It Conquered the World is a 1956 American science fiction film about an alien from Venus trying to take over the world with the help of a disillusioned human scientist. It was directed by Roger Corman, written by Lou Rusoff (with uncredited contributions by Charles B. Griffith who didn't wish his name on the film), and starred Peter Graves,Lee Van Cleef, Beverly Garland, and Sally Fraser.
Dr. Tom Anderson (Van Cleef), an embittered scientist, has made contact with a Venusian alien with his radio transmitter. The alien wants to take over the world using mind control devices, but claims it only wants to bring peace to the world by eliminating emotions. Anderson agrees to help the creature and even intends to allow it to assimilate his wife (Garland) and friend Dr. Nelson (Graves). The alien then disrupts all electric power on Earth, including motor vehicles, leaving Dr. Nelson to resort to riding around on a bicycle.
After killing a flying bat-like creature which carries the mind control device, Nelson returns home to find his wife assimilated. She attempts to force assimilation on him with another bat, and he ends up killing her. By then the only people who are free of control are Nelson, Anderson, Anderson's wife and a group of soldiers camping in the woods. Dr. Nelson finally persuades the paranoid Anderson that he made a horrible mistake about the alien's motives, allying himself with a creature bent on world domination. When they discover Tom's wife took a rifle to the alien's cave to kill it, they hurriedly follow her. The monster kills Mrs. Anderson before the two doctors can rescue her. Finally seeing the loss of everything he holds dear, Dr. Anderson kills the monster himself, dying in the process.
Production:
The script was originally written by Lou Rusoff, but before it was finished his brother died and he had to leave for Canada. Roger Corman called in Charles Griffith to rewrite it two days before filming commenced. The creature design was an idea of Corman's. He thought that since the creature came from a big planet, it would have been designed to deal with heavy gravity and would be built low to the ground. Corman later admitted this was a mistake, saying the creature would have been more frightening if it was bigger or taller. When Beverly Garland first saw the creature she commented "That conquered the world?" and kicked it over. From Wikipedia
IT CONQUERED THE WORLD ROGER CORMAN (1956) AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL PICTURES 69 MIN USA
The Wild Angels is a 1966 Roger Corman film, made on location in Southern California. The Wild Angels was made three years before Easy Rider and was the first film to associate actor Peter Fonda with Harley-Davidson motorcycles and 1960s counterculture. It was also the film that inspired the outlaw biker film genre that continued into the early 1970s. The Wild Angels, released by American International Pictures (AIP), stars Fonda as the fictitious Hells Angels San Pedro, California chapter president "Heavenly Blues" (or "Blues"), Nancy Sinatra as his girlfriend "Mike", Bruce Dern as doomed fellow outlaw "the Loser", and Dern's real-life wife Diane Ladd as the Loser's onscreen wife, "Gaysh." Small supporting roles are played by Michael J. Pollard and Gayle Hunnicutt and, according to literature promoting the film, members of the Hells Angels from Venice, California. Members of the Coffin Cheaters motorcycle club also appeared.
In 1967 AIP followed this film with Devil's Angels, The Glory Stompers with Dennis Hopper, and The Born Losers.
In between sprees featuring drugs, fights, sexual assault, loud revving Harley chopper engines and bongo drums, the Angels ride out to Mecca, California in the desert to look for the Loser's stolen motorcycle. They blame a group of Mexicans in a repair shop, and the two groups brawl. The police arrive, chasing the Angels on foot, and the Loser escapes by stealing a police motorcycle. After a chase on mountain roads, one of the officers shoots the Loser in the back, putting him in the hospital. Blues leads a small group of Angels that sneaks him out of the hospital, and one of them begins to sexually attack a black nurse until Blues pulls him away. The nurse identifies Blues to police though he stopped the attack. Without proper medical care, the Loser goes into shock and dies. His cohorts forge a death certificate and arrange a church funeral in the Loser’s rural hometown. Blues interrupts the service and, the Angels have a "party." The Angels remove the Loser from his Nazi flag-draped casket, sit him up and place a joint in his mouth, knock out the minister, place him in the casket, and two Angels drug and rape the Loser’s grieving widow, Gaysh, while Blues is apparently having sex with another woman.Later, the Angels proceed to the Sequoia Grove cemetery to bury the Loser. There, the locals throw stones at the Angels and provoke a fight. As police sirens approach and everyone scatters, Mike begs Blues to leave immediately, but he refuses and tells her to leave with another member of the gang. Blues stays behind, and before burying his friend on his own, says with resignation, "There’s nowhere to go. - From Wikipedia
THE WILD ANGELS ROGER CORMAN (1966) AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL PICTURES 95 MIN USA
The Haunted Palace is a 1963 horror film released by American International Pictures, starring Vincent Price, Lon Chaney Jr., and Debra Paget in a story about a village held in the grip of a cult. The film was directed by Roger Corman, and is often regarded as one in his series of eight films largely based on the works of American author Edgar Allan Poe. Although marketed as "Edgar Allen Poe's The Haunted Palace," the film actually derives its plot from The Case of Charles Dexter Ward, a novella by H. P. Lovecraft. The title, The Haunted Palace, is borrowed from a poem by Poe published in 1839 (the story of which was later incorporated into Poe's horror short story, The Fall of the House of Usher).
In 1765, the inhabitants of the New England town of Arkham are suspicious of the strange goings-on up in the grand 'palace' that overlooks the town. They suspect its inhabitant, Joseph Curwen, of being a warlock. One stormy night, a young girl from the town wanders up to the Curwen palace in a trance-like state, and is led by Curwen and his mistress, Hester, down in to the dungeons of the palace. The girl is then subjected to a strange ritual, where an unseen creature rises up from a covered pit below her, in wreaths of green smoke. The townspeople, however, observe the girl wandering off in to the night, and storm up to the Curwen palace to confront its mysterious owner. Though the girl appears unharmed, the townspeople deign that she has been bewitched to forget what happened to her, and drag Curwen out to a tree where they intend to burn him. However, the leader of the mob, Ezra Weeden, insists that they do not harm Curwen's mistress Hester (to whom Weeden was previously engaged to be married.) Before dying, Curwen puts a curse on Arkham and its inhabitants, saying he will rise from the grave to take his revenge on the descendants of the five men who burned him - Ezra Weeden, Mikus Smith, Benjamin West, Priam Willet, and Gideon Leach.
