Monstrosity is a terrible film. Every aspect of it is poorly executed. But the real problem with Monstrosity is that about 20 minutes into the film, it becomes a self-aware, over-the-top comedy. It's much more entertaining to watch a film genuinely attempt something that is so absurd and awful than watching one that is aware of it's shortcomings and essentially gives up. Monstrosity concerns a group of young men, one of whom's girlfriend has been brutally raped and beaten and THEN killed by the same assailant in her hospital room (making for a crazy, distasteful, ultra-violent first 20 minutes). The young men (mulletts and 80's getup included) decide to make a golem/frankensteinesque avenger. When the avenger finally comes to life, it's a ridiculous giant retard with a gorilla's arm and red afro who murders bad guys with an ax. There are some funny jokes in the film, along with the occasional bad taste moment making the film feel sort of like a cross between Blood Sucking Freaks and a poorer man's Toxic Avenger. The film does offer a glimpse of 80's Hollywood, funny hair, and almost non-stop repetition of one of the most annoying music cues in history (listen closely, there's a metal guitar solo going nuts underneath that music cue). All in all a worthwhile watch as you aren't going to find many films like MONSTROSITY.
13 Reviews
MILLIGAN MONSTER
kirbylee70-599-5261794 January 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Just to be clear for the average movie fan I'd give this 3 stars tops. For the lovers of low budget Andy Milligan films it gets 7 stars. Thus 5 stars.
In 1980 authors and film critics Harry and Michael Medved created a new genre of film by authoring the book THE GOLDEN TURKEY AWARDS. The book discussed the worst movies ever made and discussed what made them so bad. It boosted the career and knowledge of Ed Wood Jr. whose PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE took the top spot. But it also interested enough people into looking past the top money making films being made and begin searching for these lost "treasures". Among the many directors who were sought out was Andy Milligan.
I could go on to describe Milligan's life and history but I'll pass. Feel free to search the web for info because it's out there. Suffice to say that while his output was lacking it wasn't for lack of trying. Milligan was a prolific writer of plays and screenplays, produced plays, operated his own stage theaters and directed over 29 movies. But most fall into the category of bad films and are viewed now through the lens of those willing to overlook the problems and dig deeper into those films, noting the lack of expertise but the enthusiasm that was on display. Milligan was a man who wanted to make movies and that's what he did.
Which brings us to MONSTROSITY. Let's view this through two sets of eyes. The easiest is the normal film goer. This movie is terrible for those folks. It lacks a cohesive story that will hold someone's interest from start to finish, the acting is terrible, the cinematography bad and the make-up could have been done by a middle school fan. The story involves three friends who are tired of the local gangs terrorizing the neighborhood, especially when one's girlfriend is raped by the bad guys. Recalling the tale of the Golem who Jews would form from clay and bring to life to defend them, they decide to do the same creating a creature made of body and animal parts from the local morgue. Their creation has an orange afro, buck teeth, a glob for one eye and the mentality of a child. But he's strong and does what they want. He also finds love with the victim of one of the gang's outings. But can he be controlled?
Those genre fans who want to see movies like this will find the movie a delight. It's just bad enough that they'll be laughing at bits and at the same time appreciating the fact that while Milligan might not have been technically adept he did have a love of the horror genre that led him to at least attempt making a movie. The character of Frankie, the creature, will have them quoting him and imitating his mannerisms while at the same time noting how bad he looks. It's trash cinema at its best.
Most people will find the movie incredibly stupid and lacking in most anything movie fans want. But that hasn't stopped Garagehouse Pictures from releasing the movie in blu-ray format with several extras that fans of Milligan will enjoy. Garagehouse is the little engine that could of disc releases. They don't release a ton of movies non-stop and they don't release what would be termed blockbusters. They cater to that niche market of die-hard movie fans looking for something extra, something different. Not only do they cater to that crowd they embrace them and provide them with the best quality releases of movies that have been considered lost. They are a treasure for the real cinephiles out there.
Garagehouse has brought the movie back and restored it presenting it in HD format for the first time ever. With loving care they've made the movie look fresh and new, as good as could be expected. They've also included enough extras to please the fans which include an audio commentary with Milligan biographer Jimmy McDonough & Charlie Beesley, an audio commentary with Andrew Repasky McElhinney, Greg Giovanni & Dan Buskirk, "Matsui s Monstrosities: An Interview with a Make-Up Man", outtakes, a still gallery, trailers from other Andy Milligan films, liner notes by Jason Coffman, deleted scenes, trailers from other Garagehouse Pictures films, cover art by Stephen Romano and slip sleeve art by Justin Miller. They're limiting this to just 1,000 units to if you're a Milligan fan or looking for something truly different then make sure you order your copy today.
