Posts tagged New World Pictures
THE VELVET VAMPIRE: Feminist Horror Minus The Feminism And Horror
Sep 28th
Stephanie Rothman was a unique talent in 1970’s b-movie cinema. She was a female director at a time when it was virtually impossible for a woman to get a break in that distinctly masculine profession. She further distinguished herself by carving out her own niche in the tough world of exploitation film, finding success as More >
LADY FRANKENSTEIN: Strange Desires Meet Drive-In Feminism In The Laboratory
Sep 26th
Lady Frankenstein is one of the more unusual films to emerge from New World Pictures during its formative years. Rather than tackle then-current exploitation themes popular in the early 1970’s like women in prison movies and biker flicks, it harkened back to the kind of gothic horror elements that Roger Corman explored in his Edgar More >
TIME WALKER: The Mummy Movie Goes To College
Sep 23rd
Of all the horror monster subgenres, the mummy movie might be the most difficult to pull off in a modern setting. As visually striking as mummies are, their scariness is limited by their slow mobility and the Egyptian lore component of their mythos limits how portable the story line is to different settings. Thus, Time More >
Digi-Schlock: BATTLE BEYOND THE STARS (Shout! Factory Blu-Ray)
Aug 12th
It’s been a while since Corman fans were last able to enjoy a New World Pictures classic on blu-ray. Thankfully, Shout! Factory has added a fan favorite to their collection of Corman blu-ray releases in the form of Battle Beyond The Stars. This release gives the film the special edition treatment it deserves, pairing a More >
BATTLE BEYOND THE STARS: A Cheerful Assault On The Big Studio Death Star
Aug 9th
The writing was on the wall when Steven Spielberg took material that would be considered drive-in fodder and crafted it into a mainstream blockbuster called Jaws. However, the real coup-de-grace came between 1977 and 1979 when 20th Century Fox released two monster hits, Star Wars and Alien. Like Jaws, both took b-movie storylines and applied More >
WOMEN IN CAGES: Blunt Force Sleaze In A Women’s Prison
Jul 5th
When The Big Doll House became a smash hit, it opened the floodgates for women in prison films. Anyone who could get a camera crew to the Philippines or another similarly cost-effective location started grinding out “babes behind bars” epics that delighted the drive-in crowd. Producer Roger Corman, never one to bypass a trend, set More >
THE BIG BIRD CAGE: Busting Out… And Over The Top
Jun 29th
The Big Doll House was not only a big success for New World Pictures, it was also a crucial film for Jack Hill. It opened up the 1970’s leg of his career, making him a go-to guy for smart exploitation flicks that delivered the goods with style and wit. When it was time to make More >
THE BIG DOLL HOUSE: Liberating The Babes Behind Bars Genre
Jun 28th
As any aficionado of the women-in-prison genre knows, The Big Doll House is one of the landmark entries in the genre. It was a massive hit for its time — $3 million domestic profit on a $150,000 investment, plus millions more in profits around the world — and sparked an international resurgence of women-in-prison films More >
Digi-Schlock: THE RON HOWARD ACTION PACK (Shout! Factory 2-DVD Set)
May 26th
Ron Howard is easily one of the most successful graduates of “Roger Corman University,” which is how directors who got their start at New World Pictures often refer to their humble beginnings. He started as an actor with Eat My Dust, cleverly capitalizing on his Happy Days fame to open the door for a directing More >
GRAND THEFT AUTO: It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Car Chase
May 24th
The story behind Grand Theft Auto is a minor b-movie legend. When Ron Howard signed on to star in Eat My Dust, he proposed the idea that he might get to direct a film for Roger Corman afterwards. Corman said he’d think about it, mainly to ensure Howard would sign on for Eat My Dust, More >
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