CULT-TASTIC: Tales From The Trenches With Roger And Julie Corman Season 1, Episode 8: Monster Mash

Future Worlds

In episode one of Roger and Julie Corman’s Cult-tastic!, there are seven featured films that revolve around the common theme of “future worlds.” First, there is Battle Beyond The Stars directed by Roger Corman and Jimmy T. Murakami. It features actors Richard Thomas, Robert Vaughn, George Peppard and John Saxon. An interesting bit about Battle Beyond The Stars is that James Cameron, who had hitch-hiked from Arizona with no previous Hollywood experience, was promoted to head special effects for the picture after the original special effects specialist was fired. The episode also includes the film Galaxy of Terror directed by Bruce D. Clark, and the cast consists of Edward Albert, Erin Moran and Ray Walston. War of the Satellites is another film mentioned in this episode, and it was directed by Roger Corman. The cast combines Dick Miller, Susan Cabot and Richard Devon. The picture was released 60 days after Russia put the first satellite in space and was therefore representative of the competition between the United States and the Soviet Union. Dead Space directed by Fred Gallo was also discussed, and it emphasized humor when cast members Marc Singer and Laura Tate were tasked with taking down a metamorphic virus in space. Death Sport directed by Roger Corman and Allan Arkush was another impressive film brought up in episode one, and its cast included stars like Claudia Jennings and David Carradine. There was an incident on set where a gun was held to Jennings’ head, and Corman described how he had to help deescalate the situation. Nightfall directed by Paul Mayersberg was an intriguing story about a world where darkness only occurs every 2500 years. Lastly, Star Crash directed by Luigi Cozzo comprised an international cast such as Caroline Munro, Marjoe Gortner and Christopher Plummer for an exciting futuristic action film.

Criminal Lives

Discusses William Shatner, Angie Dickenson, Martin Sheen, F. Murray Abraham and features "Big Bad Mama," "Crazy Mama," "The Great Texas Dynamite Chase," "Big Bad Mama II," and "Dillinger and Capone."

43 min

Comedy

Discusses Ron Howard, Joe Dante, The Ramones and features "Eat My Dust!," "Saturday the 14th," "Last Resort," and "Hollywood Boulevard."

43 min

Real World

Discusses Jamie Lee Curtis, Peter Bogdanovich and Ben Gazzara and features "High School Big Shot," "Cockfighter," "Saint Jack," "Suburbia," "Love Letters" and "I Never Promised You a Rose Garden."

43 min

Outsiders

Discusses Tommy Lee Jones and features "Angels," "Hard As They Come," "Black Oak Conspiracy," "Bloodfist," "Naked Angels," "Nashville Girl" and "The Spy Within."

43 min

Warrior Women

Discusses Jonathan Demme and Pam Greer and features "Barbarian Queen," "Caged Heat," "Silk," "The Sisterhood," "The Arena," "The Hot Box" and "TNT Jackson."

43 min

Mad Scientists

Discusses Joe Dante and features "The Wasp Woman," "Forbidden World," "Screamers," "Brain Dead," "The Unborn" and "Piranha" (1995).

43 min

Fantasy

Features "Sorceress," "Deathstalker," "The Warrior and the Sorceress," "Deathstalker II," "Wizards of the Lost Kingdom," "The Magic Voyage of Sinbad" and "The Dirt Bike Kid."

43 min

Survival

Features "Big Doll House," "Jackson County Jail," "Battle of Blood Island," "Avalanche" and "The Big Bird Cage."

43 min

Against All Odds

Features "Eye of the Eagle," "Eye of the Eagle 2," "Cocaine Wars," "Pit Stop," "The Destroyers," "Stripped to Kill," "The Slumber Party Massacre" and "Nam Angels."

43 min

End of the World

Features "Warlords of the 21st Century," "Wheels of Fire," "Future Kick," "Equalizer 2000," "Raiders of the Sun" and "The Terror Within."

43 min

Memories

Discusses Jack Nicholson and features "The Dirt Bike Kid," "Last Resort," "Big Doll House" and "Night Call Nurses."

39 min