It all started innocent enough.
Last year I picked up a copy of Chopping Mall from a small used record store in Montreal. Later that week, while watching the movie, I noticed a poster for Barbarian Queen on the wall during the diner scene. During the summer I had pointed out a poster for that movie to Doug, who eventually bought it and mounted it over his bed. I had also found a VHS tape of that same movie for Nagy not long before that. There’s a scene in Chopping Mall where some of the “teens” are watching a movie on TV. The movie is Attack of the Crab Monsters. That same week the lead actress of that film, Pamela Duncan, had passed away. As the weeks wore on, the connections between Chopping Mall and my life continued to appear, to the point where I was convinced that this b-movie about murderous mall security robots was the cosmic centre of all being. This was, of course, a naive supposition.
The truth is that all things actually lead to Roger Corman.
When I expanded my perspective to accomodate all of Roger Corman’s work, I found myself overwhelmed by the insidious hold he has on our world. Connections I hadn’t previously possessed the insight to explore became apparent. Like hearing a word for the very first time then hearing it again and again in the days that follow, this discovery has altered my entire worldview. Now I can’t escape him, no matter how much tinfoil I use.
Consider yourselves enlightened. This is Roger Corman’s world. We just live in it.
