When it came to low-budget spectacle, Roger Corman was a master. The beloved producer, who died Thursday at his home in Santa Monica at the age of 98, became a Hollywood icon for producing a multitude of successful films on very little money, earning him the title “King of the B”.
Many of the films also served as training grounds for several notable filmmakers, including Francis Ford Coppola, Jack Nicholson, Ron Howard, Martin Scorsese, Jonathan Demme, James Cameron, Sylvester Stallone and many others.
While the list of cult classics and drive-in gems could take up a long scroll, the following examples showcase Corman's magic touch.
1. “Eat the dust!” (1976): This wild car chase comedy about a sheriff's son and his girlfriend taking a ride in a stolen car was the launching pad for Howard's career as an award-winning director, proving that he was no longer the little boy of “The Andy Griffith Show. (Main video).
2. “He Little shop of horrors (1960). Corman directed this comedy about a hapless florist shop assistant who grows a plant that craves human blood. The cast includes a young Jack Nicholson. The story was given new life decades later as a Broadway musical and a hit movie starring Rick Moranis and Steve Martin. (The Roku Channel).
3. “Death Race 2000” (1975). David Carradine and Sylvester Stallone star in this fast-paced sci-fi epic about the Transcontinental Death Race, in which drivers accumulate points for killing spectators and pedestrians. The motto: “In the year 2000, hit-and-run driving is no longer a serious crime. It's the national sport! (Tubi).
4. “The Wild Angels” (1966). Corman's interest in the Hells Angels was the spark for this film, which helped launch the outlaw biker genre. Peter Fonda, Nancy Sinatra, Bruce Dern and Diane Ladd starred in this film about a fictional motorcycle gang (Prime Video).
5. “Piranha” (1978). After “Jaws,” there was “Piranha.” Corman was the executive producer of this horror film about a mass of carnivorous piranhas infesting a river. Joe Dante (“Gremlins”) directed from a script by John Sayles (“Eight Men Out”) (Roku).
