Horror in the Early Films of Roger Corman, 1955–1964

Sue Matheson's Horror in the Early Films of Roger Corman provides remarkable insight into many of the filmmaker's key works. Applause is in order for a volume we've long needed. * Gary D. Rhodes, Professor of Media Production, Oklahoma Baptist University, USA, and author of The Birth of the American Horror Film *
Roger's foundational years making movies on the fringes of Hollywood aren't just testaments to his maverick, ingenious and economical independent film spirit, they collectively serve as a mirror reflecting - and in turn, influencing - American pop culture of the time, and eventually, inadvertently, helping to birth the American cinema New Wave. That he carved this path using monsters, murder, madness, maidens, ghouls, gangsters, teenage sex and rock n roll is the icing on the cake. Sue Matheson's breathless Horror in the Early Films of Roger Corman, 1955-1964 acknowledges this vital arc and goes deep into Roger's often high-minded "buried in the mix" intellectualism that helped elevate his genre films. This is an important, exciting read that Roger would have loved... * Chris Alexander, Filmmaker, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Delirium Magazine and author of Corman/Poet, Canada *
Like a Roger Corman movie, this illuminating book is both fun and full of ideas, showing how the low-budget director took on the Cold War, bigotry, and misogyny – not to mention the unconscious, the devil, carnivorous plants, and various sea monsters. This edited collection is, quite simply, a must-read for fans and scholars of horror, science fiction, and exploitation films. * Heather Hendershot, Professor, Northwestern University, USA *