Towards the end of the documentary Corman’s World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel (2011), Jack Nicholson declares that Roger Corman “was my lifeblood.” Then the biggest star in Hollywood begins to cry and his voice breaks up. We get a true sense that Jack wouldn’t be Jack without Roger. Roger Corman saw that Jack Nicholson could bring something magical and rebellious to the screen. Before he became an Oscar winning, massive box office force, Corman cast him in a small, but memorable role in The Little Shop of Horrors. A few years later, Nicholson would get his first starring role opposite Boris Karloff in The Terror. Both of those films have been brought together for a double feature Blu-ray to show how Jack knew how to light up the screen in two different eras.
The Terror (1963 – 80 minutes) started as Corman challenging himself to shoot a Gothic horror in only two days. He had sets leftover from his Poe movies and two days left on his contract with Boris Karloff. If there was a filmmaker who could pull out a feature film in a weekend, it was Corman. The director got Leo Gordon (The Cry Baby Killer) to crank out a script. He grabbed three of his favorite actors at the time: Dick Miller (Not Of This Earth), Jonathan Haze (The Little Shop of Horrors) and Jack Nicholson (Easy Rider). French solider André Duvalier (Nicholson) is saved from death by Helene (Thunder Road‘s Sandra Knight). After recovering, he becomes obsessed by the beautiful woman. While looking for her, he visits the castle of Barron von Leppe (Karloff). Turns out the count’s wife Ilsa looks like Helene. Are they the same woman? The mystery only deepens because Ilsa died 20 years ago. Will Andre get to the truth as about both women from his time with the Baron?
While Corman shot the movie over the two days, he realized he needed a bit more footage to be released. Since he was busy with other movies, he assigned a crop of young filmmakers to make more shots. The other directors that worked on the film including Monte Hellman (Two Lane Blacktop), Jack Hill (Coffy), Francis Ford Coppola (The Godfather), Dennis Jakob and even Jack Nicholson. There’s as many directors as cast members. It was a creative stew that Roger finally got into shape for a theatrical release. While Peter Bogdanovich didn’t direct the actual movie, Corman had him use parts of The Terror in his movie Targets that starred Karloff. Even Joe Dante (Gremlins) and Alan Arkush (Rock and Roll High School) used clips for their film Hollywood Boulevard that was made for Corman’s New World Pictures. They wanted to make a film cheaper than their boss. Over the years, The Terror has become a bit of a sensation because of Nicholson’s work with Karloff. This was The Joker vs. Frankenstein’s Monster.
The Little Shop of Horrors (1960 – 73 minutes) was also shot in two days, but instead of gothic horror, we’re given a black comedy. Gravis Mushnick (Chopping Mall‘s Mel Welles) runs a rundown florist shop on skid row. He has to fire his employee Seymour (Day The World Ended‘s Jonathan Haze) for screwing up the flowers going to a dentist. Seymour attempts to get his job back by showing Mushnick a strange plant that he’s been growing from seeds he received from a Japanese gardener. He calls it Audrey Jr after his co-worker Audrey (Gremlins‘ Jackie Joseph). Mushnick isn’t too impressed at first, but the plant grows when Seymour cuts himself and bleeds on the flower. He quickly discovers the plant wants more than Miracle Gro. Jack Nicholson has a memorable role as a dental patient who doesn’t like painkillers when in the chair. He rivals Audrey Jr. for owning the film.
Roger Corman was wise to make Jack Nicholson part of his acting company. Even when The Terror gets confusing, you’re willing to overlook things to keep an eye on Jack. In Little Shop, he plays his pain loving patient with the proper comic tone. You can believe he loves the sound of a dental drill. Jack proved he was a movie star even if the movies were made in a weekend. The Terror and The Little Shop of Horrors is another fine Roger Corman double feature.
The Video is 1.85:1 anamorphic for both films. The remastered transfers on both films are the best they’ve ever been. You get to see more details in the castle and the flower shop. The Audio is DTS-MA HD 2.0 Mono and Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono. They’ve cleaned up the audio so you can appreciate the dialogue. The movie is subtitled in English.
Audio Commentary on The Terror features Dr. Steve Haberman and C. Courtney Joyner being excited to see the film on this restored print after existing as faded 16mm public domain prints. They point out that the opening illustrations were done by Paul Julian who did great work for Chuck Jones.
Ghosts In the Machine: Art & Artifice in Roger Corman’s Celluloid Castle (44:12) is a visual essay by the Flying Maciste Brothers (Howard S. Berger & Kevin Marr). Gets into how Roger Corman got to the point where he could make The Terror. We also learn how the production became such a group effort. They attempt to explain the plot.
2023 re-cut trailer for The Terror (2:10) sells us on Karloff and Nicholson.
Audio Commentary on The Little Shop of Horrors has star Jonathan Haze with writer Justin Humphreys. Haze was working in a gas station when a regular customer set him up with a meeting with Roger Corman. Corman had a very tiny office and seemed to wear the same suit. Haze later introduced Corman to screenwriter Charles B. Griffith. He talks of his friendship with Dick Miller from back in their New York City days. The commentary is subtitled.
Hollywood Intruders: The Filmgroup Story: Part Two (17:14) goes into how Roger’s side production and distribution company continued making low budget films while he was also making films for American International Pictures. We learn how Corman put together The Little Shop of Horrors with screenwriter Charles B. Griffith.
2023 re-cut trailer for The Little Shop of Horrors (1:28) opens with Seymour wanting to be fed.
Booklet with essays by C. Courtney Joyner and Mark McGee about the two movies.
Film Masters present The Terror: Special Edition. Directed by Roger Corman. Screenplays by Leo Gordon and Charles B. Griffith. Starring Boris Karloff, Jack Nicholson, Dick Miller, Jonathan Haze, Sandra Knight, Dorothy Neumann and Mel Welles. Boxset Contents: 2 movies on 2 Blu-ray discs. Rating: Unrated. Release Date: November 12, 2024.