In 1980 authors and film critics Harry and Michael Medved created a new genre of film by authoring the book THE GOLDEN TURKEY AWARDS. The book discussed the worst movies ever made and discussed what made them so bad. It boosted the career and knowledge of Ed Wood Jr. whose PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE took the top spot. But it also interested enough people into looking past the top money making films being made and begin searching for these lost "treasures". Among the many directors who were sought out was Andy Milligan.
I could go on to describe Milligan's life and history but I'll pass. Feel free to search the web for info because it's out there. Suffice to say that while his output was lacking it wasn't for lack of trying. Milligan was a prolific writer of plays and screenplays, produced plays, operated his own stage theaters and directed over 29 movies. But most fall into the category of bad films and are viewed now through the lens of those willing to overlook the problems and dig deeper into those films, noting the lack of expertise but the enthusiasm that was on display. Milligan was a man who wanted to make movies and that's what he did.
Which brings us to MONSTROSITY. Let's view this through two sets of eyes. The easiest is the normal film goer. This movie is terrible for those folks. It lacks a cohesive story that will hold someone's interest from start to finish, the acting is terrible, the cinematography bad and the make-up could have been done by a middle school fan. The story involves three friends who are tired of the local gangs terrorizing the neighborhood, especially when one's girlfriend is raped by the bad guys. Recalling the tale of the Golem who Jews would form from clay and bring to life to defend them, they decide to do the same creating a creature made of body and animal parts from the local morgue. Their creation has an orange afro, buck teeth, a glob for one eye and the mentality of a child. But he's strong and does what they want. He also finds love with the victim of one of the gang's outings. But can he be controlled?
Those genre fans who want to see movies like this will find the movie a delight. It's just bad enough that they'll be laughing at bits and at the same time appreciating the fact that while Milligan might not have been technically adept he did have a love of the horror genre that led him to at least attempt making a movie. The character of Frankie, the creature, will have them quoting him and imitating his mannerisms while at the same time noting how bad he looks. It's trash cinema at its best.
Most people will find the movie incredibly stupid and lacking in most anything movie fans want. But that hasn't stopped Garagehouse Pictures from releasing the movie in blu-ray format with several extras that fans of Milligan will enjoy. Garagehouse is the little engine that could of disc releases. They don't release a ton of movies non-stop and they don't release what would be termed blockbusters. They cater to that niche market of die-hard movie fans looking for something extra, something different. Not only do they cater to that crowd they embrace them and provide them with the best quality releases of movies that have been considered lost. They are a treasure for the real cinephiles out there.
Garagehouse has brought the movie back and restored it presenting it in HD format for the first time ever. With loving care they've made the movie look fresh and new, as good as could be expected. They've also included enough extras to please the fans which include an audio commentary with Milligan biographer Jimmy McDonough & Charlie Beesley, an audio commentary with Andrew Repasky McElhinney, Greg Giovanni & Dan Buskirk, "Matsui s Monstrosities: An Interview with a Make-Up Man", outtakes, a still gallery, trailers from other Andy Milligan films, liner notes by Jason Coffman, deleted scenes, trailers from other Garagehouse Pictures films, cover art by Stephen Romano and slip sleeve art by Justin Miller. They're limiting this to just 1,000 units to if you're a Milligan fan or looking for something truly different then make sure you order your copy today.
I'm speechless
ericdetrick200227 June 2004
I don't even know what to say about what I witnessed while viewing this film. It is a really bad movie, but worth being part of my collection. The gore scenes are entertaining, not bad, but not executed the best. This sort of has a Troma quality to it, that is the only comparison I can give it.
I believe this was Andy Milliagan's last film. He definitely went out in appropriate b-movie style...or should I say c-movie?
This is only for the viewer who has patience. A lot of patience. I sort of felt the same way I did after I saw my first porn video. You know, asking questions like, "Where did they get these people from- to do this on film".
I believe this was Andy Milliagan's last film. He definitely went out in appropriate b-movie style...or should I say c-movie?
This is only for the viewer who has patience. A lot of patience. I sort of felt the same way I did after I saw my first porn video. You know, asking questions like, "Where did they get these people from- to do this on film".
Absolutely horrible.
