CORMAN DIRECTS THREE SCI-FI CULT CLASSICS

Shout! Factory continues to unleash an invasion of rarely seen Roger Corman Cult Classic titles, many appearing on DVD and Blu-ray for the first time and loaded with all-new bonus features. Corman built his career directing 50 films and producing over 350 on the foundation of truly independent filmmaking, sidestepping the restrictions of Hollywood's studio system to promote the creative talents of many leading directors, actors and writers. FilmEdge reviews the newest DVD/Blu-ray title additions to the growing library of Roger Corman Cult Classics which fans of indie cinema and rare releases will definitely want to add to their collection.

Corman aficionados get a triple dose of the producer/director's early work in this 2-disc set of Sci-Fi Classics featuring three of his 1950s films: the moody monster flick ATTACK OF THE CRAB MONSTERS, the Space Age thriller WAR OF THE SATELLITES, and the cosmic twist on a vampire tale NOT OF THIS EARTH. These three long-awaited titles make a DVD debut in their original theatrical versions with all new film transfers from the negatives, along with rare bonus materials and two new commentary tracks. This sci-fi triple feature is a genuine treasure trove for Roger Corman devotees and all fans who appreciate the high-concept genre B-movies from this inimitable era of American independent cinema which Corman helped define.

Disc One of this Triple Feature Collector's Edition DVD set recreates the original double-billing duo of ATTACK OF THE CRAB MONSTERS and NOT OF THIS EARTH from 1957, promoted in typical Corman/Allied Artists fashion as "the greatest double-horror show of all time!" ATTACK OF THE CRAB MONSTERS didn't quite live up to that bombastic billing slogan, but it's pure sensationalized schlock from the low-budget master with atomically mutated crabs devouring a group of scientists marooned on a remote island which is slowly crumbling into the sea.

Charles B. Griffith's wacky yet imaginative script imbues these crab monsters with telepathic powers as they absorb the minds of human victims, broadcasting their murderous thoughts through any metal object (including an ashtray, a pistol and a pick axe). Sure, it sounds crazy because it is! Even Corman admitted that the title itself was responsible for most of this creature feature's box office business, but that didn't slow it down from profiting on top of its estimated $70,000 production cost. Starring Richard Garland, Pamela Duncan, Russell Johnson (GILLIGAN'S ISLAND) and one giant, rather unconvincing giant crab, there is no denying the silly yet fond feeling this retro cult classic evokes as another patented sample of Roger Corman B-movie madness in the best sense of the term.

Along with a completely new and surprisingly good film transfer from the negative which offers CRAB MONSTERS in widescreen for the first time, fans will enjoy the new Audio Commentary track by Tom Weaver, John Brunas and Mike Brunas who may not have great recording voices but surely know the history this and other Corman films in great depth. An additional bonus is the rare TV Syndication Prologue created to pad the film's 62-minute running time when it was sold to television stations: an added text scroll hypes the film, turning it into a personal adventure/mission for the viewers, then tacking on lots of stock footage from A-bomb test explosions marginally helps set the scene for the nuke-mutated crabs to follow. The prologue's entertainment value won't derive from sitting down to view it, but rather as a rarely seen artifact of entertainment history when these time-light B-movies found new if obscure lives on late night local TV channels. Continued credit earned by Shout! Factory for once more going the extra mile to give Corman's fans and collectors actual, worthwhile bonus features with these DVD releases which honestly enhance their purchase value.

The second feature NOT OF THIS EARTH fares just as well in its newly-minted high quality film transfer, giving this cult favorite film a DVD release worthy of its fondly regarded reputation. Shot in only ten days — and the last of those with a quasi-look alike stand-in for the lead villain — this far-out tale pits an alien vampire (in the guise of menacing Paul Birch) killing unsuspecting Earthlings to steal their blood and beam it back to his home planet of Davana, where his race is dying after prolonged nuclear wars. While the basic plot overlaps Universal's classic incarnation of DRACULA with Bela Lugosi, the hep cat dialogue and mind-melting eye rays firmly root the film in trademark Roger Corman B-movie territory. Despite its meager budget and brief production schedule, there is no denying the eerie, unsettling character of Birch's monotone, chilling line readings and his relentless hunger for human blood.

This space faring vampire without pupils in his glassy white eyes bears a much stronger resemblance to James Cameron's dispassionate Terminator than to Lugosi's bloodsucking count. Yet Birch doesn't play the part as robotic, but rather inhumanly cool as appropriate for the alien's evaluation of Earthlings as a "sub-human" blood supply and nothing more. He easily controls the minds of his victims, making them his unwilling puppets or his brain-fried victims ready to be drained. Birch's stoic work here is the subtle stuff of nightmares, at least for impressionable kids who devoured these sci-fi/horror flicks of the 1950s. Producer/director Corman with co-stars Beverly Garland, Morgan Jones and the cast do their best to take Charles Griffith and Mark Hanna's goofy premise seriously, and the film's pervasive, unnerving tone throughout helps make NOT OF THIS EARTH more memorable than many of its B-movie contemporaries. Watch for Corman staple character actor Dick Miller's short but memorable appearance as a no-nonsense vacuum salesman whose demise includes one of the great comedic looks-to-camera of all time. Credit Ronald Stein's creepy, atmospheric score for enhancing the film's menacing tone, and Paul Blaisdell's above-the-call special effects for elevating the results light years beyond its tight budget.

