PopHorror Let's Get Scared
Just in time for Pride month, Severin Films and Monocular Films’ latest original documentary, The Degenerate: The Life & Films of Andy Milligan, focuses on queer filmmaker Andy Milligan. It premiered on June 11th at New York City’s Tribeca Film Festival and is directed by Josh Johnson (Rewind This! 2013) and Grayson Tyler Johnson (Bob Morgan’s Just Going To Tell Some Stories 2024).
While Andy may not be as infamous or well-known as the larger names on marquees, The Degenerate does an excellent job of highlighting Milligan’s overall contributions to the world of micro-budget cinema. Known for constructing films that focused on queerness, cannibalism, sadism, and many other taboo subjects, Andy’s body of work is rather diverse. While Andy’s the focal point, the documentary also explores the world of exploitative cinema during the height of Times Square & grindhouse sleaze.
For fans of Milligan’s filmography, this provides an in-depth look into the quirks and chaos that have made his films what they are. From characters and plot lines to costumes and sets, the documentary runs the gamut of details. Even if you aren’t a fan or have much knowledge of Andy’s work, film clips are shown throughout that are just as engaging as they are strange. If anything, the inclusion of footage from his lost films can build a sense of envy and frustration because there’s little chance they’ll ever be seen.
The directors left no stone unturned with the interviews as they include many of those in Andy’s circle, ranging from roommates, actors, and friends. The standout is the recently discovered audio interview with Andy Milligan himself. Although it may be light on information, it is the only known interview to exist.
While Andy was a one-man powerhouse who contributed heavily to all of his pictures, hearing from others helps to cement the idea that Andy’s life was built on a foundation of community. It was enjoyable to see that people from all walks of life would comment on Andy’s mannerisms and speech patterns and unintentionally corroborate with each other as they repeated the same cadences.
There’s an honesty throughout the interviews that extends to acknowledging that his films were of a lesser quality. Despite a sizeable catalogue, Andy’s filmography embodies “quantity over quality.” This isn’t meant as an attack on the films, but there’s enough self-reflection that nostalgia and delusions of grandeur don’t mar their commentary. For all the flowers and kudos Andy is given, there is also an earnest frankness that acknowledges he was a flawed man with many problematic qualities.
The Degenerate: The Life & Films of Andy Milligan is an engaging watch on a fascinating but troubled man. Any fan of low-budget schlock should give this a watch to learn about an underrated figure of 42nd Street. We need not wonder if eccentric filmmakers like John Waters had gone the path of blood and gore, because we have Andy Milligan. The Degenerate is a wicked celebration of campiness, queerness, and bad taste.
To coincide with the release of The Degenerate, two previously lost films, 1967’s The Degenerates and 1968’s KISS ME, KISS ME, KISS ME!, have been remastered by Severin Films in 2K for their world “Re-Premieres.”