BA_Harrison26 July 2018
Effectively combining comedy and horror is a skill, one that Staten Island auteur Andy Milligan clearly never mastered. Monstrosity, one of the director's last movies, starts life as a straight-up exploitation flick, with a trio of thugs terrorising a Los Angeles neighbourhood, slashing the neck of an old man, hijacking a car, and beating and raping a young woman named Ronnie (Audra Marie Ribeiro). Then, to ensure that Ronnie doesn't identify them to the police, the gang's leader pays the girl a visit in hospital, cutting open her belly and yanking out her intestines (a messy moment guaranteed to please gore-hounds). Understandably, Ronnie's boyfriend Mark is a little upset and wants revenge.
At this point, Milligan abruptly changes tack, having Mark and his friends Scott and Carlos come up with a preposterous plot to even the score: build a 'golem' from human and animal body parts stolen from med school, and send him to kill the baddies. As the pals clumsily stitch together their creation, who they call Frankie, it quickly becomes apparent that Monstrosity is actually a horror comedy - a really inept one. As matters progress, Milligan proves time and time again that he is one of the worst film-makers ever, with scene after cringeworthy scene of utter drivel that is neither scary nor funny. Just when you think it can't get any worse, Milligan proves that it can. Building a monster for revenge is dumb; making him wear a bright orange afro wig and sweatband is dumber. Having Frankie (Hal Borske) fall in love with a mentally challenged punk called Jamie (Carrie Anita) is ridiculous; their marriage conducted by a guardian angel called Angelo (Joel Weiss) is even more so.
As with the other Milligan movies it has been my misfortune to see, the direction is terrible, the editing clumsy and the performances amateurish. According to Wikipedia, Milligan didn't drink and was anti-drugs, but its hard to believe that this is the work of someone not 'under the influence' - it's that bat-s**t crazy and so utterly dreadful. The aforementioned disembowellment is definitely the film's highlight, and there are a couple of other cheap but enjoyable gore effects, but none of that counts for much when the rest of the film is so bloody awful.
1.5/10, rounded up to 2 for IMDb.
At this point, Milligan abruptly changes tack, having Mark and his friends Scott and Carlos come up with a preposterous plot to even the score: build a 'golem' from human and animal body parts stolen from med school, and send him to kill the baddies. As the pals clumsily stitch together their creation, who they call Frankie, it quickly becomes apparent that Monstrosity is actually a horror comedy - a really inept one. As matters progress, Milligan proves time and time again that he is one of the worst film-makers ever, with scene after cringeworthy scene of utter drivel that is neither scary nor funny. Just when you think it can't get any worse, Milligan proves that it can. Building a monster for revenge is dumb; making him wear a bright orange afro wig and sweatband is dumber. Having Frankie (Hal Borske) fall in love with a mentally challenged punk called Jamie (Carrie Anita) is ridiculous; their marriage conducted by a guardian angel called Angelo (Joel Weiss) is even more so.
As with the other Milligan movies it has been my misfortune to see, the direction is terrible, the editing clumsy and the performances amateurish. According to Wikipedia, Milligan didn't drink and was anti-drugs, but its hard to believe that this is the work of someone not 'under the influence' - it's that bat-s**t crazy and so utterly dreadful. The aforementioned disembowellment is definitely the film's highlight, and there are a couple of other cheap but enjoyable gore effects, but none of that counts for much when the rest of the film is so bloody awful.
1.5/10, rounded up to 2 for IMDb.
WORST MOVIE EVER MADE!!!
Zombie_Queen10 November 2003
Ok, so you guys thought Ed Wood was a hack? Worst director ever? I think you need to re-evaluate your previous ideals and look into Andy Milligan. Although I state worst director does not in return mean that I think he's horrible. I would like to see Milligan become another director with one of those cult like followings. Monstrosity was one of those films where I had to sit myself down and say "I only paid $7.99, I only paid $7.99," but I did enjoy it..for $7.99 (I bought the double feature dvd that also featured Weisman's Graverobbers aka Dead Mate). This is one of those films where you have to go in with an open mind...I was laughing...but I'm not even sure if it was a good laugh or an "I'm slowly going insane" laugh..The ending of the movie didn't seem quite right along with bits and pieces of the movie..but I'm sure that's just due to an extremely low budget. For hardcore horror fans and open minded movie lovers I suggest this film but with caution. May cause mild post traumatic stress disorder due to the extreme weirdness. Enjoy! And remember Frankie loves Teddy!