Once again Shout! Factory boosts the value of this B-movie DVD release with a superb widescreen film transfer from the negative, preserving the theatrical cut of the film which hasn't been seen in this condition since NOT OF THIS EARTH first hit theaters. Aside from occasional and expected film stock grain, image contrast and balance are excellent even in the deliberately darkened scenes when Birch's stand-in (uncredited Lyle Latell) takes over the role. The mono audio track is equally clear and free of noise and original imperfections. In short, audiences will enjoy all the moody tonality of the film's black-and-white cinematography with none of the age defects one might expect from a 1957 B-movie release.

Universal Horrors authors Tom Weaver, John Brunas and Mike Brunas return for a similarly informative Audio Commentary track, discussing the facts and lore about this and other Roger Corman productions, balanced out with smart doses of career biographies on the lead and supporting actors. Another TV Syndication Prologue adds to the NOT OF THIS EARTH bonus features, once more demonstrating the rarely preserved gimmick of padding such films' running times for their commercial television afterlife.

Disc Two of this Triple Feature Collector's Edition DVD hosts Corman's WAR OF THE SATELLITES from 1958, a far more conventional science fiction treatment of an alien threat destroying manned satellites launched by the United Nations in Earth's burgeoning (and then-ficticious) unified space program. Yet typically Corman and writers Irving Block, Lawrence L. Goldman and Jack Rabin mix and match genre conventions to suit their plot-building whims, adding dashes of horror as the alien presence takes over the mind and body of UN space project leader, Dr. Van Ponder (the usefully stoic Richard Devon), stirred up with a taste of good old detective work by his cohort Dave Boyer (the inimitable if character-stifled Corman regular Dick Miller). Susan Cabot (THE WASP WOMAN) assumes the no-nonsense role of space scientist Sybil Carrington in a lead role consistent with Corman's atypical trait of giving his female leads more to be than eye candy for male viewers and arm trophies for the male leads. When the unseen alien force threatens to destroy more Earth satellites to prevent our primitive species from expanding across the galaxy, Van Ponder and his team vow to pilot the next launch themselves to break through the lethal energy barrier orbiting the planet.

The rather wonky plot and low-budget special effects keep WAR OF THE SATELLITES from faring as well as its triple feature partners, and the rotating barcalounge crew couches don't exactly enhance the credibility of Corman's futurist vision. The film plays like an extended-edition TWILIGHT ZONE episode for good and bad, though Devon's chillingly distant transformation as the alien-Van Ponder delivers a portion of the menace which Paul Birch dealt full-force in NOT OF THIS EARTH. The two seemingly disparate films have quite a bit on common thematically, though its aspirations are never as lofty as a true sci-fi classic in the same vein like THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL. Nevertheless, Corman's film never takes itself frivolously, always striving to deliver a solid B-movie of the genre that fulfills its function as a program filler that would draw youngsters and teens to its outer space trappings and clichés.

WAR OF THE SATELLITES offers no bonus features of its own, though the new 4:3 film transfer presents the title in relatively good shape in both audio and video quality for its age and production limitations.

Supplementing the feature film is a separate Special Features menu offering two additional attractions:

• A SALUTE TO ROGER CORMAN pays tribute to the B-movie master with new interviews with Corman alumni and associates including Peter Fonda, Joe Dante, Peter Bogdanovich, Dick Miller and many more on- and off-screen graduates of his independent film 'boot camp.' This 26-minute featurette factually and somewhat entertainingly illustrates the true, undeniable impact which Corman has made upon American independent filmmaking and popular studio cinema at large, so many of his protégés having gone on to become successful actors, directors, producers and ground breaking technicians. Corman fans may have heard many of these stories before, but the compilation of interviews praising their mentor from 40-plus years before can't help but put his contributions to the industry in sharp, scintillating perspective. Comments and affirmations by Corman himself about his unprecedented talent pool returns the favor as he credits these stars and cinema wizards for always making his films better than the sometimes deserved to be.

• THE ROGER CORMAN TRAILER COLLECTION gathers 26 original theatrical trailers for notable and sometimes forgettable Corman films. You'll see the double-billing promo for ATTACK OF THE CRAB MONSTERS and NOT OF THIS EARTH as noted above, plus many other early Corman B-movies including WAR OF THE SATELLITES, THE WASP WOMAN, A BUCKET OF BLOOD and LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS. Fans will also get a good dose of Corman's ornate adaptations of his Poe cycle including HOUSE OF USHER, PIT AND THE PENDULUM and THE PREMATURE BURIAL to name a few. This collection also offers a handy comparison of how move trailer styles have evolved over Corman's career, from the screen-wiping title cards of 1950s sci-fi and horror tales to the bold 1960s look of X - THE MAN WITH THE X-RAY EYES and THE WILD ANGELS and up to his 1990 horror experiment FRANKENSTEIN UNBOUND. Overall this trailer collection is a boon for any Corman fan or film collector as most of these promos are fairly well preserved when possible and presented in their original aspect ratios, even if the source material doesn't always hold up to current HD-era standards.

For this Triple Feature Collectors Edition preservation of three Corman classics and their restored presentations, plus a bounty of bonus materials including rare interviews, commentaries and trailers spanning the independent filmmaker's impressive career, FilmEdge rates ROGER CORMAN'S SCI-FI CLASSICS 4 STARS on the material merits and Shout! Factory's sheer chutzpah in packaging it all with great enthusiasm. Corman devotees and film history collectors take note and add this 2-disc DVD collection to your library!

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