G.J. Echternkamp on Virtually Heroes
If there’s one thing Roger Corman is known for, it’s probably Little Shop of Horrors, but if there’s one other thing, it’s giving a lot of famous filmmakers their first big break. Such illustrious names as James Cameron, John Landis, Dennis Hopper and Francis Ford Coppola and Martin Scorsese are among the alumni of the … Read more
The Controversy Behind The Trip
Not long before LSD was illegalized in the United States, Roger Corman produced a film that allowed viewers to come to their own conclusions about the drug. The Trip tells the story of Paul, a straight-edged commercial director who decides to try out the drug after his wife leaves him. The beginning of the film … Read more
Saturday the 14th: An Overview of the Horror Spoof
Forget Friday the 13th. Just when you think you’re safe…the real fun starts. In the horror spoof, Saturday the 14th, a family moves into a new house filled with secrets. The adventure begins when little Billy comes across The Book of Evil. He soon finds that the monsters pictured in the book have disappeared from … Read more
Entering the Asylum: I Never Promised You a Rose Garden
Introduction The house of the “insane” must be fascinating to the relatively sane. After all, an asylum is a world alien to the average Joe, who must obtain any form of information or understanding of a psychiatric hospital and its inmates primarily through mainstream media. However, the practice of institutionalization has suffered a significant decline … Read more
An Insider’s Guide to Little Shop Of Horrors
The 1960’s cult classic, Little Shop of Horrors, is one of Roger Corman’s most well known features, however, the film gave Hollywood much more than just an entertaining movie to enjoy. The film follows the story of a clumsy botanist, Seymour, who gets sucked into a whirlwind adventure after creating and becoming invested in a … Read more
I am Carno, hear me Saur!
It was the summer of 1993 and America had dinosaurs on the brain. That May, the Super Mario Bros. movie impressed viewers with an animatronic raptor, but audiences were holding out for the real thing. On June 11, Steven Spielberg unveiled his much hyped dinosaur epic Jurassic Park. But there was another dinosaur movie that … Read more
A Director is Born: How Ron Howard Moved Behind the Camera
Forget the video game. Long before Grand Theft Auto gained notoriety as a crime filled game about stealing cars and street racing, the Roger Corman School of Film gave birth to the movie that brought the action of car stealing, racing and crashing to life. However, behind all of the special effects and high stakes … Read more
The Intruder: Roger Corman’s Overlooked Masterpiece
The Star Before he was Captain Kirk, and long before he was T.J. Hooker, William Shatner starred in Roger Corman’s 1962 classic The Intruder. It was the young actor’s first starring role in a movie, despite extensive experience in theater and TV. The movie was also a first for Roger Corman: his first project to … Read more
Catching up with the writer of Humanoids from the Deep, 31 years later.
Below the surface of Humanoids from the Deep, there’s much more going on than a coastal town being menaced by fish monsters. The story plays out against a backdrop of racial unrest, with white fisherman and Native Americans clashing over the opening of a new cannery. It’s plain to see is that Humanoids from the … Read more
Ray Milland: Actor Extraordinaire
In the annuls of Hollywood history, there is only a handful of people who could at some point in their careers be considered a true ‘star.’ More often than not, these individuals possess an indefinable quality—mystical and rare—that draws them towards some sort of public image. The masses will flock to the theaters, to the premiers, … Read more