Definitely lives up to its title
udar5520 February 2012
After his girlfriend is murdered by some punks, Mark (David Homb) does the only natural thing to do - he and his two friends play Dr. Frankenstein and construct a monster to get revenge. They end up with Frankie (Hal Borske), a mixture of man and gorilla (!) who they give punk clothes and a red afro wig. Frankie does their bidding rather easily and offs the punks before the 1 hour mark. The rest has Frankie falling for punk rockette Jaimie (Carrie Anita) and the guys getting power hungry with their new creation. So how does Milligan fare in the 1980s? Well, his film definitely looks better than the 1970s efforts I've seen (THE GHASTLY ONES, BLOODTHIRSTY BUTCHERS), but it still has the same flat direction. It wasn't until about a half hour into this that I realized it was supposed to be a comedy, a fact cleverly hidden by the awful acting on display. The special effects are a slight notch above Milligan's earlier efforts. Look for the same severed hand to be used twice. Also look for a police suspect photo book that shows the pages are empty with every turn and a crew member reflected in a mirror in the guys' garage/lab.
Love
BandSAboutMovies20 August 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Three maniacs - Clay (Tommy Voager), Kyle (Joe Darrel) and Savage (Charles Prior) - have assaulted Ronnie (Audra Marie Ribeiro) and then Clay goes even further, dressing as an orderly and killing her as she heals in a hospital bed, then even going further to tear the pages out of the police mugshot book that has their photos.
Her boyfriend Mark (David Homb) is, as you can imagine, destroyed. He tells his friends Scott (Michael Lunsford and Carlos (Joe Balogh) that he wants revenge, but then they bring him down to Earth. He could go to jail. Worse, he could be killed. But, Carlos wonders, what if they made a golem?
It's at this point that you realize that this movie is not a normal movie and instead you are in the world of Andy Milligan. Carlos studied religion in college and man, if I knew they taught you how to make golem, well, I wouldn't have gone to art school. Scott goes to med school and has some dead bodies. I have no idea where they got the gorilla parts, to be honest. And soon, Frankie (Haal Borske) is ready to hunt down those three people who ruined Mark's life.
That's when Milligan decides that maybe instead of this being a revenge-o-matic, it should be a comedy about Frankenstein trying to fit in and his love story with a girl named Jamie Lee Curtis Wackowski (Carrie Anita), who helpfully explains that her mother is obsessed with horror movies. Seeing as how this movie was made nine years after Halloween...
This movie has the wildest punks - these ones blow away the TV ones on Quincy - and for some reason, Frankie kills the gang leader first. Who knows why, yet again. Mark and Scott are also using Frankie to kill every criminal in the city and there's also a guardian angel (Joel Weiss) who tells Frankie and Jamie Lee that God wants them together.
This movie is pretty much as weird as you can get and who knew that it would come at the end of a lifetime of odd movies, an almost hopeful monster movie made far from Staten Island.
Her boyfriend Mark (David Homb) is, as you can imagine, destroyed. He tells his friends Scott (Michael Lunsford and Carlos (Joe Balogh) that he wants revenge, but then they bring him down to Earth. He could go to jail. Worse, he could be killed. But, Carlos wonders, what if they made a golem?
It's at this point that you realize that this movie is not a normal movie and instead you are in the world of Andy Milligan. Carlos studied religion in college and man, if I knew they taught you how to make golem, well, I wouldn't have gone to art school. Scott goes to med school and has some dead bodies. I have no idea where they got the gorilla parts, to be honest. And soon, Frankie (Haal Borske) is ready to hunt down those three people who ruined Mark's life.
That's when Milligan decides that maybe instead of this being a revenge-o-matic, it should be a comedy about Frankenstein trying to fit in and his love story with a girl named Jamie Lee Curtis Wackowski (Carrie Anita), who helpfully explains that her mother is obsessed with horror movies. Seeing as how this movie was made nine years after Halloween...
This movie has the wildest punks - these ones blow away the TV ones on Quincy - and for some reason, Frankie kills the gang leader first. Who knows why, yet again. Mark and Scott are also using Frankie to kill every criminal in the city and there's also a guardian angel (Joel Weiss) who tells Frankie and Jamie Lee that God wants them together.
This movie is pretty much as weird as you can get and who knew that it would come at the end of a lifetime of odd movies, an almost hopeful monster movie made far from Staten Island.
Bargain basement gore
Leofwine_draca13 July 2018
Warning: Spoilers
So it turns out that notorious trash director Andy Milligan kept on making his trashy movies right up until his death, and MONSTROSITY is one of his latter-day productions. It's a cheapie re-run of the Frankenstein story, with some college goofballs deciding to build a monster from various body parts which they randomly call a Golem for some reason. They then use said creature to get revenge on a gang of murderous thugs, but romance blossoms instead. This is bargain basement stuff, embarrassingly poor in all aspects, although it does have a lot of cheap prosthetic gore effects with blood sprays and entrails across the screen at various points. I was amused to see David Homb, of the PHANTASMAGORIA video game fame, in a typically over-the-top role as one of the students. The film's attempts at wacky humour are even worse than its attempts at comedy.
