60's Roger Corman

THE LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS
(1960)
Overall: GOOD

It says a lot about Roger Corman's maverick filmmaking abilities that he was able to produce both the seminal, first Gothic Edgar Allan Poe adaptation with Vincent Price in House of Usher and then The Little Shop of Horrors in the same year.  These two movies alone could not differ more drastically, but then again most movies PERIOD do not resemble this one.  As was often his infamous trade, Corman snatched up the chance to make the film with a leftover set, stock actors, and no money from A Bucket of Blood, finishing principal photography in a whopping two days while employing as many corner-cutting tricks as he was expertly able.  At the same time, he and screenwriter Charles B. Griffith concocted an absurd farce that openly makes fun of Jewish stereotypes, slubbish heroes, killer monster movies, and deadpan detective serials all at once.  The fact that it was pulled off so cheaply yet remains a cherished cult film, (and spawned a hit Broadway play, star-studded 80's remake, and even a cartoon series), is simply a testament to Corman's uncanny skills to think on his feet and occasionally get pretty damn lucky in the process.

THE PREMATURE BURIAL
(1962)
Overall: GOOD

The third in the "Poe Cycle", Roger Corman's The Premature Burial was the only one in the series not to feature Vincent Price, as he was under contract with American International Pictures exclusively at the time production began.  Corman worked independently from the studio this time even though AIP ended up distributing the movie anyway once it was finished.  Ray Milland does a fine if considerably less memorable job than Price presumably would have, and the story is so similar in tone and theme to Corman's previous two Poe vehicles House of Usher and The Pit and Pendulum anyway that perhaps seeing Price once again playing a manic eccentric cooped up by his own eccentricities in another gloomy castle would have been even more redundant.  As predictable and familiar as the presentation is, Corman still works his Gothic horror magic with beautiful sets, creepy dream sequences, and by utilizing mainstay Floyd Crosby, (David Crosby's dad), as cinematographer once again.  Corman would begin to incorporate comedy into his Poe adaptations with the next few entries and permanently bring Price back to the proceedings, but this one is still enjoyable if not as essential by comparison.

X: THE MAN WITH X-RAY EYES
(1963)
Overall: GOOD

Based off of one of his own ideas, Roger Corman got Ray Russell and Robert Dillon to put together a screenplay about the all-seeing eyes of Dr. James Xavier, (not to be confused with Marvel's Prof X who coincidentally would debut in comics the exact same month that this film was released), and the result X: The Man with X-Ray Eyes is solid for the most part.  The religious tag at the end is random and clashes with the rest of the movie, plus the blurry, headache inducing POV effects hardly work convincingly.  Otherwise though, the film has a solid performance from Ray Milland, plus Corman takes the material seriously enough to make it captivating.  There is an amusing scene where Milland is testing out his new powers at a party where everyone is dancing, seeing them all in their birthday suits.  We also have Don Rickles in a small though important part as a character he was virtually born to play, (a crowd-insulting carnie).  Yet aside from all of that, the camp level is toned down with the "man playing god" angle taking center stage.  It is predictably tragic by following the same beats where a protagonist who starts off with somewhat noble intentions gradually becomes power-obsessed.  As far as Corman's contemporary-set horror films from the period go though, this is easily one of the better ones.