For this month’s installment of “TV Terrors” we revisit the ambitious small screen project “Roger Corman Presents,” which aired from 1995 through 1999 on Showtime.
Not many remember this, but back in the nineties, the cable network Showtime was extremely centered on science fiction and horror genre fare. They were the original launch pads for “Stargate SG-1” and “Poltergeist: The Legacy” before they became syndication mainstays. Hell, even their marketing was catered to the science fiction and horror aesthetic.
Like Cinemax, Showtime sought to work out distribution deals while releasing their own original films for primetime and late night slots. While Cinemax and HBO worked with Stan Winston, Showtime collaborated with the one and only Roger Corman. With him and his studio Concorde Pictures, they would produce a series of low budget films that would air over the course of two seasons. With the banner “Roger Corman Presents,” Corman and company produced myriad horror and science fiction films that would debut during primetime (and later) hours.
This was during the period where Showtime often played lower budget and cult fare, so Roger Corman’s sensibilities were right up their alley. In the LA Times, Corman explained, “[Showtime] approached me last fall with the idea of doing a series of feature films in the style of some of the things I have done before–particularly science fiction and horror. We worked out the arrangements and started shooting in January. We finished shooting on thirteen pictures in mid-June, which is something of a record.”
According to Corman, the shooting schedules were brisk and hectic with a movie always being filmed and overseen by him. Showtime also asked him and Concorde Pictures to remake several of his previous pictures. Along with remakes of his cult classics, Corman snatched up many other original screenplays for genre films that could be made on a low budget, in a matter of five to twenty days. In season one, four of the thirteen films that aired were remakes while nine were all-new films. Among some of the most famous titles (and arguably most infamous) were small budgeted contemporary “updates” of Corman classics; many also acted as re-imaginings—if you want to call them that. Nevertheless, they were schlocky, exploitative, and downright fun most of the time.
There was 1995’s Piranha remake starring William Katt, “Baywatch’s” Alexandra Paul, Soleil Moon Frye, Mila Kunis, and James Karen, respectively. In the film, military engineered piranhas break free and make their way to a local summer camp where they begin feasting on campers, while stars Katt and Paul struggle to make it there in time while finding a way to stop the man-eating fish. It’s a solid remake with some considerably vicious violence. There were also the updated remakes of The Wasp Woman starring Jennifer Rubin; the Michael McDonald directed A Bucket of Blood; Not of this Earth; Humanoids from the Deep starring Robert Carradine; and the original Bram Stoker’s Burial of the Rats starring Adrienne Barbeau.
‘The Wasp Woman’
Most notably, there was also the feature length adaptation of Forrest J. Ackerman’s cult horror comic book Vampirella. The Jim Wynorski-directed horror/science fiction hybrid is a silly take on the classic vampire comic starring Talisa Soto as the titular fanged heroine from the Planet Drakulon who does battle with the evil Vlad, played by Roger Daltry. It bears the distinction of being regarded as one of the worst comic book movies ever made, and with respect to Ms. Soto and Mr. Daltry, I don’t disagree. My favorite, though, was Black Scorpion, a very entertaining superhero movie about a gorgeous cop played by super model Joan Severance, who decides to masquerade as a masked vigilante named Black Scorpion.
Utilizing a lot of black leather, some altered police weapons, and her patented electric scorpion ring, she sets out to stop a local crime syndicate. It’s a nice bit of “R” rated fun; Severance makes Halle Berry’s Catwoman costume look conventional by comparison. Black Scorpion was one of the few titles to take off from the “Roger Corman Presents” banner, spawning a goofier direct sequel with Severance returning, a short lived TV series on the Sci-fi Channel in 2001 (which saw Michelle Lintel replace Severance), and two limited (considerably rare) comic book series.
‘Vampirella’
Concurrently there was the gory sci-fi comedy Alien Avengers with George Wendt and Shanna Reed as vacationing aliens who come to Earth. It also managed to take off, spawning a sequel with Wendt returning and Julie Brown replacing Reed. Omitted from the line up were Corman’s Edgar Allan Poe adaptations as Corman expressed reluctance to re-visit those stories without the company of his old friends like Vincent Price. Altogether there were two seasons with thirty made for TV movies/episodes, all consisting of mostly horror, and science fiction.
Despite the rushed productions, most of the output made for good cult cinema all around. Hell, even the awful stuff had definite kitsch value. The movies played in syndication on cable well into the late 1990s, and inevitably fell into considerable obscurity prior to being released on VHS. Showtime reformatted at the end of the decade, leaning more toward blockbusters and less on science fiction and genre films. Ultimately, the distribution deal for “Roger Corman Presents” allowed for some really interesting and entertaining cult films at a time when Cable Television was so much bolder and more interesting. For Corman, it was just a blip in his legendary career.
Is It On DVD/Blu-ray/Streaming? Sadly, many of the titles released under the “Roger Corman Presents” banner have been out of print for many years. Many of the films can be found in their full length on YouTube, though. And some of the titles sell on eBay from time to time.
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