A rare treat!
Drive-In-Freak30 November 2004
Can the cast act? Is it supposed to be day or night? Is there any continuity at all? Come on. Give it a rest.It's a Milligan film. It's not perfect,but that's kinda the point. Turn off your mind,relax,and enjoy.The Andy Milligan films I've seen have this strange almost out of this world quality to them that I really like,and this one is one of the strangest.Hal Borske is at it again with yet another set of goofy fake dime-store teeth.This time he's "Frankie" a lovable meat cleaver wielding maniac who chops the bad guys into little bits.Who couldn't love a child like creature who was built in a garage with spare parts from the morgue and animal vet with a red clown wig on? Sounds like fun to me.
What we have in store here is lots of cheezy gore ,violence,and downright hilarity.It's all done with a budget of about $37.62 not including the price of some of the local butcher's left-over guts.I just love stuff like this. Chances are you will too.This one is a real treat for lovers of drive-in cheeze.
8.75/10 on the drive-in-freak-o-meter...a must see 8)
What we have in store here is lots of cheezy gore ,violence,and downright hilarity.It's all done with a budget of about $37.62 not including the price of some of the local butcher's left-over guts.I just love stuff like this. Chances are you will too.This one is a real treat for lovers of drive-in cheeze.
8.75/10 on the drive-in-freak-o-meter...a must see 8)
Unique and Loopy
soltan_gris10 December 2003
I have seen a lot of film and honestly I have never seen anything quite like this (it is my first Milligan film). The film starts with a serious tone of rape and murder. The production level being pretty minimal. Then the film turns wierdly slapstick, it's like watching an 80s version of Laurel and Hardy. Then you get gore that would be pretty grim if it was done at any level of realism. This gore is so inept you would think that Milligan went out of his way to make it look so bad! Women get brutalized, a smidgen of bare breast, then back to slapstick. The camera work is professional at times and then you yet shots and editing that are again almost purposely bad. The dialogue is pretty much all bad.
I enjoyed it very much. I will learn more about Milligan as I watch more of his films but it appears to me that he has more purpose and style than any lack of talent. Oh, and almost everyone who sees this will hate it. Those that will enjoy it... well, you know who you are!
I enjoyed it very much. I will learn more about Milligan as I watch more of his films but it appears to me that he has more purpose and style than any lack of talent. Oh, and almost everyone who sees this will hate it. Those that will enjoy it... well, you know who you are!
un-freakin'-believable!
silentgmusic10 December 2003
Warning: Spoilers
Warning----spoilers, but with an Andy Milligan film, who cares?
Okay, I'm no expert on Milligan films. I am an avid watcher of bad films, and Milligan's "Bloodthirsty Butchers" definitely fits into that category, with bad acting and sound, grainy hand-held photography (by Milligan) and a plot that rips on Sweeney Todd in all the right (or should I say, wrong) ways. There is a slant on violence to women, which I personally do not like watching but Milligan seems to revel in. It is interesting that even as far back as the late 1960's, this auteur from Minnesota (if I remember correct) was working out his sexual frustrations in such an "in your face" way that you can't help but to say, "Man, this guy really hates women."
This unfortunate misogynistic tone carried through to "Monstrosity" a fitting title for, to paraphrase the latter comment, possibly the worst movie ever. (Having seen so many terrible films, however, this is an issue of contention with me. Let's not forget "Manos: Hands of Fate".)
But, I'll get to "Monstrosity". The "plot" (wait, I can't believe I just used this word to imply that "Monstrosity" has a structure)...the plot is about revenge. A dumb (thirty year old actor playing a) teenager avenges his girlfriend is attacked, raped, and then killed in the hospital by sadistic "punks" (who look about as scary as the ones in William Lustig's "Vigilante" (hint-not too scary). The death of the girlfriend is stretched out so much (in a scene where one of the punks pulls her innards from her sliced stomach)that I began to wonder, 'Is the director getting his kick out of watching this poor woman go through all of this?' We, in the audience, sure aren't enjoying it. Well, I giggled a little during the gutting scene, but not because it was meant to be funny, it is because the scene is so overplayed, the gore so cheap and hokey, and the music so nauseating that I stopped taking the depressingly misogynistic first fifteen minutes seriously.