In 1875, 110 years later, Charles Dexter Ward and his wife Anne arrive in Arkham after inheriting the palace from Charles' great great grandfather, Joseph Curwen. They are confused to find the townsfolk wary and even hostile towards them, and are particularly disturbed by the horrific deformities that afflict many of Arkham's inhabitants. Up at the palace, Charles is surprised by how well he seems to know the old house, and is also struck by the strong resemblance between him and a portrait of Curwen above the fireplace. He and Anne meet Simon, the peculiar palace caretaker, who persuades them to stay at the palace for a while, and not to be scared of the townspeoples' hostility towards them. During their stay, Charles becomes more and more obsessed with the portrait of Curwen, and at times seems to change in his personality. Charles and Anne befriend the local doctor, Dr. Willet (the only person in Arkham who is not intent on driving them out,) and he explains to them that the townspeople blame the many deformities plagueing the town on Curwen's curse. He tells them of a legendary black magic book, known as the Necronomicon, which was believed to be in Curwen's possession, and which Curwen apparently used to summon the Elder Gods, Cthulhu, Yog-Sothoth, and other dark creatures. Curwen's plan was to mate mortal women with these beings in order to create a new race of super-humans, which apparently led to the many disfigured people of Arkham. The townspeople are now terrified that Curwen has come back in the form of Charles to seek his revenge against the people who killed him. Dr. Willet finally advises Charles and Anne to leave the town. Despite Anne's eagerness to leave, Charles seems to be falling under the control of something, and insists that they stay in Arkham. One night, Charles finally succumbs to the spirit of Joseph Curwen, and becomes possessed by him. Curwen is then reunited with his two assistants, Simon and Jabez (who have apparently maintained themselves over the years with black magic,) and the three hastily make plans to continue their work and resurrect Hester. Curwen's hold on Charles, however, is limited, and he tells Simon and Jabez that Charles' will is fighting against him. Anne, frightened by the changes in her husband, seeks help from Dr. Willet, but Curwen manages to convince Dr. Willet that Anne is mad.
Meanwhile, Curwen begins enacting his revenge on the descendants of the mob that burned him alive. He kills Weeden's descendant by releasing Weeden's monstrously deformed son from his locked room, and then attacks Leach's descendant with fire. The townspeople discover Leach's charred corpse, and decide to take matters in to their own hands, banding together to storm the palace and find Curwen. Dr. Willet and Anne race to try and save Charles, unaware that Curwen has now taken complete control of him, and that Curwen, Simon, and Jabez have finally succeeded in resurrecting Hester. Dr. Willet and Anne discover the secret entrance to the palace dungeons, and are ambushed by Curwen, Simon, Jabez, and Hester. Anne is offered as a sacrifice to the otherworldly creature that lives in the pit beneath the palace, while the residents of Arkham break in and begin to burn the palace down. The portrait of Curwen is destroyed, apparently breaking Curwen's hold over Charles. With his mind finally restored, Charles rushes down and releases Anne, then urges Dr. Willet to save her, while Curwen's associates pin him down. Dr. Willet helps Anne to escape from the burning palace, before running back to rescue Charles, finding Simon, Jabez, and Hester gone. The two of them barely manage to escape the flames, and Charles and Anne fervently thank Dr. Willet for saving their lives. As Charles turns towards the camera, however, it is made apparent to the viewers that Joseph Curwen still inhabits his mind. -From Wikipedia
The film ends with the final verse of Poe's poem - '...While, like a ghastly rapid river, through the pale door, a hideous throng rush out forever and laugh - But smile no more'.
THE HAUNTED PALACE ROGER CORMAN (1963) AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL PICTURES 87 MIN USA
Tower of London is a 1962 historical drama and horror film, starring Vincent Price and Michael Pate. The film is a remake of the 1939 film of the same name, starring Price, Basil Rathbone and Boris Karloff. Directed by Roger Corman, the film was produced by Edward Small Productions. The film also contained scenes that had been edited from the 1939 film.
Richard, the duke of Gloucester (Vincent Price), murders his way to the throne and becomes King Richard III of England. But the ghosts of those he murdered still continue to haunt him as his surviving victims band together against him, ultimately raising an army and killing him in the Battle of Bosworth Field.
THE TOWER OF LONDON
Close in on a castle in the distance and welcome to the world of THE TOWER OF
LONDON. The only reason I would watch a movie from 1962 called THE TOWER OF LONDON would be because Vincent Price was in the house, playing a ruthless Richard Plantagenet. I realized with a shock when Richard put that guy in the vat of acid that I had seen this movie as a kid! I remember almost dying of fear and excitement when that happened,
and I donʼt think I finished the movie. The only reference I have to the story of Richard III is the Shakespeare play and this movie wasnʼt following that story line. Is this the true story then, historically accurate or Hollywood style fiction? After watching Richardʼs hijinks for a bit, I relaxed on the accuracy questioning and I began to see this movie as an awesome Shakespeare mash-up. I caught references to
a number of Shakespearean plays and I wasnʼt even trying that hard. Here are the Shakespearean references I got, you should watch it and see how many you spot!
from MACBETH: Richard (Vincent Price) washes his hands multiple times to remove the blood” ; he sees the ghost of his brother AT DINNER; Lady Anne, his wife, plots and encourages her husband to kill those in his way. from KING JOHN: Richard plots to kill the young princes. from RICHARD III: Subtle hump on Richardʼs back; boils people in a vat acid, wears a shiny black cape (in the movie at least!) from OTHELLO: Richard wears a moorish-looking hat, his main counselor plays him Iago-style. from HAMLET: Richard sees more ghosts, sees his brotherʼs ghost OUTSIDE; heʼs moody, lurks around and always wears black. I did feel sympathy for Richard though. Heʼs mean, has Betty Page bangs with a page boy haircut, a hump and an oversize ego. And maybe Iʼm a sucker because I sympathize with the Richard of RICHARD THE III as well. His ambition is all he has and no matter how hard he tries he just canʼt connect with anyone. And he has some really good speeches. My favorite line from this movie came from Richardʼs mother after he had killed his brother. “I brought this curse upon our house when my womb conceived you!”
