In “Corman’s World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel,” Detroit-born producer-director Roger Corman is duly credited with launching the careers of several movie superstars including Jack Nicholson, Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro. And while the documentary is full of well-chosen clips from the films of the B-movie legend, diehard fans will undoubtedly leave the film wondering why they didn’t mention “X: The Man With the X-Ray Eyes.”
Of the nearly 50 titles that Corman is credited with directing (he produced five times that number), some certainly stand out more than others. For every “Naked Paradise” or “Apache Woman,” there are other Corman classics made for low budgets (mostly at American International Pictures) that hold up far better than their bigger-studio counterparts.
With Freep Film Fest screening “Corman’s World” at 9:30 p.m. Friday, here’s a look at 10 favorite Corman films:
“Day the World Ended” (1955): Corman’s third film is a surprisingly creepy post-apocalyptic yarn about seven survivors of an atomic blast battling each other and a mutant creature. Among the cast is Mike (Touch) Connors, the basketball player-turned actor who later starred in TV’s “Mannix.”
“Not of This Earth” (1957): The director mixes humor with horror in the tale of an alien in sunglasses (Paul Birch) who combs Southern California to collect blood to save his dying planet. It was originally released on the bottom half of a double bill that featured Corman’s far-less-subtle “Attack of the Crab Monsters.”
“The Wasp Woman” (1959): Cosmetics manufacturer Susan Cabot discovers the fountain of youth in jelly taken from queen wasps, only to find that she must kill to keep the process working. Look for a Corman cameo as a doctor in this guiltiest of pleasures.
“A Bucket of Blood” (1959): Corman stalwart Dick Miller enjoys a rare starring role as a coffee house bus boy who becomes king of the beatniks when he creates some strangely life-like sculptures. Fred Katz provided the modern jazz score.
“The Little Shop of Horrors” (1960): Jonathan Haze plays a florist’s assistant who cultivates a flesh-eating plant, though the movie is stolen by Jack Nicholson’s cameo as a pain-loving dental patient. The director’s masterpiece, it was shot in just two days and one night.
“The Intruder” (1962): Corman and brother Gene self-financed this still-powerful social drama about a racist agitator (William Shatner) who disrupts desegregation efforts in a small Southern town. Corman dismisses it as the only movie he ever lost money on, though it remains his finest and most serious film.
“X: The Man With the X-Ray Eyes” (1963): When Ray Milland develops eye drops that give him X-ray vision, he can see not only through solid objects but also into different dimensions. Filled with Biblical allusions, it also boasts comedian Don Rickles as a promoter who puts the all-seeing scientists on the carnival circuit.
“The Masque of the Red Death” (1964): Vincent Price plays the Satan-worshipping prince who parties while plague ravages the countryside. Recently restored in gorgeous wide screen and color, it is the most atmospheric of Corman’s eight Edgar Allan Poe adaptations.
“The Wild Angels” (1966): Three years before “Easy Rider,” Peter Fonda played motorcycle-riding, authority-hating Heavenly Blues, flanked by Nancy Sinatra and best friend Bruce Dern. This one is notable for featuring actual members of the Hell’s Angels in supporting roles.
“The Trip” (1967): To direct this Jack Nicholson-penned script, Corman reportedly dropped acid to understand what Peter Fonda was going through in the psychedelic journey he was taking with Bruce Dern and Dennis Hopper. When AIP tacked on an anti-drug ending, Corman got the itch to form his own studio.
More information about “Corman’s World” , links to buy tickets and other Freep Film Festival films can be found at the festival’s website, www.freepfilmfestival.com .
