Roger Corman: 25 years of Concorde-New Horizons

May 13, 2008 The late New York Times film critic Vincent Canby once proclaimed: "What is 'Jaws' but a big-budget Roger Corman film?" The 82-year-old director and producer -- who is celebrating the 25th anniversary of his company Concorde-New Horizons by bringing two new titles to the Cannes market -- envisioned the rise of Hollywood's blockbuster exploitation epics, but many know him simply as the "King of the B's." "There is a tendency, especially in our industry, to try to categorize people," observes Julie Corman, his wife and longtime business partner. Working mainly at American International Pictures throughout the late '50s and '60s, he pioneered the horror franchise model with his classy Edgar Allen Poe and H.P. Lovecraft adaptations, including 1961's "The Pit and the Pendulum" and 1963's "The Haunted Palace," many of which starred Vincent Price.

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