The Raven (1963)

While I doubt that Edgar Allan Poe imagined his poem "The Raven" quite like this, the cult Roger Corman flick is a truly delicious slice of camp that will surely stay with you for ages after you see it. The all star cast is worth the watch on its own: a combination of Vincent Price, Boris Karloff, Peter Lorre and a young Jack Nicholson simply cannot go wrong! Oh, and by the way, don't miss the burning roof sequence that Corman used in every single movie he filmed during the early 1960's :)

Public Domain Classics

After a full work week of no updates, now comes a torrent of movies, music and news, ranging from the sublime to the absurd. First, I have a treat for all of you that like oldies: three classic horrors that belong to the public domain and are available for you viewing pleasure right here.

1. Night of the Living Dead (1968)

It is suffice to say that Night of the Living Dead redefined gore and high concept in horror movies. Made on a shoestring budget and guided by the unique vision of George A. Romero, it introduced the zombie archetype as most know it nowadays and infused it with the kind of social commentary that is usually reserved for arthouse flicks. Those shots at the very end of the movie are worth gold.

2. The Last Man on Earth (1964)

If you ask me, any film with Vincent Price in it is a must-see purely because of the Man's charisma. The Last Man on Earth is much more than a Vincent Price film, though, especially since it is the first adaptation of the classic novel by Richard Matheson, I Am Legend, remade twice more with Charlton Heston and Will Smith, accordingly. This classic features Vincent Price as scientist Robert Morgan in a post apocalyptic nightmare world. The world has been consumed by a ravenous plague that has transformed humanity into a race of bloodthirsty vampires. Only Morgan proves immune, and becomes the solitary vampire slayer. Enjoy!

3. The Little Shop of Horrors (1960)

If I must pick one moviemaker as my idol, it would have to be Roger Corman. Yeah, his movies are rooted deeply in B territory and cannot be compared with more worthwhile fare such as Psycho or Peeping Tom (both made in 1960) but given Corman's personal development from screenwriter to producer to director to mentor of Everybody That Was Worth Something In Hollywood During The 1970s And 1980s, this guy was a pure legend. The Little Shop of Horrors, for instance, is an OK movie in itself but it also contains the film debut of one Jack Nicholson who will continue to work with Corman on several films as an actor and co-director!