Poor Richard. - Kirsten Mccory
TOWER OF LONDON ROGER CORMAN UNITED ARTISTS 79 MIN USA
Tales of Terror is an American International Pictures horror film starring Vincent Price, Peter Lorre, and Basil Rathbone; it is the fourth in the so-called Corman-Poe cycle of eight films largely featuring adaptations of Edgar Allan Poe stories directed by Roger Corman and released by AIP.
The three short sequences are based on the following Poe tales: "Morella", "The Black Cat" which is combined with another Poe tale, "The Cask of Amontillado", and "The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar". Each sequence is introduced by Vincent Price who also appears in all three narratives.
"Morella"
When Lenora Locke (Maggie Pierce) travels from Boston to be reunited with her father (Vincent Price) in his decrepit and cobwebbed mansion, she finds him drunk, disordered, and depressed. He refuses her company, insisting that she killed her mother Morella (Leona Gage) in childbirth. Lenora then discovers her mother's body decomposing on a bed in the house. Lenora cannot return to Boston and remains in the house to care for her father. His feelings soften towards her when he learns she has a terminal illness. One night Morella's spirit rises, and kills Lenora in revenge for her childbed death. Morella's body is then resurrected, becoming as whole and as beautiful as she was in life. This is in exchange for Lenora's, which is now decomposing where Morella lay. Morella strangles her horrified husband as a fire breaks out in the house. Then Morella and Lenora return to their original bodies, Lenora smiling as she lies on her dead father, rotten Morella cackling as the flames consume the house. The cast includes Edmund Cobb as a coach driver
"The Black Cat"
Casting call for black cats for "The Black Cat" segment in Tales of Terror, 1961Montresor Herringbone (Peter Lorre) hates his wife Annabelle (Joyce Jameson) and her black cat. One night on a ramble about town, he happens upon a wine-tasting event and challenges the world's foremost wine taster, Fortunato Luchresi (Vincent Price), to a contest. Herringbone becomes drunk. Luchresi escorts him home and meets his wife. Time passes, and Annabelle and Luchresi become intimate. The cuckolded Herringbone then inters them alive in an alcove in the basement. The authorities become suspicious and two policemen (John Hackett and Lennie Weinrib) visit the house to investigate. Hearing screeching behind a basement wall, they knock the wall down to discover the dead lovers — and Annabelle's black cat, which Herringbone had accidentally walled up with the lovers. Cast includes Wally Campo as bartender Wilkins and Alan DeWitt as the Wine-Tasting Chairman.
"The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar"
Dying from a painful disease, M. Valdemar (Vincent Price) employs a hypnotist, Mr. Carmichael (Basil Rathbone), to alleviate his suffering by putting him under various trances. He then remains between the world of the living and the dead. In a trance, Valdemar begs Carmichael to release his soul so he can die but Carmichael cruelly refuses. Months pass and Valdemar's putrifying body remains in his bed under the complete control of Carmichael. The hypnotist tries to force Valdemar's wife Helene (Debra Paget) to marry him. When she refuses, he attacks her. Valdemar's putrid body rises from the bed and kills Carmichael. Helene is rescued by Valdemar's physician (David Frankham) and carried from the scene of horror.
TALE OF TERROR ROGER CORMAN AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL PICTURES 89 MIN USA
The Tomb of Ligeia (1964) is an American International Pictures horror film starring Vincent Price and Elizabeth Shepherd in a story about a man haunted by the spirit of his dead wife and her effect on his second marriage. The screenplay by Robert Towne was based upon the tale "Ligeia" by American author Edgar Allan Poe. The film was directed by Roger Corman, and was the last in his series of eight Poe film adaptations. (The Corman movie The Haunted Palace, ostensibly also based on Poe, is a ring-in, since it was actually based on H. P. Lovecraft's The Case of Charles Dexter Ward). Tomb of Ligeia was filmed in England (at Castle Acre Priory and other locations) with a mostly English cast, and is marked among the Corman/Poe canon for its atypical outdoor scenes and opulent settings.
Verden Fell (Vincent Price) is both mournful and threatened by his first wife's death. He senses her reluctance to die and her near-blasphemous statements about God. Alone and troubled by a vision problem that requires him to wear strange dark glasses, Fell shuns the world. Against his better judgement, he marries a headstrong young woman (Elizabeth Shepherd) he meets by accident and who is apparently bethrothed to an old friend Christopher Gough (John Westbrook). The spirit of Fell's first wife Ligeia seems to haunt the old mansion/abbey where they live and a series of nocturnal visions and the sinister presence of a cat (who may be inhabited by the spirit of Ligeia) cause him distress. Ultimately he must face the spirit of Ligeia and resist her or perish.
Howard Thompson in the New York Times of May 6, 1965 wrote, "Mr. Corman at least cares about putting Mr. Poe—or at least some of the master's original ideas—on the screen. If they are frankly made to be screamed at, they are not to be sneezed at. Mr. Price still hams it up, front and center, but these low-budget shockers generally evoke a compelling sense of heady atmosphere and coiled doom in their excellent Gothic settings, arresting color schemes and camera mobility... Mr. Corman has made stunning, ambient use of his authentic setting, an ancient abbey in Norfolk, England, and the lovely countryside. The picture is not nearly as finished as Masque of the Red Death...But the Corman climate of evil is as unhealthy and contagious as ever
The Raven (1963) is a B movie horror-comedy produced and directed by Roger Corman. The film stars Vincent Price, Peter Lorre, and Boris Karloff as a trio of rival sorcerers. It is the fifth film in the series of eight Edgar Allan Poe adaptations produced by Corman through American International Pictures. (Corman's movie titled The Haunted Palace, though purportedly a Poe adaptation, is actually based on H.P. Lovecraft's The Case of Charles Dexter Ward). The film was written by Richard Matheson based on references to Poe's poem "The Raven". The supporting cast includes a young Jack Nicholson.
