milligan was one that I really wanted to learn more about. And I wasn’t let down by what I saw.

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Andy Milligan Rises Again!

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If you would have told me a decade ago that I would be praising the work of Staten Island bottom of the basement auteur Andy Milligan, I would have said you’re crazy. I had known about him and a few of his titles but just wrote him off as another low-budget schlocky filmmaker. But a couple of years ago, Severin Films did an amazing thing by releasing a massive box set of Milligan’s work, with a ton of extras. These films looked better than they probably did if/when they played in theaters. As I started to go through the set, I realized that while they are still very low budgeted films, and weren’t the best on the technical side, there was a charm to them that I really started to enjoy. I’ve always said that the more you know about an artist, it will make you appreciate their work a little more. And between that box set and Jimmy McDonough’s book The Ghastly One, I really started to enjoy what I was seeing.

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Movie Review: In My Skin

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Directed by Marina de Van
Starring Marina de Van, Laurent Lucas, Léa Drucker, Thilbault de Montalembert

There aren’t too many movies these days that can really make me squirm, or pardon the pun, really get under my skin. Every now and then there might be a particular scene or sequence that might make me uneasy or even twitch a bit in my seat. But not too often. In the 2025 film Bring Her Back, there were a couple of scenes that did just that. But again, it’s not the whole movie. I also don’t seem to have as big of an issue when something torturous is being done to someone else onscreen. But when a person is doing it to themselves, it just feels… more horrifying and harder to watch.

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Being Thankful

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Every year, people are usually asked, or post something about what we’re thankful for. It usually ranges in being thankful for their family, a good job, being healthy, or a variety of subjects of that nature. A lot of those things are stuff we tend to take for granted every other day of the year. But when you really look, I’m sure you’ll find a little more light than dark in one’s life. Even for us evil horror fanatics!

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DtH Episode 105 – Andy Milligan

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The Ghastly Ones (1968), The Man with Two Heads (1972), and Carnage (1984)

There are not many filmmakers like Andy Milligan. Sure, there’s were a lot of independents during that same era, working with zero budgets that somehow got their finished pictures to play theaters and released on home video. But not too many where their real life was almost as terrifying as the films they made. Milligan could fit into that category. Making over 30 pictures in almost 25 years, with some of the most outrageous and memorable titles, he still remains very close to obscurity. But he does have some fans out there. In fact, a few years ago, Severin Films released a box set that included over a dozen of his films, packed with extras. So why not take a look into this strange filmmaker and three of his films.

But a warning… his films are not for everyone. Some refer to them as high school stage plays that were filmed. They can be mean. Talky. Bizarre camerawork. And pretty shoddy makeup. Nonetheless, they still have a charm to them. To some at least. So, take your next steps with caution, and as the saying goes, “Well… we warned you.”

Films mentioned in this episode:

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The Degenerate: The Life and Films of Andy Milligan

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Growing up in the age of video stores, I was aware of some of the films of Andy Milligan, such as The Rats Are Coming! The Werewolves Are Here! and Tortue Dungeon, just from seeing them on the shelves. But I never was that familiar with him, other than knowing he made some schlocky low budget films. But thanks to Severin Films, when they released their incredible Milligan box set, The Dungeon of Andy Milligan collection, which featured 14 different film titles and a plethora of extras. This amazing set allowed long-time fans, as well as beginners of Milligan’s work to really dig into his films and have the chance to see them looking better than they probably ever have. I know I have watched about a half dozen of the titles so far and have not been disappointed. Yeah, they are low budget, and often like watching a school play being filmed, but I was always entertained by the passion they had.

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DtH Episode 90 – Video Nasties

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Night of the Bloody Apes (1969), Don’t Go in the House (1979), Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker (1981)

In 1984, in the U.K., the Video Recording Act was passed, which required certification of all video releases by the British Board of Film Classification, aka BBFC. This all came about due to a list of video titles that a group of various religious and other social groups run by the likes of Mary Whitehouse, deemed unsuitable to be viewed and thought for sure it would help corrupt the youth of England. The initial list had 72 titles on it, both films that had already been released after obtaining a BBFC certificate but now was deemed too offensive, as well as a whole bunch of other titles that were believed to fall under the obscenity law. If you own a shop that rented or sold one of these titles, you could be shut down, fined, and possibly even go to jail for it. And this all took place, not in the dark ages, but in the mid 1980s. Hard to believe it, especially growing up here in the U.S.

Some of those titles have only recently gotten passed and released over in the U.K., even 40 years later. Blows the mind.

In this episode, we discuss not only the whole Video Nasty era, but cover 3 films from that list, with each of us watching all 3 and see if we made it through without turning us into mindless deviants. Oops. Too late.

Films mentioned in this episode:

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January Giallo at the Music Box

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That’s right folks, since the end of the year is coming, that means that January Giallo at the Music Box Theatre in Chicago is right around the corner! They have announced the 4 titles that will be screening this year, and they are not to be missed.

While the first film isn’t technically the one to start the sub-genre of the giallo, it definitely helped define it. Mario Bava’s Blood and Black Lace is an incredible piece of cinema, if only for the use of colors and camerawork here. Talk about a master class! It is one that no matter how many times you might have seen it; each time still makes you sit and be amazed at how incredible it looks. If you can’t tell, I’m a big fan of this one and can’t wait to see it on the big screen again!

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DtH Episode 85: Modern Folk Horror

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Wake Wood (2009), The Wind (2018), Apostle (2018)

Folk horror has its roots in tales of witches and paganism, stretching back centuries. In cinema, the term “folk horror” was first coined by Rod Cooper in Kine Weekly to describe the 1971 classic Blood on Satan’s Claw. However, the themes that define folk horror—witchcraft, ancient rituals, and the eerie power of nature—have been present since the earliest days of film. A prime example is Benjamin Christensen’s Häxan (1922), which delves into witchcraft and age-old rites.

Regardless of its origins or definitions, folk horror has endured over time, weaving its way through the history of cinema. In recent decades, the genre has experienced a remarkable resurgence, not just in the United States but globally. This renewed interest may owe much to Kier-La Janisse’s expansive 2021 documentary, Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched, which shone a spotlight on the subgenre and sparked widespread conversation.

With the recent release of Volume Two of Severin’s All the Haunts Be Ours box sets, now seems the perfect time to explore some of the standout modern folk horror films from the past two decades. So, venture with us into the remote villages, pagan rites, and shadowy woods where all the horrors sit waiting for you in the dark corners where people rarely go. 

Films mentioned in this episode:

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Turkey Day 2024 Report

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Another very successful Turkey Day in the books. As usual, we got through 7 features, some hitting the low point, many hitting some high points, and one hitting so far off the grid that it would be tough to explain! But we managed through, because we are, after all, professional lovers of cinema! And if you can’t find enjoyment in some of the strangest films out there, you’re just looking too hard at them. These films are the ones that you just sit back and bask in the wonderment, that someone thought that not only was the story good enough to proceed, but that they actually found backers willing to put up the money!

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