Tag Archives: coming attractions

12 Roger Corman Trailers

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Roger Corman in The Godfather Part II

Today we pay tribute to the legacy of Roger Corman with a special edition of Lisa Marie’s Favorite Grindhouse and Exploitation Film Trailers.

  1. Five Guns West (1955)

This western was the first film that Roger Corman was credited with directing.

2. The Day The World Ended (1955)

Though Corman worked in almost every type of film genre imaginable, he’s probably best remembered for his science fiction and horror films.  This was one of the first of them.

3. Not of this Earth (1957)

Not of this Earth was not only one of Corman’s better sci-fi films but this also the first film in which Corman really took full advantage of character actor Dick Miller.  (Miller, a longtime friend of Corman’s, largely improvised his role as a hip vacuum cleaner salesman.)

4. Machine Gun Kelly (1958)

Along with westerns and sci-fi films, Corman also directed several gangster classics.  Machine Gun Kelly is remembered as one of his best.

5. Bucket of Blood (1959)

In Bucket of Blood, Roger Corman gave Dick Miller a starring role and also mixed comedy and horror in a way that influence many future horror directors.

6. Little Shop of Horrors (1960)

Roger Corman famously shot Little Shop of Horrors in just two days.  The end result was a mix of comedy and horror that continues to be influential to this day.  The musical is very good but I still prefer the cheerful low-budget aesthetic of the Corman original.

7. The Intruder (1962)

Corman was an exploitation filmmaker with a conscience.  At a time when other films were avoiding social issues, Corman dove right in with challenging films like The Intruder.

8. The Terror (1963)

Corman was famous for his ability to spot new talent.  His 1963 film The Terror starred a then unknown actor named Jack Nicholson.

9. The Masque of the Red Death (1964)

In the 60s, Corman was also well-known for his Edgar Allan Poe adaptations, the majority of which starred Vincent Price.  With these colorful and flamboyant films, Corman showed himself to be a pop artist at heart.

10. The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre (1967)

The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre featured Corman directing a film for a big studio.  The film recreated the gang war between Al Capone and George Moran while also finding room for Corman regulars like Jack Nicholson, Dick Miller, and Jonathan Haze.

11. The Trip (1967)

Roger Corman was always sympathetic to the counter-culture, which led to the remarkably nonjudgmental nature of The Trip, a film in which Peter Fonda drops acid under the guidance of Bruce Dern and Dennis Hopper.  Jack Nicholson wrote the script.

12. Frankenstein Unbound (1990)

In the 1970s, Corman retired from directing and instead focused on producing and distributing movies.  In 1990, he briefly came out of retirement and directed his final film, Frankenstein Unbound.

6 Trailers For May 4th

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Star Wars not only launched an entire expanded universe.  It also launched a few thousand rip-offs.  For this weeks edition of Lisa Marie’s Favorite Grindhouse and Exploitation Film Trailers, we’ve got six trailers that might seem just a little familiar….

  1. Battle Beyond The Stars (1980)

From Roger Corman comes this film, which is as much a rip-off of The Magnificent Seven as it is of Star Wars.  Battle Beyond The Stars was a surprise box office success when it was first released.

2. Space Raiders (1983)

Also from executive producer Roger Corman, Space Raiders tells the story of what happens when a quirky band of intergalactic outlaws pick up an annoying (and frankly, rather stupid) kid.

3. The Humanoid (1979)

From director Aldo Lado, The Humanoid features the great Richard Kiel as the title character.  There’s also a cute robot, an older mystic, and an evil Empire.

4. Message From Space (1978)

Do you remember another film that had a message from space?

5. Flash Gordon (1980)

Interestingly enough, Star Wars was as inspired by the original Flash Gordon as the Flash Gordon reboot was inspired by Star Wars.

6. Starcrash (1978)

And finally, we have Starcrash, the Star Wars rip-off that is actually better than Star Wars!

6 Trailers For October 31st, 2023

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Happy Halloween!  For today’s special edition of Lisa Marie’s Favorite Grindhouse and Exploitation Film Trailers, we are paying tribute to the great George Romero!  Here are six trailers, all for films directed by the master of American horror!  How many of them have you watched this October?

  1. Night of The Living Dead (1968)

2. The Crazies (1973)

3. Martin (1977)

4. Creepshow (1982)

5. Monkey Shines (1988)

6. The Dark Half (1993)

6 Trailers For October 29, 2023

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

As we reach the conclusion of our annual Horrorthon, how about another edition of Lisa Marie’s Favorite Grindhouse and Exploitation Film trailers?  Today, we pay tribute to the godfather of Halloween, Mr. John Carpenter!

  1. Halloween (1978)

Obviously, I was going to have to share the trailer for the original Halloween eventually.  This is still the best of the franchise.  In fact, all of the attempts by other directors to “improve” on it just serves to remind us of the fact that John Carpenter said everything that needed to be said in the first film.

2. Assault on Precinct 13 (1976)

How did Carpenter get the chance to direct Halloween?  Well, the producers were impressed with his previous film, Assault on Precinct 13.  Also impressed by this film was Angela Pleasence, who subsequently convinced her father, Donald, to read Carpenter’s script for Halloween.

3. The Fog (1980)

Carpenter followed up Halloween with The Fog, which featured several cast members of both Halloween and Carpenter’s next film, Escape From New York.

4. The Thing (1982)

Incredibly underappreciated when it was first released, Carpenter’s remake of The Thing has gone on to become one of his most popular and influential films.