But wait, it gets worse! The dumb teen, and his two ridiculously excitable buddies, decides to build a Golem to avenge his girlfriend's murder. That's right, a Golem! (oh, man, I'm laughing already). No knowledge of science necessary in building this Golem, just a claustrophobic shed stocked with pseudo-lab equipment like something out of "Bride of the Monster". (No, I'm sorry, that equipment actually was more realistic.)Suddenly, "Monstrosity" turns into a stupid, not funny comedy in which the three build the "Golem" and try programming him to kill (by using action movie posters, a humorous idea in a sea of guffaws.) I will take a minute to comment on the acting: So bad that you will get whiplash shaking your head over and over, thinking, 'Who are these people and how did anyone think they were good actors?'
The women are, uniformly, better actors than the male leads, but Milligan makes the female characters vain, dumb, vile, and unlikable. Granted, the male characters are not any more likable, but geez, Milligan could have atleast given the better actors (the women) more to do than constantly complain.
And, as for Franky, the "Golem"...un-freakin'-believable! What were the filmmakers thinking? Okay, I saw the cover of the DVD, which lets you know right away the monster looks ludicrous, but nothing, I repeat, NOTHING will prepare you for the full onslaught of Franky. The orange wig, the Halloween-style "crazy teeth", the "bear" foot and claw (which is obviously a glove), and a gored right eye that looks like a fried egg with a bloody embryo. Milligan, probably due to budget (budget! this movie had a budget?) constraints, tries to make the best of one of the worst monsters ever by playing it for laughs. However, since the film isn't intentionally funny, these scenes of attempted humor are painful, forehead-smacking moments of your life that you will never get back. Not that I particularly cared, since I kept watching...
I suppose that's why I decided to comment on this masterpiece in bad moviedom. I couldn't stop watching the film, despite all its negatives...I was repulsed and drawn to "Monstrosity" all at the same time. What is it about bad films that causes my judgment in taste to lapse?
Anyway, Franky is essentially a baby-man (with the bear parts) who is also a methodical avenger. (Milligan, attempting to be more "commercial", alludes to Troma's "Toxic Avenger" in several ways, from Franky's attack scenes to using the same public-domain classical music which "Toxic" employs as a theme.) Franky's relationship with a crackhead punk girl goes nowhere (except when it figures into the finale, Franky's final nihilistic destruction spree). Franky's "creators" go power-mad and want Franky to continue "thrill-killing" for them. (There is very little explaination given for the character motivations in this film, so not much of the plotlines make logical sense.) Franky is (kind of) the only likable character in "Monstrosity", but the actor (Milligan regular Haal Borske) is so grating, so oblivious to his bad acting (and flubbed lines) that I couldn't find any way to relate to the "golem".
Man, oh man, I wish I could see a documentary on the production of "Monstrosity". Wow, imagine seeing the creative decisions of Andy Milligan in action..."no, not a blue wig, an orange one"..."just do the dialogue, don't worry about acting"...and maybe even an Ed Wood-inspired "That was great, print it." Did they shoot "Monstrosity" in 35mm? I'll bet they did, sparing no expense to ensure the film its "glossy", zoom lense glory. And, Haal Borske, what is your acting method? Talk like Red Skelton in a bad skit and read your lines off cue cards? Did Milligan do a second take of any scene in "Monstrosity?" Probably not unless the film broke...
I will finish my comment by stating that "Monstrosity" is definitely one of the worst films ever, no arguement there. Andy Milligan made many bad films (some people hate them with a passion), but this is jaw-droppingly, disorientatingly bad! The final "twist" ending is a desperate attempt at some sort of sense being made of the proceeding 90 minutes, but forget it, the "twist" doesn't work. The whole film doesn't work, but I suppose that is "Monstrosity"'s twisted "charm" (for lack of a better word). The viewer will not care about who lives and dies, whether Franky keeps the girl or not, or about what Milligan's message really is (because he muddles the ending so annoyingly). "MONSTROSITY" is BAD! BAD! DUMB! BAD! MISOGYNISTIC! BAD!
All right, I feel clean again...but I will surely never be the same...
Okay, I'm no expert on Milligan films. I am an avid watcher of bad films, and Milligan's "Bloodthirsty Butchers" definitely fits into that category, with bad acting and sound, grainy hand-held photography (by Milligan) and a plot that rips on Sweeney Todd in all the right (or should I say, wrong) ways. There is a slant on violence to women, which I personally do not like watching but Milligan seems to revel in. It is interesting that even as far back as the late 1960's, this auteur from Minnesota (if I remember correct) was working out his sexual frustrations in such an "in your face" way that you can't help but to say, "Man, this guy really hates women."