Three decades earlier, Karloff had appeared in another film with the same title, Lew Landers' 1935 horror film The Raven with Bela Lugosi. Aside from the title, the two films bear no resemblance to one another.
The sorcerer Dr. Erasmus Craven (Vincent Price) has been mourning the death of his wife Lenore (Hazel Court) for over two years, much to the chagrin of his daughter Estelle (Olive Sturgess). One night he is visited by a raven, who happens to be a transformed wizard, Dr. Bedlo (Peter Lorre). Together they brew a potion that restores Bedlo to his old self. Bedlo explains he had been transformed by the evil Dr. Scarabus (Boris Karloff) in an unfair duel, and both decide to see Scarabus, Bedlo to exact revenge and Craven to look for his wife's ghost, which Bedlo reportedly saw at Scarabus' castle. After fighting off the attack of Craven's coachman, who apparently acted under the influence of Scarabus, they set out to the castle, joined by Craven's daughter Estelle and Bedlo's son Rexford (Jack Nicholson). At the castle, Scarabus greets his guests with false friendship, and Bedlo is apparently killed as he conjures a storm in a last act of defiance against his nemesis. At night, Rexford finds him alive and well, hiding in the castle. Craven, meanwhile, is visited and tormented by Lenore, who is revealed to be alive and well too, having faked her death two years before to move away with Scarabus. As Craven, Estelle, Rexford and Bedlo try to escape the castle, Scarabus stops them, and they are tied and locked up. Bedlo panics and flees away in raven form, having convinced Scarabus to turn him back into bird form rather than face torture. As Craven is confronted with the choice of Estelle's torture or of him giving away the secrets of his "hand magic", Bedlo flies back in, frees Rexford, and together aid Craven.
Craven and Scarabus then seat facing each other and engage in a magic duel. After a lengthy performance of narrow escapes and derision, Craven defeats Scarabus, and escapes with his friends after rejecting Lenore, who tries to reconcile with him after alleging she had been "under a spell". The castle then tumbles down on Scarabus and his mistress, but they are shown to survive, though Scarabus has been stripped of his magic.
Rexford and Estelle retreat alone, while Bedlo tries to convince Craven to turn him back to human form once more. Craven tells him to shut his beak and recites the famous lines from Edgar Allan Poe's poem: "Quoth the raven - nevermore". - From Wikipedia
THE RAVEN ROGER CORMAN (1963) AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL PICTURES 86 MIN USA
The Pit and the Pendulum is a 1961 horror film directed by Roger Corman, starring Vincent Price, Barbara Steele, John Kerr, and Luana Anders. The screenplay by Richard Matheson was based on Edgar Allan Poe's short story of the same name. Set in 16th century Spain, the story is about a young Englishman who visits a forbidding castle to investigate his sister's mysterious death. After a series of horrific revelations, apparently ghostly appearances and violent deaths, the young man becomes strapped to the titular torture device by his lunatic brother-in-law during the film's climactic sequence. The film was the second title in the popular series of eight Poe-based movies released by American International Pictures, the first having been Corman's House of Usher released the previous year. Like House, the film features widescreen cinematography by Floyd Crosby, sets designed by art director Daniel Haller, and a film score composed by Les Baxter. A critical and box office hit, Pit's commercial success convinced AIP and Corman to continue adapting Poe stories for another six films, five of them starring Price. The series ended in 1965 with the release of The Tomb of Ligeia.
In Spain, during the 16th century, Francis Barnard (John Kerr) visits the castle of his brother-in-law Nicholas Medina (Vincent Price) to investigate the cause of the mysterious death of his sister, Elizabeth (Barbara Steele), who had been Nicholas Medina's wife. Both Nicholas and his younger sister, Catherine (Luana Anders), offer a vague explanation about Elizabeth having died from a rare blood disorder. However, when Nicholas responds evasively after Francis asks for specific details regarding the disease, Francis advises that he will not leave until he discovers the true reason his sister died. During dinner with family physician Dr. Leon (Antony Carbone), Francis again asks about his sister's death. Dr. Leon tells him that his sister had died of massive heart failure, literally "dying of fright". Francis demands to be shown where Elizabeth died. Nicholas takes him to the castle's torture chamber. Nicholas reveals that Elizabeth, under the influence of the castle's "heavy atmosphere", became obsessed with the chamber's torture devices. After becoming progressively unbalanced, one day she locked herself into an iron maiden, and died after whispering the name "Sebastian". Francis refuses to believe Nicholas' story.
Francis tells Catherine that Nicholas appears to feel "definite guilt" regarding Elizabeth's death. In response, Catherine talks about Nicholas' traumatic childhood, revealing that their father was Sebastian Medina, a notorious member of the Spanish Inquisition. When Nicholas was a small child, he was playing in the castle's torture chamber when his father (also played by Price) entered the room with his mother, Isabella, and Sebastian's brother, Bartolome. Hiding in a corner, Nicholas watched in horror as his father repeatedly hit Bartolome with a red-hot poker, screaming "Adulterer!" at him. After murdering Bartolome, Sebastian began torturing his wife slowly to death in front of Nicholas' eyes. After Catherine is finished telling Francis about Nicholas, Catherine and Francis are informed by Dr. Leon that Isabella was in fact not tortured to death, rather she was entombed behind a brick wall while still alive. Dr. Leon explains: "The very thought of premature interment is enough to send your brother into convulsions of horror." Nicholas believes that Elizabeth may have been interred prematurely. The doctor tells Nicholas that "if Elizabeth Medina walks these corridors, it is her spirit and not her living self." Nicholas now believes his late wife's vengeful ghost is haunting the castle. Elizabeth's room is noisily ransacked and her portrait is found slashed to ribbons. Her beloved harpsichord plays in the middle of the night. One of Elizabeth's rings is found in the keyboard. Francis accuses Nicholas of planting the evidence of Elizabeth's "haunting" as some sort of elaborate hoax. Nicholas insists that his wife's tomb be opened. Inside the coffin, they discover Elizabeth's putrefied corpse frozen in a position of writhing horror, hands clawed and mouth wide open, as if in a final scream.
