Roger Corman, the Oscar winning ‘King of the Bs’ and acclaimed for producing low-budget gems like ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ and ‘Attack of the Crab Monsters’, has died at the age of 98. He passed away on May 9 at his residence in Santa Monica, California, surrounded by loved ones, according to reports from Variety.
In a statement, his family expressed grief saying, “His films were revolutionary and iconoclastic, and captured the spirit of an age. When asked how he would like to be remembered, he said, ‘I was a filmmaker, just that.'”
Corman’s entertainment empire, operating under various banners like New World Pictures and Concorde/New Horizons, rivaled major studios in activity and, as he proudly stated, consistently turned a profit. Focusing on rapid, low-budget genre films spanning horror, action, science fiction, and even family-oriented content, his company served as a fertile training ground for numerous major talents. From actors such as Nicholson (in “Little Shop of Horrors”) and De Niro (in “Boxcar Bertha”) to directors like Francis Ford Coppola (in “Dementia 13”) and Scorsese (also in “Boxcar Bertha”), Corman’s productions nurtured a diverse range of industry luminaries.
Quentin Tarantino honored him with gratitude with “the movie lovers of planet Earth thank you.” Jonathan Demme acclaimed his acting, crediting Corman for delivering “tremendous value at a really affordable price.”
As reported by Variety, Corman expanded his distribution avenues by showcasing his films on platforms like Showtime and the Sci Fi Channel (now known as Syfy). Under CNH, he developed a “Roger Corman Presents” series featuring science fiction, horror, and fantasy films for the premium cable network. Additionally, the 2001 Sci Fi Channel series “Black Scorpion” was adapted from two of his successful direct-to-video movies. Telefilms produced for Syfy included titles like “Dinoshark,” “Dinocroc vs. Supergator,” and “Sharktopus.”
In 2005, Concorde inked a 12-year agreement with Buena Vista Home Entertainment, granting the latter distribution rights to over 400 Corman-produced films. However, in 2010, Corman struck a deal with Shout Factory, providing the latter with exclusive North American home video rights to 50 of his produced films.