This unfortunate misogynistic tone carried through to "Monstrosity" a fitting title for, to paraphrase the latter comment, possibly the worst movie ever. (Having seen so many terrible films, however, this is an issue of contention with me. Let's not forget "Manos: Hands of Fate".)
But, I'll get to "Monstrosity". The "plot" (wait, I can't believe I just used this word to imply that "Monstrosity" has a structure)...the plot is about revenge. A dumb (thirty year old actor playing a) teenager avenges his girlfriend is attacked, raped, and then killed in the hospital by sadistic "punks" (who look about as scary as the ones in William Lustig's "Vigilante" (hint-not too scary). The death of the girlfriend is stretched out so much (in a scene where one of the punks pulls her innards from her sliced stomach)that I began to wonder, 'Is the director getting his kick out of watching this poor woman go through all of this?' We, in the audience, sure aren't enjoying it. Well, I giggled a little during the gutting scene, but not because it was meant to be funny, it is because the scene is so overplayed, the gore so cheap and hokey, and the music so nauseating that I stopped taking the depressingly misogynistic first fifteen minutes seriously.
But wait, it gets worse! The dumb teen, and his two ridiculously excitable buddies, decides to build a Golem to avenge his girlfriend's murder. That's right, a Golem! (oh, man, I'm laughing already). No knowledge of science necessary in building this Golem, just a claustrophobic shed stocked with pseudo-lab equipment like something out of "Bride of the Monster". (No, I'm sorry, that equipment actually was more realistic.)Suddenly, "Monstrosity" turns into a stupid, not funny comedy in which the three build the "Golem" and try programming him to kill (by using action movie posters, a humorous idea in a sea of guffaws.) I will take a minute to comment on the acting: So bad that you will get whiplash shaking your head over and over, thinking, 'Who are these people and how did anyone think they were good actors?'
The women are, uniformly, better actors than the male leads, but Milligan makes the female characters vain, dumb, vile, and unlikable. Granted, the male characters are not any more likable, but geez, Milligan could have atleast given the better actors (the women) more to do than constantly complain.
And, as for Franky, the "Golem"...un-freakin'-believable! What were the filmmakers thinking? Okay, I saw the cover of the DVD, which lets you know right away the monster looks ludicrous, but nothing, I repeat, NOTHING will prepare you for the full onslaught of Franky. The orange wig, the Halloween-style "crazy teeth", the "bear" foot and claw (which is obviously a glove), and a gored right eye that looks like a fried egg with a bloody embryo. Milligan, probably due to budget (budget! this movie had a budget?) constraints, tries to make the best of one of the worst monsters ever by playing it for laughs. However, since the film isn't intentionally funny, these scenes of attempted humor are painful, forehead-smacking moments of your life that you will never get back. Not that I particularly cared, since I kept watching...
I suppose that's why I decided to comment on this masterpiece in bad moviedom. I couldn't stop watching the film, despite all its negatives...I was repulsed and drawn to "Monstrosity" all at the same time. What is it about bad films that causes my judgment in taste to lapse?
Anyway, Franky is essentially a baby-man (with the bear parts) who is also a methodical avenger. (Milligan, attempting to be more "commercial", alludes to Troma's "Toxic Avenger" in several ways, from Franky's attack scenes to using the same public-domain classical music which "Toxic" employs as a theme.) Franky's relationship with a crackhead punk girl goes nowhere (except when it figures into the finale, Franky's final nihilistic destruction spree). Franky's "creators" go power-mad and want Franky to continue "thrill-killing" for them. (There is very little explaination given for the character motivations in this film, so not much of the plotlines make logical sense.) Franky is (kind of) the only likable character in "Monstrosity", but the actor (Milligan regular Haal Borske) is so grating, so oblivious to his bad acting (and flubbed lines) that I couldn't find any way to relate to the "golem".
Man, oh man, I wish I could see a documentary on the production of "Monstrosity". Wow, imagine seeing the creative decisions of Andy Milligan in action..."no, not a blue wig, an orange one"..."just do the dialogue, don't worry about acting"...and maybe even an Ed Wood-inspired "That was great, print it." Did they shoot "Monstrosity" in 35mm? I'll bet they did, sparing no expense to ensure the film its "glossy", zoom lense glory. And, Haal Borske, what is your acting method? Talk like Red Skelton in a bad skit and read your lines off cue cards? Did Milligan do a second take of any scene in "Monstrosity?" Probably not unless the film broke...
