RIP, Roger Corman

Roger Corman, producer/director of classic low-budget horror films, died Thursday at the age of 98.  But rather than mourn his passing, we should be thankful the legacy he left behind.  The films he produced and directed, from shlocky horror to his amazing Poe films, and his entertaining exploitation films in the 80s, is enough to solidify his legacy.  Add to that the filmmakers and actors who were given their start under his tutelage, and we're talking about a man who left his mark on cinematic history.  

Corman made his films cheap, but always with an eye on how to get people to the theaters.  And his films often had some social commentary.  A Bucket of Blood has satirical moments concerning the Beatnik movement, and the sleezy Humanoids from the Deep touches on racial issues and the dangers of science trying to improve upon nature.  Not too bad for cheap films designed to appeal to the prudent interests of the audience (especially considering the latter film).

But Corman was not just a filmmaker.  He was businessman and knew if he wanted to keep making movies, he had to put butts in the seats of theaters.  Nothing exemplified that than Humanoids from the Deep.  The film was a true exploitation feature, with Corman ordered the filming of extra scenes containing, well, let's just say graphic nudity and depictions of what the Gillman was planning for Kay, after director Barbara Peters kept such scenes in the shadows (she did deliver on the gore, forcing some trimming to get an R-rating).  Adding such moments wasn't just to attract audiences, as Corman often sold his films to investors in the 80s by promising such scenes, which resulted in the infamous giant maggot sequence in Galaxy of Terror.

One might consider Corman to be misogynistic, based on the films he released in the 80s and 90s.  But as Gale Anne Hurd (a graduate of the Corman filmmaking school) explained in Beverly Gray's book Roger Corman: An Unauthorized Life, "...he saw it from purely an economic perspective-which is, nudity sells."  As I said, Corman was a businessman, knowing his films needed to make a profit for him to continue making movies.  

I was lucky to sit on a panel with Roger Corman at the 2019 H. P. Lovecraft Film Festival and Cthulhucon, along with Derek Koch, Dominique Lamssies, and Victoria Price (Vincent Price's daughter).  The con was showing The Haunted Palace, based on Lovecraft's The Case of Charles Dexter Ward (though AIP demanded the title change to connect it to the Poe films Corman made for them).  To prepare, I bought a Region B copy of the film (thank Cthulhu for region-free Blu-Ray players), watched the film and Corman's commentary, and felt pretty ready for the discussion.

Oh wow, I'm sitting next to Roger Corman.  Don't geek out! 

Corman responded to our questions as he did in the commentary for the Blu-Ray, almost verbatim at times.  But I got to ask him if AIP had asked for a second Lovecraft film, which story would it have been.  

"Dagon," he said.  But he admitted his budget wouldn't allow for the sailor to become shipwrecked on the island as he was in the story.  However, after filming Von Richthofen and Brown, Corman said he realized he could use footage from that film to show a biplane crashing on the island, avoiding expensive FX shots.

Gotta love him for that.  Unfortunately, that movie never happened, and I think the world is a sorrier place for it.

Roger Corman was a great filmmaker, but he knew his films needed to make a profit.  His willingness to reuse footage from previous films, and indulge his audience's appetite for sex and violence, showed he was concerned with making a profit and finance other films.  And if he could include a message important to him, even better.  And that's pretty cool.  Say what you will, the man is a legend.

RIP, Roger Corman.