That night, Nicholas, now on the verge of insanity, hears his wife calling him. He follows her ghostly voice down to her crypt. Elizabeth rises from her coffin, causing Nicholas to flee and ultimately fall down a flight of stairs. She is alive, and she is met by her lover, Dr. Leon. Elizabeth, thinking Nicholas dead, taunts his apparent corpse about their scheme to drive him mad so the two lovers could inherit his fortune and estate. Nicholas opens his eyes and begins laughing while his wife and the doctor recoil in horror. Nicholas stands up and overpowers Dr. Leon, who attempts to escape but falls to his death. Nicholas then approaches Elizabeth, and promises he will torture her horribly. Francis, having heard Elizabeth's screams, enters the dungeon to see what has happened. Nicholas is now gibbering with insanity and has become convinced he is his own father, the evil Sebastian Medina. He confuses Francis for Sebastian's brother, Bartolome, and knocks him unconscious. He straps him to a stone slab located directly beneath a huge razor-sharp pendulum and gags him with a red scarf. The cackling Nicholas slowly lowers the swinging blade closer and closer to Francis' torso. Catherine arrives just in time with Maximillian, one of the family servants. After a brief fight with Maximillian, Nicholas falls to his death, and Francis is removed from the torture device. As they leave the basement, Catherine vows to seal up the chamber forever. They slam and lock the door shut, unaware that Elizabeth is still alive, gagged and trapped in the iron maiden. From Wikipedia
THE PIT AND THE PENDULUM ROGER CORMAN (1961) AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL PICTURES USA 81 MIN
X (also known as X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes) is a 1963 science fiction/horror motion picture.
Directed by Roger Corman from a script by Ray Russell and Robert Dillon, X stars Ray Milland as Dr. James Xavier. A world renowned scientist, Dr. Xavier experiments with X-ray vision and things go horribly wrong. While most of the cast are relatively unknown, Don Rickles is notable in an uncharacteristically dramatic role. Veteran character actor Morris Ankrum makes an uncredited appearance, his last in the movie industryShot in a mere three weeks on an ultra-slim budget of $300,000, Corman described the film's success as a miracle. The movie was notable for its use of visual effects to portray Dr. Xavier's point of view. While crude by later standards, the visuals are still effective in impressing upon the audience the bizarre viewpoint of the protagonist. Dr. Xavier develops eyedrops intended to increase the range of human vision, allowing one to see beyond the "visible" spectrum into the ultraviolet and x-ray wavelengths and beyond. Believing that testing on animals and volunteers will produce uselessly subjective observations, he begins testing the drops on himself. Initially, Xavier discovers that he can see though people's clothing, and he uses his vision to save a young girl whose medical problem was misdiagnosed. Over time and with continued use of the drops, Xavier's visual capacity increases and his ability to control it decreases. Eventually he can no longer see the world in human terms, but only in forms of lights and textures that his brain is unable to fully comprehend. Even closing his eyes brings no relieving darkness from his frightening world, as he can see through his eyelids. His behavior becomes increasingly erratic, and Xavier's associates assume that he is going insane. After accidentally killing a friend, Xavier goes on the run, using his x-ray vision first to work in a carnival, and then to win at gambling in a casino. Xavier's eyes are altered along with his vision: first they become black and silver, and then entirely black. To hide his startling appearance, he wears dark wrap-around sunglasses at all times.
At the end of the movie, Xavier drives out to a desert and wanders into a religious tent revival. He tells the pastor that he is beginning to see things at the edges of the universe, including an "eye that sees us all" in the center of the universe. The pastor replies that what he sees is "sin and the devil," and declares the biblical quote of "If thine eye offends thee... pluck it out!", and Xavier chooses to blind himself rather than see anything more.
MAN WITH THE X RAY EYES ROGER CORMAN (1963) AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL PICTURES USA 79 MIN
The Trip (1967) is a cult film released by American International Pictures, directed by Roger Corman, written by Jack Nicholson, and shot on location in and around Los Angeles, including on top of Kirkwood in Laurel Canyon, Hollywood Hills, and near Big Sur, California in 1966. Peter Fonda stars as a young television commercial director, Paul Groves. In this drama, Paul Groves (Peter Fonda) takes his first dose of LSD while experiencing the heartbreak and ambivalence of divorce from his beautiful but adulterous wife, played by Susan Strasberg. He starts his trip with a "guide," John (Bruce Dern), but runs away and abandons out of fear. As Paul experiences his trip, he wanders around the Sunset Strip, into nightclubs, and the homes of strangers and acquaintances. He considers the roles played by commercialism, sex, the role of women in his life. He meets a young woman, Glenn (Salli Sachse), who is interested in people who take LSD. Having learned from Paul recently that he would be taking LSD, she has been looking out for him. Glenn drives Paul to a beach house, where they have passionate intercourse. As the sun rises, Paul steps out to the balcony to get some air. Glenn asks him whether his first LSD experience was constructive. Paul defers his answer to "tomorrow." His face is frozen in close-up, and his image cracks like glass through an animation special effect.