5. Prince of Darkness (1987)

Speaking of underappreciated, it would also be several years before Carpenter’s Prince of Darkness started to receive the attention that it really deserved.

6. John Carpenter’s Vampires (1998)

Finally, with Vampires, Carpenter mixed the horror genre with the western genre and came up with a hybrid that continues to be influential to this day.

6 Trailers For The End Of The Third Week Of Horrorthon

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

With the third week of Horrorthon coming to a close and the final week about to start, I have to really ask myself, “Where does the time go!?”

Well, as I consider that, why not check out this special Horrorthon edition of Lisa Marie’s Favorite Grindhouse and Exploitation Film trailers!

  1. Ruby (1977)

In this film from 1977, the great Piper Laurie plays Ruby, a former gun moll who owns her own haunted drive-in theater!

2. Drive-In Massacre (1976)

Ruby was not the only 70s horror film to be sent at a drive-in.  There was also 1976’s Drive-In Massacre!

3. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)

And what were they all watching at the drive-in?  Depending on the year, they could have very well have been watching the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre!

4. The Legend of Boggy Creek (1972)

Another drive-in of the 70s was this documentary about the search for the Fouke Monster.

5. The Town That Dreaded Sundown (1976)

The Legend of Boggy Creek was such a hit that director Charles B. Pierce was able to follow up with The Town That Dreaded Sundown.

6. The Evictors (1979)

The Town That Dreaded Sundown was a bit enough hit that Charles B. Pierce was able to follow it up with The Evictors.

Such is the power of the drive-in!

6 Trailers For October 13th, 2023

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Happy Friday the 13th!  Since today is a special day, here’s a special edition of Lisa Marie’s Favorite Grindhouse and Exploitation Film trailers!  The theme today is …. DON’T GO IN THE WOODS!

  1. Friday the 13th (1980)

Obviously, I had to start things off with the trailer for the original Friday the 13th!  This trailer puts a lot of emphasis on Marcie’s dream about the rain turning into blood.  I have to say that is a pretty intense dream.

2. The Burning (1981)

After Friday the 13th, there were many movies about the dangers of going to camp.  The Burning is one of the best-remembered.  Seriously, I’m so glad that I never did the camp thing.

3. Madman (1982)

I reviewed Madman earlier this month but I’m going to share the trailer again.  Seriously, camping is bad but yelling, “Madman Marz!” is apparently even worse.

4. Sleepaway Camp (1983)

As bad as those camps are, they’re a picnic compared to Sleepaway Camp!

5. Without Warning (1980)

Of course, it’s not just camps that are dangerous.  As the trailer for Without Warning shows, you never know what you might run into in the woods.

6. The Guardian (1990)

Not even the trees are safe!

6 Trailers For The End Of The First Week of Horrorthon

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

As week 1 of the 2023 Horrorthon comes to a close, it’s time for me to admit that I am absolutely, 100% exhausted.  Hopefully, this latest edition of Lisa Marie’s Favorite Grindhouse Trailers will help to keep me awake!

  1. Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

Here’s a trailer that’s as good as any when it comes to giving you a reason to try to stay awake!

2. Bad Dreams (1988)

Freddy isn’t the only person haunting the dream world.

3. Dreammaniac (1986)

Actually, there’s a lot of dangerous things out there in Dream Land.

4. The Cell (2000)

Even Jennifer Lopez and Vince Vaughn know better than to get lost in someone else’s dream.

5. Phantasm (1979)

And, of course, we can’t talk about sleep and dreams and nightmares without including the classic trailer for Phantasm.

6. Dreamscape (1984)

Fear not, though!  If things get too intense in the dreamworld, we can always call Dennis Quaid.

Sweet dreams!

Here’s the Super Bowl Spot for Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves!

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Hi, everyone!  It’s Super Bowl Sunday and that means that, to the best of our ability, TSL will be posting all of the film and television teasers that are aired during the big game!

Fortunately, some of them have already been released on YouTube.  Here’s the 31-second spot for Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves!  Chris Pine certainly seems to be having fun.

6 Classic Trailers For March 25th, 2022

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Since it’s Oscar week, it seems like a good idea to devote the latest edition of Lisa Marie’s Favorite Grindhouse and Exploitation Film trailers to 6 classic films that received not a single Oscar nomination. That’s the way the Oscars are unfortunately. Sometimes, the best films are totally ignored.

For instance….

  1. Chappaqua (1967)

1967 was a great year for the movie so perhaps it’s understandable that the Academy somehow overlooked Chappaqua.  Still, this film was far more deserving a nomination than Doctor Doolittle.

2. Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (1971)

Valley of the Dolls received an Oscar nominations for its score.  However, it’s unofficial sequel didn’t even receive that.  Not a single nomination went to Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, not even Best Original Song.  In 1970, the Academy just wasn’t ready.

3. Coffy (1973)

Ellen Burstyn certainly deserved the Oscar for Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore but still, how could the Academy not nominate Pam Grier for her work in Coffy?

4. Dawn of the Dead (1978)

The Academy will probably never embrace the zombie genre.  They certainly weren’t prepared to do so in 1978.  That said, it’s way past time to give Tom Savini an honorary award.

5. The Warriors (1979)

The Warriors is another classic that went unnominated.  Not even the music got a nomination.  David Patrick Kelly was totally snubbed.  The Baseball Furies should have been sitting in front row on Oscar night.  It’s a true shame.

6. Death Wish 3 (1985)

Give the Giggler an Oscar!