When Roger Corman passed away in 2024 at the age of 98, it was still a shock to me. The man just felt like he was going to be immortal. He’d been making movies since 1955 and was still producing films in his 90s including a lot of those SyFy channels freaky original monster flicks. In a hard sense, it felt like an era of film history that had lasted 70 years had come to a close with Corman’s passing. But his spirit is alive. He’s still empowering a new generation of filmmakers when they imagine making a movie in a weekend. The Terror/The Little Shop Of Horrors features two of his films from the era when Corman worked with a speed unequaled for the time although one took a bit longer than expected..
The Terror (1963 – 80 minutes) is a bizarre film from the time when Roger Corman was making his successful Edgar Allan Poe films with Vincent Price. After wrapping The Raven, Corman realized he was still owed a few days work from Boris Karloff. He slightly reworked the sets, got Jack Nicolson to stick around and called for Dick Miller and Jonathan Haze. He got a script hastily written that seemed Poe-like. According to story, they originally only fleshed out the scenes intended for Boris and Jack on those precious dates. Then Corman had the rest of the film written. After the initial production days, he had some of his “University of Corman” students shoot more scenes with Jack afterward his contract with Karloff expired. This included Francis Ford Coppola (The Godfather), Monte Hellman (Two Lane Blacktop) and Jack Hill (Coffy). Even a young Conrad Hall (cinematographer of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid) found himself shooting scenes for what turned out to be the longest production ever made by Corman. Later Corman would have Peter Bogdanovich (Paper Moon) use footage from The Terror in Targets which starred a much older Boris Karloff. The Terror became a rite of passage for a generation of film directors. What about the movie? It’s a tale of a French soldier (Jack Nicholson, Batman) who is saved by a mysterious women (Sandra Knight, Thunder Road and Nicolson’s wife at the time). He believes she might be the wife of the Baron (Boris Karloff, Frankenstein). But when he drops by the castle, he discovers the wife isn’t around. There are dark secrets that get exposed. Dick Miller and Jonathan Haze from The Little Shop of Horrors appear in the film. The best part of The Terror is watching Jack Nicholson and Boris Karloff share the screen.
The Little Shop of Horrors (1960 – 73 minutes) was the basis for the beloved musical. Seymour Krelborn (Jonathan Haze, The Terror) works at a skid row florist shop run by Gravis Mushnick (Mel Welles, Chopping Mall). He finds an unusual plant that he names after his co-worker and crush Audrey (Jackie Joseph, Gremlins). Seymour learns that the plant needs more than water and fertilizer to grow. He’s willing to do what the plant craves since it has become a sensation and turned Mushnick’s into a success. The film features Jack Nicholson as a masochistic dental patient. Dick Miller is a regular customer who enjoys eating flowers. Roger Corman’s legend grew with the film since he supposedly shot it in 2 days. Even on a shoestring budget, the film is fun and wild. It’s easy to understand why someone would watch The Little Shop of Horror and imagine a musical emerging. You’ll want to feed Audrey some attention.
The Terror/The Little Shop Of Horrors (Special Edition) Blu-ray brings together the two big legacies of Roger Corman. First is how he knew how to make an enjoyable movie in a short time with The Little Shop of Horrors. Second is how he had a great eye for filmmaking talent with the young directors who were enlisted to shoot more footage for The Terror. This double feature is a great way to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Roger Corman’s birth.
The Video is 1.85:1 for both films. The black and white of Little Shop of Horrors is crisp. The color looks Gothic goodness on The Terror. Both films look better than the old DVDs I have in my collection. The Audio is DTS-HD MA 2.0 Mono and Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono for both movies. You’ll hear Jack clearly in both roles. The movies are subtitled in English.
Commentary for The Terror from C. Courtney Joyner and Dr. Steve Haberman has them immediately mention how Corman recut the film to put Karloff walking through the castle up front so people know he’s in the movie.
Ghosts in the Machine Art & Artifice in Roger Corman’s Celluloid Castle (44:12) is a visual essay by Howard S. Berger & Kevin Marr. They delve into Roger Corman’s cinematic storytelling approach. They explore the cinematic language and themes in The Terror. They go into the other six filmmakers who contributed to the film. There is talk of the Edgar Allan Poe movies starring Vincent Price that ultimately led to the genesis of The Terror.
2023 Re-cut Trailer for The Terror (2:10) uses the new transfer for the images with the original audio.
Commentary for The Littles Shop of Horrors features star Jonathan Haze with Justin Humphreys. Haze was working at a gas station when a regular customer promised if he ever had the chance, he’d put Haze in the movies. This lead to him introducing Haze to Roger Corman. Haze was responsible for quite a few folks working with Corman including Chuck Griffith and Mel Welles. They point out Chuck and his family members that ended up in the film. He points out Dick Miller would improv a few lines in the film. It’s great to hear Haze talk about the film. He passed away in 2024.
Hollywood Intruders: The Filmgroup Story: Part Two (17:14) covers how Roger Corman became set up the company with his brother Gene Corman. They were also making films for American International Pictures. He made two quickies in Puerto Rico with The Last Woman On Earth written by Chinatown scribe Robert Towne. He also acted in the film for Corman. They also distributed movies from other filmmakers. This is where Roger made The Terror and The Little Shop of Horrors. We also learn how Corman’s Bucket of Blood played off Little Shop.
2023 Recut Trailer for The Little Shop of Horrors (1:28) uses the new transfer footage with the original audio.
Illustrated Booklet with an essay on Boris Karloff and Poe by C. Courtney Joyner. Mark McGee’s “Faster! Faster!” is about how Corman made a movie in a few days.
Film Masters present The Terror/The Little Shop of Horrors: Special Edition. Directed by Roger Corman. Screenplays by Leo Gordon, Jack Hill and Charles B. Griffith. Starring Boris Karloff, Jack Nicholson, Dick Miller, Sandra Knight, Dorothy Neumann, Jonathan Haze, Jackie Joseph and Mel Welles. Boxset Contents: 2 movies on 2 Blu-ray discs. Rating: Unrated. Release Date: August 25, 2026.
