Who payed the critics

Am I Missing Something?

Blending excellent reporting and strong storytelling, this is a disturbing film truly stranger than fiction

Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

In England vampire Algernon Ford (Gavin Read) realizes his bloodline is disappearing. With the help of his silent wife Alicia (Susan Heard), humpback Spool (Berwick Kaler) and three green-faced female vampires he abducts descendant Susan Ford (Jackie Skarvellis) to use her to breed more children. Her boyfriend Paul (Richmond Ross) come looking for her and they try to escape the vampires.For Andy Milligan this is actually well-made. I saw the restored version by Something Weird. The color is bright and strong, the picture clear and the audio can be heard. Still this doesn't make it a good movie! The plot is more than a little vague, the pacing is VERY slow (even at 82 minutes) and it all leads to really nothing much. To make things worse the makeup on the three female vampires changes from green to blue for no reason! Also there is totally inappropriate music in some scenes that destroy any power they might have had. The vampires don't have any fangs either! On the plus side is the strong color, the incredible dresses the female vampires wore and some pretty good acting (noticably by Skarvellis, Ross and Kaler). Also Ross and Skarvellis are introduced in a pretty lengthy nude sex sequence which is quite erotic. They're both good-looking with nice bodies so there's NO trouble watching it. It adds nothing to the movie but is still one of the best parts. Andy Milligan made all bad movies but this is (arguably) one of his best made. Still, it's just too dull to enjoy. I give it a 2.

Andy Milligan has firmly established himself in my mind as probably the worst horror director of all time. Despite making decent sexploitation flick 'Seeds' in 1968, Milligan has succeeded only in boring me to death with the rest of his crappy oeuvre since then, and this film is certainly no exception. I really don't understand this director at all; it seems like he's trying to make some sort of point as his films all have a similar style, but somehow nothing comes out of them but boredom. Take the plot pace of this film as an example; it's painfully slow and the dialogues are delivered by actors who sound like they're close to death. Quite how Milligan made this film and didn't realise how dull it was is anyone's guess...my only thought on the matter is that perhaps it was the director's intention to torture his audience? The plot supposedly revolves around vampires but for all I care they could have been clowns, postmen, FBI agents or French maids...it doesn't really matter. No film made with as little enthusiasm as this is ever going to be interesting, and after seeing five Milligan films; I doubt I'll be seeing another.

A well constructed and quite novel vampire-piece from the late schlock auteur Andy Milligan about an ancient all-English clan of Un-Deads who, true to vampire tradition, feed-off their mortal relations.I understand Milligan based many of his horror films on classic literary works - in this case Stoker's 'Dracula' - hence the real and fictional locations of Highgate Cemetery and 'Carfax Abbey' as well as a trio of vampire gals; whose green make-up looks admittedly silly, but they're used to quite creepy effect. The 16mm hand-held camera also works to the film's advantage (ala 'The Evil Dead').Acting all-round is extremely decent; especially Gavin Reed in the central role of Reverend Ford - he is every bit the prissy English churchman as scheming master vampire.Highlights include; the first appearance of the vampire gals at Highgate ('Hellooooo'), the not-so-good Reverend's wife Alicia (Susan Heard) plunging her knitting-needles into a maid's eyes, the Ford-clan rising to attend the climactic blood-feast, the film's most-mentioned scene where vampire Elizabeth (Judith Heard) is very vocal in her objection to the Rev's plan to move to the U.S.My personal favourite though, is where hunchback servant Spool (Berwick Kaler) is crucified by the green-faced gals for disobedience to which the vampire Reverend deliciously croons "Never cross me again Spool(!)"Recommeded for all fans of traditional, Gothic vampire thrillers.

One of The better Milligan films that actually sort of works if you give it a a few allowances. One of Milligans English films, this movie actually is a good...okay...just...story of a vampires and such trying to get new blood into their family. (that maybe giving too much away, or not since the movie doesn't wholly make sense.) Technically competent which only has to survive the need to keep all of the actors in close huddle and some make up that would be too thick even on stage, this is a decent drama/thriller thats actually one of the few Milligan movies I can recommend on any level. Sure it dances the fine line around being a bad movie (and crosses over into that territory a few times) but its the sort of time killer you may actually watch to the end. Both better and worse than I'm making out this maybe the Milligan movie to start with if you have a yen so long as you understand what you're getting yourself into.