News

Roger Corman's Masque Of The Red Death

Roger Corman, who directed 55 films and produced over 450, as well as fitting in an acting career, has died a month after his 98th birthday. Tributes poured in from those he worked with, who remembered him for his energy, his generosity, and his enormous influence in shaping cinema as we know it today.

Starting out in the early 1950s as a director and producer of B-movies, Corman quickly made a name for himself with his dynamic visual ideas and his ability to overcome all sorts of challenges to bring a project to fruition. Even early works like She Gods Of Shark Reef and A Bucket Of Blood show hints of the flair that would make his name, and by 1961's The Pit And The Pendulum, he had developed a style which enabled him to make an indelible impression even when working with very simple sets and props.

Shudder, AMC Networks’ premium streaming service for horror, thrillers and the supernatural, released today the trailer for the new documentary, Sharksploitation from filmmaker Stephen Scarlata. In the wake of blockbuster classic Jaws, a new subgenre was born. This new documentary explores the weird, wild cinematic legacy of sharks on film and the world’s undying fascination. The film features multiple interviews including of Roger Corman, producer of Sharktopus and Dinoshark; Joe Dante, who directed Corman’s Piranha; Carl Gottlieb, writer of Jaws 1, 2 and 3; Johannes Roberts, director of 47 Meters Down, and Mario Van Pebbles, who starred in Jaws the Revenge along with marine and environmental conservation advocate Wendy Benchley, who was married to late Jaws, author Peter Benchley.

Produced by Scarlata, Kerry Deignan Roy (Leap of Faith: William Friedkin on The Exorcist), and Josh Miller (Sonic the Hedgehog), the feature-length documentary examines the sub-genre of sharksploitation films, from...

Stephen Scarlata, producer of the documentary Jodorowsky’s Dune, has now set out to tell viewers all about the shark thriller sub-genre with a documentary called Sharksploitation – and we’re just days away from having the chance to see the finished film! The Shudder streaming service will be releasing Sharksploitation as a Shudder Original on July 21st. The movie will be streaming in the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand. And just three days before it starts streaming, we’ve gotten our hands on a trailer that you can watch in the embed above.

Scarlata directed Sharksploitation and produced it with Kerry Deignan Roy and Josh Miller. The feature-length documentary will delve into the sub-genre of sharksploitation films, from Corman’s 1958 She Gods of Shark Reef to the release of Jaws and the subsequent knock-offs.

An alternative synopsis goes like this: In the wake of blockbuster classic Jaws,...

With the release of Death Race 2050, a remake of his cult classic, the veteran director talks about the film’s political undertones – and how he became the king of trash

To be considered a genius, you need only one great idea. For Moses, it was parting the Red Sea, then closing it with Pharaoh’s army still inside. Bach had counterpoint. And Lady Godiva did that thing with the horse.

Six decades ago, Roger Corman got a really great idea. Realising that young people were being ignored by Hollywood, he began making tons of super-low-budget films about vampires, monsters, mutants, ghosts and moody bikers. The films had names such as Swamp Women, She Gods of Shark Reef, The Pit and the Pendulum, The Fast and the Furious. This was preferable to films with names such as That Touch of Mink and Father Goose.

Continue reading...

Yeah, that’s right. 700!

700 trailers.

That’s a lot of trailers and trailer commentaries and hours spent — by gurus and by staff — thinking, writing, editing, watching and, really, just loving classic and forgotten films. I wouldn’t exactly use the words “world-class champions of the cinema” to describe what we do, but you might. You’re definitely welcome to do so. Encouraged even! (Please do!)

Here’s the press release:

Los Angeles, CA – The award-winning multi-platform series, Trailers From Hell, will reach a milestone on Wednesday, February 22, when the website premieres its 700th trailer commentary.

Launched in May of 2007 with only word-of-mouth publicity, Trailers From Hell has since become the weekly ‘must-see’ stop for film lovers around the globe, presenting a different movie trailer each Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Alternately described as ‘hilariously insightful’ and ‘a mini-film school’, Trailers From Hell provides a lot of laughs along with essential insights into the art of moviemaking.

We scour the interwebs for the coolest movie news and more so you don't have to ...

He makes 'em fast, cheap and cool -- Complex has the 25 craziest Roger Corman posters on display, from "She Gods of Shark Reef" to "Viking Women and the Sea Serpent."

Variety reports that Lisbeth Salander will hack her way into theaters a day early as "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" changes its release date to Dec. 20.

Want another Top 25 list? We think you'll like The Fab Life's 25 Sexiest Celebrity Santas, which includes Katy Perry and Scarlett Johansson decked out in red and white.

Got a million and a half bucks? Then you can buy Renee Zellweger's three-bedroom country home in Connecticut, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The Top 25 lists can't be stopped! From bloody murders to bridesmaid speeches, IndieWire lists the 25 Best Movie Moments of 2011.

Recreating Heaven and Hell is apparently too...

This week's roundup of DVD releases include fan favorites from TV, a scarred comic book antihero, the next installment of The Lost Boys, the requisite creature features, a Roger Corman set, and SyFy's apocalyptic view of the world. Also, don't forget to check out the soundtrack from the hottest vampire TV show right now (well, there's only one playing currently) at the very end of this list.

While waiting for your orders to arrive by mail, you can always catch up on Camera Obscura for free with our Episode 1-7 episodes & recap or watch the newest episodes on Dailymotion. You can also learn all about creature making from our Q&A With Camera Obscura's FX Maestro Jeff Farley.

On with the list....

Jonah Hex

Directed by Jimmy Hayward

Out of the pages of the legendary comics and graphic novels steps Jonah Hex (review), a scarred drifter and bounty hunter...

He gave life to teenage cavemen and candy-stripe nurses. Crab monsters and humanoids from the deep. T-bird gangs and towns that dreaded sundown. His name is Roger Corman. And on Nov. 14, he will receive an honor that no one would have predicted: an honorary Academy Award. The 83-year-old B-movie titan has made nearly 400 films as a director and producer. From the start, Corman was a magnet for hungry young actors, writers, and directors who would work for slave wages for the chance to make their first film. They called it the "University of Corman," and the alumni include Francis Ford Coppola,...