The Trip also features Dennis Hopper as Groves' dealer Max, who appears here with Fonda in a precursor role to Easy Rider (1969). Contrary to their characters in Easy Rider, though—and for obvious reasons—Fonda's Paul Groves acts paranoid and anxious in The Trip, while Hopper's Max appears calm and collected. Corman wildly edited some scenes for The Trip, particularly the exterior night scenes on the Sunset Strip, to simulate the LSD user's racing mind. The Trip features photographic effects, body paint on seminude actresses to lend atmosphere, and colorful patterned lighting, during sex scenes and in a club, which imitates LSD-induced hallucinations. Finally, Corman included inscrutable fantasy sequences including one where Fonda is faced with revolving pictures of Che Guevara, Sophia Loren and Khalil Gibran in a wildly lit room. For no apparent reason, a midget riding a merry-go-round in the background blurts "Bay of Pigs!!" The story plays over a musical backdrop of improvisational jazz, blues rock of the band The Electric Flag, plus an exotic musical score with an organ and horn-drenched theme. Jack Nicholson wrote the original screenplay. Corman encouraged Nicholson's experimental writing style and gives between 80 and 90 percent credit to Nicholson for the shooting script in the director's commentary appearing on the DVD of this film. Corman slightly modified the story to stay within budget. - From Wikipedia
THE TRIP ROGER CORMAN (1967) AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL PICTURES 79 MIN USA
The St. Valentine's Day Massacre is a 1967 gangster film based on the 1929 Chicago mass murder of seven members of the Northside gang, directed against George "Bugs" Moran by Al Capone. It was directed by Roger Corman and written by Howard Browne. The film starred Jason Robards as Al Capone, George Segal as Peter Gusenberg, David Canary as Frank Gusenberg and Ralph Meeker as Bugs Moran. (Orson Welles was originally supposed to play Capone - but Fox vetoed the deal, fearing that Welles was 'undirectable'.) It was also believed that Welles was the narrator of the film, but it was actually narrated by well-known Hollywood voice actor Paul Frees in Welles' style. A very young Bruce Dern plays one of the victims of the massacre, and Jack Nicholson has a bit part as a gangster. Also featured are Jan Merlin as one of Bugs Moran's lieutenants, and veteran Corman actor Dick Miller as one of the phoney policemen involved in the massacre.
The film is a somewhat rough mixture of correct historical fact and outright movie fiction, though it is presented in docu-drama style. It is largely accurate in the historical coverage of the event, but creates several character names that exist only in the film, rather than reality, such as "Boris Chapman" and "Adolph Muller", which the film identifies as the two phony "policemen" involved in the massacre. There is considerable speculation on who those two men actually were, but their true identities still remain unknown. It also includes some facts that are erroneously used (such as the real name of Jack McGurn's being given as "Vincenzo Demaury", an alias he used only in later years when working as a golf pro - his birth name was Vincenzo Gebaldi). The film also portrays Capone taking personal revenge on turncoat Unione Siciliano member Joe Aiello by personally murdering him. Capone did order the murder of Aiello, though it was carried out by members of his gang at a much later date. Its portrayal in the movie as having occurred before the massacre is important to the context of the film, but not the actual fact. In fairness, however, a great deal of research has been done on the Massacre in the last forty years, revealing new facts, and exploding some old theories, none of which writer Browne could have known at the time, chief among them would be the existence of the wall of the garage the mass murder happened inside a Canadian night club, the investigations of some of the suspects, and former gangsters later revealing some knowledge of the mass murder. Besides the climactic garage scene, Corman also staged a re-creation of the Moran Gang's attack on Capone headquarters in Cicero, Illinois which left Capone badly shaken, though unhurt. He also staged a stereotypical gangland funeral complete with tuxedo clad gunsels and enormous banks of flowers. Hymie Weiss is shown flying into a rage at Dean O'Banion's sendoff when the largest floral arrangement of them all reads, "From Al". Weiss himself is later killed in an ambush by the Capone mob, leaving Bugs Moran as head of the North Siders. Both Moran and Capone are repeatedly shown swearing bitter oaths of vengeance and disdain towards each other as they urge their respective underlings to wipe out "that no good louse".Each character is given a verbal voiceover biography as they are introduced, and in some video releases, the biographies of Rheinhard Schwimmer and Adam Heyer, two of the massacre victims, are removed from the soundtrack, possibly due to protest from surviving family members. From Wikipedia
THE ST VANTENTINE'S DAY MASSACRE ROGER CORMAN 20TH CENTURY FOX 91 MINUTES USA
Machine-Gun Kelly (1958) is a film directed by Roger Corman, chronicling the criminal activities of the real-life George "Machine Gun" Kelly. The film was considered low budget, but received good critical reviews.[1] The film was the first lead role for actor Charles Bronson. Following the 1967 success of Bonnie and Clyde, American International Pictures rereleased the film as a double feature with The Bonnie Parker Story.The film starts by showing a bank robbery orchestrated by Kelly and other partners, including his love interest. It then examines Kelly's personality and events that lead to discord among his group. A botched bank robbery causes one of his partners, Michael Fandango, portrayed by typical jokester Morey Amsterdam, to lose an arm. Kelly, perhaps goaded on by his girlfriend, kidnaps the daughter of a wealthy businessman for ransom, which leads to the climax of the film. The film was the first lead role for actor Charles Bronson who would later be acclaimed for roles in Once Upon a Time in the West,The Magnificent Seven, and the Death Wish series. Susan Cabotwas the female lead, as part of her agreement with director Roger Corman, for whom her roles would be the end of her film career
Machine-Gun Kelly, the famous bank robber, seldom without his Thompson machine gun. The story opens with great jazzy music and a murder shown in shadows. His moll is the driving force behind his exploits. He has an exaggerated fear of death and death symbols. The sight of a coffin makes him freeze during a bank job, causing his lieutenant to lose his arm. Finally, the gang kidnaps a little girl along with her nurse and hold them for ransom.
MACHINE GUN KELLY ROGER CORMAN (1958) AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL PICTURES 75 MIN USA
The Fast and the Furious is a 1955 film starring John Ireland and Dorothy Malone. It was the first film produced by American International Pictures production company. The black-and-white B-movie was co-directed by the film's leading man, John Ireland. The story was written by Roger Corman and the screenplay by Jean Howell and Jerome Odlum. Except for the title, the film bears no relation to the 2001 film of the same name.
Frank Webster (John Ireland) has broken out of jail after serving time for a murder he didn't commit. While on the run, and the subject of radio news reports, he becomes cornered in a small coffee shop by a zealous citizen. This forces him to commit battery to escape, and to kidnap a young woman named Connie (Dorothy Malone) as he gets away. Frank drives off with Connie in her Jaguar. But she soon proves a difficult hostage, trying to escape a few times, which leads him to treat her more roughly than they both would prefer. This mutual struggle soon leads the two to fall in love with each other. Continuing to elude police, the couple slips into a cross-border sports car race, which Frank plans to take advantage of in order to escape into Mexico. But out of sympathy for Frank and a desire to be with him, Connie informs the police of the plan so he might face trial and be acquitted. And at the last moment he too decides it's better to turn himself in. The film ends with his capture by police imminent.
THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS JOHN IRELAND (1954) ARC 73 MIN USA
The Undead is a 1957 horror film directed by Roger Corman starring Pamela Duncan, Richard Garland, Allison Hayes, and Val Dufour. It follows the story of prostitute Diana Love (Duncan) who is put into a hypnotic trance by psychic Quintis (Dufour), thus causing her to regress back to a previous life. Star Allison Hayes also starred in Attack of the 50 Foot Woman (1958).
A psychic named Quintus Ratcliff (Val Dufour) sends a woman (Pamela Duncan) back in time to find out about her past-life experiences. She goes back as Helene, a woman from the Middle Ages who is to die at dawn under suspicion of being a witch.[1] In an attempt to save Diana and keep all of time from being distorted, Quintis goes back in time to convince Helene to let herself be killed. If she avoids her death, it will change history. The Undead was inspired by an interest in reincarnation during the 1950s (as was the film The She-Creature). Notably the book The Search for Bridey Murphy by Morey Bernstein was made into a film in 1956. However by the time The Undead was being made, the popularity of reincarnation was starting to dwindle. Therefore Corman decided that they needed to change it up a little and added the time travel elements of Quintis, and a title change.
The movie was filmed in a converted supermarket, and was completed in only six days. The bats that the imp and witch continually change into were left over from another Corman movie, "It Conquered the World."
Attack of the Crab Monsters is a 1957, American, black-and-white, science fiction film, written by Charles B. Griffith and produced and directed by Roger Corman via Los Altos Productions, on contract for distribution by Allied Artists Pictures Corporation. The plot follows a scientific expedition trapped on a remote island inhabited by atomically mutated giant crabs. It was distributed as the main feature on a programmed double bill with Not of This Earth.
After a group of scientists studying the effects of nuclear radiation disappears there is only one thing to do, send another group armed with grenades and rifles to replace them. Unfortunately the floatplane, which transported the team, explodes on takeoff and leaves them marooned and their radio rendered temporarily useless by severe weather. The Researchers begin conducting experiments on the rapidly shrinking atoll, never guessing what horrors await. Perhaps you are wondering why it's shrinking. Well, the mutated crabs are doing it to make killing the humans easier, despite have no problem killing the previous party on a full sized island. I guess they don't like having to chase down their prey. It is even worse than we imagined! In addition to being huge, mutated, man-eating, and nearly indestructible the monsters are fat and lazy to boot! Obviously people and atolls are fattening. Over the period of a few days the crabs destroy several square miles of rock. It is pretty darn impressive, but why did the scientists get worried when the clawed landscapers stole two cases of dynamite? Oh no! They might blow up a large boulder or two! The monsters ate half the atoll already, without the explosives, using dynamite would probably slow them down. We are informed these were land crabs, and I'm hardly an expert, but all the crustaceans would appear to possibly be Dungeness Crabs. Considering the movie was probably shot along the California coast you have to agree it is a plausible hypothesis. Plus the monsters are always accompanied by strange clacking sounds which I suppose is their limbs and joints. Personally it reminds me of an evening at Red Lobster, listening to a fat guy two tables over attack his dinner with cracker and mallet. You sir, are a truly disgusting human being. With the island reduced to a small rock outcropping and the last crab monster closing in all seems lost, until Hank climbs the antenna and brings it down on the advancing horror in a shower of sparks. Where the device was still drawing power from is beyond me, but my brain clicked over to "standby" during the opening credits anyway.
ATTACK OF THE CRAB MONSTERS ROGER CORMAN (1957) ALLIED ARTISTS 67 MIN USA
Not of This Earth is a 67-minute, 1957 American black-and-white science fiction film co-written by Charles B. Griffith and Mark Hanna and produced and directed by Roger Corman via Los Altos Productions, on contract for distribution by Allied Artists Pictures Corporation. A humanoid agent is transported to Earth from the planet Davanna, where a blood-degenerating plague is killing the populace. His mission is to find compatible blood in Earth humans to send back to his home planet for transfusion purposes; to achieve his ends, he is empowered by death-ray emitting eyes and a nightmarish flying octopus-like creature with vampiric capabilities.
When one of thinks of Roger Corman’s best films, it is often his 1960’s work that comes to mind. He had established enough of a reputation by that time that he could marshal better writers, actors and resources to make better films — and he had honed his skills enough that he was ready for the task. As films like House Of Usher, X — The Man With The X-Ray Eyes and The Wild Angels proved, he established a combination of talent and collaborators during that decade that made him a highly successful filmmaker. In comparison, his 1950’s-era output doesn’t get as much love from b-movie fans but there are some gems in there worth hunting down. The best of these might be Not Of This Earth, a clever and atmospheric blend of sci-fi and horror that remains a cult favorite with his fanbase. The plot focuses on “Paul Johnson” (Paul Birch), an alien from the war-torn planet of Davanna who has come to Earth incognito to study its people (and their blood) for his planet’s nefarious purposes. He gets a nurse named Nadine (Beverly Garland) to administer blood transfusions as he goes about his secret fact-finding mission. Nadine is a smart and independent-minded type who quickly realizes there is something wrong about her eccentric, creepy employer. She does some snooping with the help of Paul’s equally curious valet, Jeremy (Jonathan Haze). As she edges closer to the truth, the trouble on Paul’s home planet grows bigger and thus makes his mission that much more urgent. This sets the stage for a human vs. alien battle that will determine the fate of the entire planet. Simply put, the 1957 version of Not Of This Earth is exactly what you hope for from a sci-fi quickie of this vintage. The script, penned by regular Corman cohort Charles Griffith with Mark Hanna, sets up its premise in a smart, economical style that favors characterization and imaginative storytelling over spectacle. It also weaves in a likeably quirky sense of humor that no doubt had an influence on future Corman disciples-turned-directors like Joe Dante and Jim Wynorski Better yet, Corman’s direction is more than just technically proficient — it’s frequently quite stylish. He effectively utilizes John J. Mescall’s sharp black and white cinematography to inject a noir-ish feeling of mystery into the film’s sci-fi/horror material. He also keeps the story moving at a nice clip, offsetting creepy moments with scenes of odd, often dark humor to keep the audience on their toes. Best of all, he gets effective performances from a game case: Birch makes a quietly creepy villain, Garland offers a spirited and likeable performance as the resourceful heroine and Jonathan Haze steals a few scenes as the thuggish yet funny valet. Corman’s skill with the actors really helps to sell the film’s storyline — and this oft-overlooked area of his talents deserves praise.
