CORMAN/POE: INTERVIEWS AND ESSAYS EXPLORING THE MAKING OF ROGER CORMAN'S EDGAR ALLAN POE FILMS, 1960-1964 - MY INTERVIEW WITH CHRIS ALEXANDER

On the 6th of June, 2023, Headpress will be releasing a book that presents us with a series of interviews and essays that examines the development of each film made by Roger Corman based on the works of the 19th-century writer, poet, and literary critic, Edgar Allan Poe. Entitled, 'Corman/Poe: Interviews and Essays Exploring the Making of Roger Corman's Edgar Allan Poe Films, 1960-1964', this 252-page paperback book is full of images and insights about what occurred behind the scenes during the production of these films, along with a foreword written by the main man himself, Roger Corman. Want to know more? Then please check out the following Q and A with the author of the aforementioned book, Chris Alexander.





1) Name three words that best describe who you are.   I'd say, filmmaker, writer, and musician. Or alternatively, strange, cinema, enthusiast.

2) According to the synopsis of your book, Roger Corman made eight films based on the works of Edgar Allan Poe. But which one is your favorite and why?   Well, technically, Roger only made seven feature films based on the written works of Poe, not eight, because one of them, 'The Haunted Palace', was a Lovecraft adaptation (the first feature film Lovecraft adaptation, in fact) and was cleverly shoehorned into the series by Arkoff and Nicholson at AIP.

Anyway, all that aside, I'd say my favorite of the Poe pictures will always be 'The Pit and the Pendulum' (circa 1961), as it offers everything I worship about Gothic horror and cinema in general. It looks gorgeous, it's cerebral without being preachy, it's psychological, it's melodramatic while still being emotionally honest, it has serpentine twists and turns, it looks delicious, it sounds delicious (I adore Les Baxter's near-experimental score), it's lurid, and it has a potent subtext of sexual sadism that goes all the way.

3) What song would you say best represents 'Corman/Poe'?   To answer this question, I'd like to select a song performed by Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass, named 'Ladyfingers', because I wrote this book during the pandemic and found myself constantly listening to that lush, sixties sound of instrumental lounge music. To me, it's like listening to the ghost of music from another world, another age, another room, which in the case of Roger's Poe films, suddenly comes alive in Les Baxter's strings and brass instrumental work. This style of music has a somewhat haunted quality, and I can imagine it being played on a jukebox while Roger sits in a smoky cocktail lounge, close to closing time, relaxing and plotting his next move.

4) What would you say is the most surprising fact featured in your book?   That it exists. That I finally completed it, as I've been interviewing Roger for two decades now, and during that time, I would like to think that we, along with his brilliant wife and partner, Julie Corman, have formed a friendship. A friendship that began to flourish even more when I discovered an old drive consisting of over a hundred interviews with horror film directors, actors, and musicians, which were sometimes published in various magazines and websites, some long gone. But those that still exist, like the conversations I previously had with Roger about filmmaking, those interviews were the impetus of this book, coupled with interviews I had done within the last decade, uncut and focused specifically on the Poe films.

5) If you were able to adapt 'Corman/Poe' into a film, who would you cast to play Edgar Allan Poe and Roger Corman and why would you choose these particular people?   Well, I wouldn't have Poe present in the movie. Not physically, anyway, as I would like him to be a shadow, a ghost, lingering like a guiding spirit over it, guiding Roger and his writers (Richard Matheson, Charles Beaumont, and Robert Towne) to develop each script in their series of Poe films. And to play Roger? Honestly? There is no one like Roger, as I cannot think of any living actor who could channel his charisma, his measured, calming way of speaking, the glint in his eye. That bridge would have to be crossed whenever it's built, if ever!

'Corman/Poe: Interviews and Essays Exploring the Making of Roger Corman's Edgar Allan Poe Films, 1960-1964' is a 252-page paperback book written by Chris Alexander, which will be published by Headpress on the 6th of June, 2023. For further information, you can check out the official website. Or if you prefer, you can pre-order a copy via Amazon.