17 Roger Corman Movies You Should Watch Right Now

Roger Corman, one of the most prolific, influential filmmakers of all time, died last weekend at the age of 98. Prominently known for his campy, 1960s horror films (his nickname was “King of the B’s”), Corman was far more than a small-time B-movie director. He helped launch the careers of droves of actors and filmmakers who would go on to become some of the most prominent, influential people in Hollywood (Martin Scorsese, Jack Nicholson, and Francis Ford Coppola are just a few who got their start on Corman’s dime).

Sure, there may be some haters out there (I’m looking at you, Paul Schrader), but, on the whole, Corman can be remembered as a titanic force in the entertainment industry, responsible for unleashing a veritable tsunami of filmmaking. According to the Academy of Motion Pictures, he produced more than 300 films and has directing credits on at least 50. He also founded New World Pictures, which released many cult classics throughout the 1970s and ‘80s.

To celebrate Corman, you click through and check out a few of the most notable movies he directed, produced, or financed.

A Bucket of Blood (1959)

One of Corman’s early movies that displayed his characteristic mixture of camp, humor, and creepiness, A Bucket of Blood is about a beatnik whose accidental killing of his landlady’s cat transforms him into an actual murderer.

The Fall of the House of Usher (1960)

Corman notably directed the “Poe cycle”—a sequence of eight movies based on the stories of Edgar Allen Poe—and The Fall of the House of Usher is one of the more memorable in that sequence. It features a performance by the always-great Vincent Price.

The Pit and the Pedulum (1961)

Another Poe movie worth watching, Corman’s Pit and the Pendulum brings Price back to the big screen for more creepy action.

The Raven (1963)

Yet another film in Corman’s Poe cycle, The Raven is more comedic than scary but it’s still a worthy entry in the filmmaker’s oeuvre.

Dementia 13 (1963)

Corman produced the first film ever made by Francis Ford Coppola. Dementia-13 is a low-budget horror film about murder and marital strife. Coppola would use his time with Corman to hone skills he later used to make some of the most popular movies of all time.

The Masque of the Red Death (1964)

Considered one of the finest of Corman’s “Poe cycle,” The Masque of the Red Death is a great-looking movie and yet another fun performance from Price.

The Tomb of Ligeia (1964)

Another Poe movie, this film features an early screenplay by Robert Towne, who would later go on to write Chinatown.

The Wild Angels (1966)

This biker movie directed by Corman stars Peter Fonda, features a script partially written by Peter Bogdanovich, and has heavy counterculture vibes. A very fun watch.

The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre (1967)

Corman’s mid-Sixties film about Al Capone and other gangsters in the Twenties includes early performances by then relatively unknown actors Jack Nicholson and Bruce Dern.

The Trip (1967)

A precursor to Easy Rider, this trippy counterculture Corman film was written by Jack Nicholson and is all about LSD. What’s not to like?

Targets (1968)

Corman produced this first movie directed by Peter Bogdanovich, who would go on to become a prominent member of the New Hollywood movement. Bogdanovich later directed several classics, including The Last Picture Show and Paper Moon.

Bloody Mama (1970)

Corman’s crime exploitation picture about a real-life woman who helped her bank-robbing sons carry out their crimes features an early performance by a young Robert de Niro and also stars Shelley Winters and Bruce Dern.

Boxcar Bertha (1972)

Corman produced Bertha, one of Martin Scorsese’s first features. The film would help establish Scorsese before he rocketed to fame with his next film, Mean Streets.

Cries and Whispers (1972)

Corman helped finance Ingmar Bergman’s 1972 movie about three sisters dealing with death. Corman later distributed the picture in the U.S. through his New World Pictures production company. The film would go on to win a number of Academy Awards.

Caged Heat (1974)

Corman produced this early film by Jonathan Demme (of The Silence of the Lambs), an exploitation movie about female convicts in prison.

Death Race 2000 (1975)

Fondly remembered as one of the best B-movies to come out of Corman’s New World Pictures studio, Death Race 2000 stars David Carradine (of Kung Fu) as a racer involved in a dystopian...well, death race.

Frankenstein Unbound (1990)

Frankenstein Unbound was the last film that Corman personally directed.

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