The end result is one of Corman’s all-time classics and perfect fodder for a b-movie viewing session. In fact, it could be argued that Not Of This Earth was his first real classic as a director — and it definitely set the tone for the blend of imagination, craftsmanship and humor that would take Corman to the next level. - From Schlockmania
NOT OF THIS EARTH ROGER CORMAN (1957) ALLIED ARTISTS 71 MIN USA
Last Woman on Earth (1960) is an American science-fiction film produced and directed by Roger Corman. It tells the story of three survivors of a mysterious apocalypse which appears to have wiped out all human life on earth. The screenplay is by Robert Towne, who also appears in the film billed as "Edward Wain". The music was composed and conducted by Ronald Stein.
Harold Gern, a successful businessman from New York who has been in a lot of legal trouble recently, is spending a holiday in Puerto Rico with his attractive wife Evelyn, whom he married "between trials". They are joined by Martin Joyce, Gern's friend and lawyer, who has come to discuss legal matters. Not in the mood to talk business, Gern invites him along on a boat trip during which all three try out some newly bought scuba diving equipment. When they resurface they realize to their astonishment that they are unable to breathe without using their oxygen tanks. They climb back into their boat and find Manuel, their servant, dead on board—asphyxiated. Unable to start the engine, they row ashore. With 40 minutes worth of oxygen left they enter the jungle, where, due to the plants giving off oxygen, they can soon breathe normally again (and light a cigarette to calm their nerves). Gradually it dawns upon the three that they might be the only survivors in the area, maybe in the world. They briefly speculate on what has happened ("an act of God … or bigger and better bombs") but try to "keep that kind of talk to a minimum" and mainly concern themselves with becoming self-sufficient, for example by moving to a villa near the beach. The two men teach themselves how to fish—as only animals that live in the water have survived—but when they see insects again they realize that they must have survived inside their eggs. Accordingly, they feel that in the long run they will have to move North to a colder climate—to avoid an insect problem and also problems with food preservation and to increase their chances of meeting other survivors. Very soon the Gerns and Martin Joyce can no longer cope with the triangular situation. Although they still keep up appearances—Evelyn is still wearing jewelry, and Harold Gern, a tie for their seafood dinners—Martin points out to Gern that neither the latter's marriage certificate nor his money mean anything any more. Evelyn feels attracted to the lawyer, who eventually tells her husband what he really thinks of him ("The way you made your money stank. […] And furthermore, Harold, you stink."). After a short fistfight Martin pretends to be leaving the couple but at the last moment Evelyn hops into the car, and the two lovers drive off. Harold hotwires the other car and follows them. At the harbour another fight between the two men ensues during which Martin is fatally injured. The two survivors are left wondering where they will go or what they will do now. - From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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THE LAST WOMAN ON EARTH ROGER CORMAN (1960) 71 MIN USA
The Wasp Woman (Also known by the title The Bee Girl and Insect Woman) is a science fiction movie directed by Roger Corman which was completed in 1959. The founder and owner of a large cosmetics company, Janice Starlin (Susan Cabot), is disturbed when her firm's sales begin to drop after it becomes apparent to her customer base that she is aging. Scientist Eric Zinthrop (Michael Mark) has been able to extract enzymes from the royal jelly of the queen wasp that can reverse the aging process. Starlin agrees to fund further research, at great cost, provided she can serve as his human subject. Displeased with the slowness of the results she breaks into the scientist's laboratory after hours and injects herself with extra doses of the formula. Zinthrop becomes aware that some of the test creatures are becoming violent and goes to warn Janice but before he can reach anyone he gets into a car accident. He is thus temporarily missing and Janice goes through great trouble to find him, eventually managing and then transferring his care to herself. Janice continues her clandestine use of the serum and sheds twenty years' in a single weekend, but soon discovers that she is periodically transformed into a murderous queen wasp. Whenever The Wasp Woman bit one of her victims, Cabot had to have a mouthful of chocolate syrup to pass for black-and-white blood. When Bill Lane throws a bottle of acid at The Wasp Woman in the final scene, the plan was that Cabot would drop behind a desk and someone would sprinkle some liquid smoke on her mask and then she would come back up. They accidentally put to much liquid smoke on her and by the time she crashed through the window the smoke had gone through the two air holes and into her lungs. Then someone worked out that she could not breath, so they managed to pull a bit of the mask off, along with some skin.
Director Corman was clearly influenced by Kurt Neumann's 1958 film The Fly. The Wasp Woman has the head and hands of a wasp but the body of a woman—exactly the opposite of the creature shown in the film's poster. In Jack Hill's prologue, we see a slightly mad Dr. Zinthrop fired from his job at a honey farm for experimenting with wasps. Trying to keep ahead of schedule, Corman tried to film the climactic action scene in one take.
A Bucket of Blood is a 1959 American comedy horror film directed by Roger Corman and starring Dick Miller. The film, produced on a $50,000 budget, was shot in five days, and shares many of the low-budget filmmaking aesthetics commonly associated with Corman's work. Written by Charles B. Griffith, the film is a dark comic satire about a socially awkward young busboy at a Bohemian café who is acclaimed as a brilliant sculptor when he accidentally kills his landlady's cat and covers its body in clay to hide the evidence. When he is pressured to create similar work, he becomes murderous
A Bucket of Blood was the first of three collaborations between Corman and Griffith in the comedy genre, followed by The Little Shop of Horrors and Creature from the Haunted Sea. Corman had made no previous attempt at the genre, although past and future Corman productions in other genres incorporated comedic elements. The film works as a satire not only of Corman's own films, but also of the art world and teen films of the 1950s. The plot has similarities to Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933). However, by setting the story in the Beat milieu of 1950s Southern California, Corman creates an entirely different mood from the earlier film.