I will finish my comment by stating that "Monstrosity" is definitely one of the worst films ever, no arguement there. Andy Milligan made many bad films (some people hate them with a passion), but this is jaw-droppingly, disorientatingly bad! The final "twist" ending is a desperate attempt at some sort of sense being made of the proceeding 90 minutes, but forget it, the "twist" doesn't work. The whole film doesn't work, but I suppose that is "Monstrosity"'s twisted "charm" (for lack of a better word). The viewer will not care about who lives and dies, whether Franky keeps the girl or not, or about what Milligan's message really is (because he muddles the ending so annoyingly). "MONSTROSITY" is BAD! BAD! DUMB! BAD! MISOGYNISTIC! BAD!
All right, I feel clean again...but I will surely never be the same...
Totally amateur crap, but funny in some ways
Deliberate_Stranger20 December 2008
'Monstrosity' is the only Andy Milligan's film I have seen and I have to admit it's not so terrible like some people are saying. The plot is extremely simple to follow : Gang of thugs rules the streets of Hollywood and when the innocent girl is raped and later killed by the gang leader, her boyfriend with a help of his two pals creates golem like creature who will be killing all sort of criminals, drug dealers and other 'trash'... The movie itself is very cheesy and amateurish, but certainly it has some good moments. First 15 minutes are very promising, there is a big amount of violence and some bad (in a good way)nasty looking gore effects. Unfortunately after these 15 minutes 'Monstrosity' changes in something more like a black comedy than truly horror movie and sometimes it's very boring. If you have a chance to get copy of this rare flick give it a chance, but don't expect solid B class horror flick. 4 out of 10 for this little trash.
Awful Enough for a Couple Laughs
Michael_Elliott22 March 2016
Monstrosity (1987)
1/2 (out of 4)
A man's girlfriend is brutally murdered by thugs so his friends talk him into building a golem. They end up naming the golem Frankie (after Frankenstein) and soon they have him killing some bad guys but not long into his mission he falls in love with a woman who also loves him.
This here turned out to be one of Andy Milligan's final pictures and it's clear that the director was turning out awful movies in this late period just like he was in his early days. MONTROSITY is thankfully so awful that you can actually get some mild entertainment out of it. With that said, that incredibly horrid Milligan pacing is on hand and keeps it from being better.
The film is only going to appeal to fans of Milligan or those who enjoy awful movies. On a technical level this film is pretty awful with some of the worst editing that you're ever going to see. Even worse is some of the performances, which are just downright embarrassing. This here is especially true during the scenes where the three friends are slap-happy when they decide to make this golem. The way they carry on is just stupid and what's even worse is the "It's Alive!!!" yet, which is of course paying homage to James Whale's FRANKENSTEIN.
The love story involving the woman is just strange to say the least. There are some incredible campy moments throughout the picture including the actual look of the monster. He really looks like Ronald McDonald gone really bad with the red hair and the really bad looking fake eyeball hanging out. The dialogue is also extremely awful but leads to a few laughs. This Milligan picture also offers up some gore, which is something we didn't normally get.
MONSTROSITY actually lives up to its title. At 93 minutes the film drags really bad and this here keeps the film from being more entertaining.
1/2 (out of 4)
A man's girlfriend is brutally murdered by thugs so his friends talk him into building a golem. They end up naming the golem Frankie (after Frankenstein) and soon they have him killing some bad guys but not long into his mission he falls in love with a woman who also loves him.
This here turned out to be one of Andy Milligan's final pictures and it's clear that the director was turning out awful movies in this late period just like he was in his early days. MONTROSITY is thankfully so awful that you can actually get some mild entertainment out of it. With that said, that incredibly horrid Milligan pacing is on hand and keeps it from being better.
The film is only going to appeal to fans of Milligan or those who enjoy awful movies. On a technical level this film is pretty awful with some of the worst editing that you're ever going to see. Even worse is some of the performances, which are just downright embarrassing. This here is especially true during the scenes where the three friends are slap-happy when they decide to make this golem. The way they carry on is just stupid and what's even worse is the "It's Alive!!!" yet, which is of course paying homage to James Whale's FRANKENSTEIN.
The love story involving the woman is just strange to say the least. There are some incredible campy moments throughout the picture including the actual look of the monster. He really looks like Ronald McDonald gone really bad with the red hair and the really bad looking fake eyeball hanging out. The dialogue is also extremely awful but leads to a few laughs. This Milligan picture also offers up some gore, which is something we didn't normally get.
MONSTROSITY actually lives up to its title. At 93 minutes the film drags really bad and this here keeps the film from being more entertaining.
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