‘Demise his faith – Blood his lust!’
Guru the Mad Monk is a 1970 American horror movie written and directed by Andy Milligan (The Physique Beneath; The Rats Are Coming! The Werewolves Are Right here!; The Ghastly Ones; Bloodthirsty Butchers).
The movie’s title was presumably impressed by Hammer Movies’ Rasputin, the Mad Monk (1966).
Plot:
Guru is the chaplain of an island-bound Fifteenth-century jail. In addition to offering religious steerage, he delivers prisoner punishments, which vary from having arms chopped off to execution.
Guru helps Carl (Paul Lieber), a jail guard, save Nadja (Judith Israel) from her punishment. Solely Guru’s assist doesn’t come free. He asks Carl to rob graves for him. Guru additionally shelters Olga (Jaqueline Webb) — his mistress, who additionally occurs to be a bloodsucking vampire…
Our evaluation:
Guru is fast to homicide when questions are raised about his dodgy administration of his jail and church. When out-of-luck drifters present up searching for the Lord’s assist, Guru and Olga swiftly relieve them of their lives after providing a little bit of false hope. Yep, Guru is a sick bastard, however I couldn’t assist however sort of like him. Guru is performed by Neil Flanagan. Flanagan provides a good efficiency, however he’s a reasonably innocent and delicate trying man.
There are points of Guru’s character that give him a couple of extra layers than your common mad monk. Guru actually loves his jail, and his relationship with Olga is fascinating. He genuinely sees himself as a power for good, and when he stabs a drifter to loss of life (in an admittedly hilariously pretend scene) he reveals unhappy regret.
Purchase Andy Milligan Grindhouse DVD from Amazon.com
Better of all is his relationship with Igor (Jack Spencer), the compulsory church hunchback. His remedy of the hunchback is perversely manipulative. However, sadism apart, he wants Igor, and he is aware of it. Guru lectures the sweetly harmless Igor in a superbly mad second: “I can say something to you, you ignorant bastard, and also you simply smile… perhaps God knew how desolate and forsaken this place was when he gave you to me to speak to… to maintain me from going out of my thoughts. What a fantastic smile, it’s all you actually have, isn’t it?” His phrases are merciless and made me really feel relatively unwell, however there’s something oddly touching concerning the scene. It’s stuff like this that makes Milligan’s movies way more fascinating than your common exploitation image.
Purchase Gutter Auteur: Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.com
Guru was shot and reduce within the chaotic matter you’ll anticipate from Andy Milligan. The digicam wobbles round everywhere. The edits are abrupt and with none acknowledgement of continuity. Actors leap between completely different elements of the set because the shot strikes to the following. Whereas not as exhilarating as Milligan’s finest, there’s nonetheless vitality in Guru that’s plain.
Although the poster screams that Guru is “A GORY TALE OF TERROR!” shot in “BLOOD DRIPPING COLOR”, it is extremely tame. The movie ends in a bluster of poorly executed violence, however aside from its manic conclusion there’s little bloodletting. There may be, nonetheless, one prolonged scene of torture spliced in out of nowhere that’s unbelievable in its ineptitude. Model arms go flying, ping-pong ball eyes are stabbed, and a head is awkwardly decapitated. It’s nice.
Guru, the Mad Monk is just not the very best start line for these new to the demented world of Andy Milligan. Nevertheless, these already well-versed in his sadistic stylings will lap it up. It options the requisite mean-spirited dialogue, entertaining performances, sick and foolish acts of depravity (delicate although they might be compared to his better-known works), and a loving relationship between a mad monk and his hunchback.
Dave Jackson, visitor reviewer through Mondo Exploito
Purchase Retromedia DVD from Amazon.com
PS. I simply completed studying Jimmy McDonough’s The Ghastly One: The Intercourse-Gore Netherworld of Filmmaker Andy Milligan. To say it surpassed my expectations could be an understatement. To make a relatively daring assertion: it’s the very best biography I’ve ever learn — filmmaker or in any other case. I anticipated to be entertained by the ebook, certain. I anticipated a couple of laughs and a few fascinating behind the scenes tidbits. I didn’t anticipate to learn a wonderfully rendered portrait of a one-of-kind maniac — a ebook that paints Milligan’s universe so vividly.
At instances McDonough’s writing had me in hysterics, different instances shocked into open-mouthed stupefaction. And I actually didn’t anticipate the deeply private and uncooked connection McDonough dropped at the story. The ebook’s last chapters diminished me to tears. Sure, a ebook about Andy Milligan, director of Torture Dungeon (1970) and Fleshpot on forty second Avenue (1973), made me cry a bit.
Even earlier than studying this ebook and studying concerning the particulars of Milligan’s wonderful and sadistic existence, I knew there was one thing particular about his movies. There’s a hatred seething and effervescent in movies like Seeds of Sin (1968) and The Ghastly Ones (1968). Milligan places his points with motherhood, household, and sexuality out for all to see, solely they’re veiled behind erratic modifying, sleazy cinematography, inventory music, and inept violence. With McDonough’s biography contemporary in my thoughts, his movies tackle a fair darker and extra fascinating which means.
Purchase The Ghastly One: The Intercourse-Gore Netherworld of Andy Milligan from Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.com
Trailer:
Free on-line on YouTube:
MOVIES & MANIA offers previews of recent movies, our personal film evaluations/scores, and hyperlinks to different evaluations from reliable really helpful sources – multi function helpful internet location. Plus, hyperlinks to legitimately watch 1000s OF MOVIES FREE ONLINE through platforms resembling Amazon Prime, Plex, Roku, Tubi and on YouTube. As an Amazon Affiliate, we earn a really tiny quantity from any qualifying purchases.
Customer score! What do you consider this film or music? Click on on a star to fee it
