NORMAN--- An evening of fun watching the business savvy and maybe even the first feminist horror film by the King of the B´s Roger Corman, the Wasp Woman, where a beautiful, though aging business woman, rejuvenates in front of the camera (thanks to a bee serum) and dominates her male underlings to death....
The Independent Film Project and the School of Art, in conjunction with the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, present a series of "B-movies" with an exciting explanation where fiction meets reality. "The Wasp Woman" will be screened on Friday, September 30 at 7 p.m., at the museum´s Kerr Auditorium. The event is free and open to the public.
When a cosmetics tycoon develops a formula for eternal youth using jelly from queen wasps, she develops certain undesirable side effects, including an insatiable urge to kill. "The Wasp Woman" (1960) is one of Roger Corman´s earlier films, starring Susan Cabot as Janice Starlin (Wasp Woman) and Anthony Eisley (Bill Lane). Corman directed over 300 low-budget movies, some shot within days, and most generating profits. Among some of his well-known classics are "The Little Shop of Horrors" (1960); a series of Edgar Allan Poe´s stories starring Vincent Price; "Caged Heat" (1974); and, "Death Race 2000" (1975) with David Carradine.
Shawnee Brittan, Filmmaker-in-Residence, will host the event with a brief introduction by filmmaking and journalism graduate student, Ryan Baker, who worked with Corman in California last summer. The stage and the mood are set by horror film expert, Michael Lee, who will give a movie perspective to this suspense/horror movie.
"Roger Corman is the only Hollywood producer who has never made a movie that lost money," said Brittan. "Corman made money for two reasons: first, he shot low budget movies; and, second, he knew what the audience wanted."
The B&W film runs 80 minutes and the screening is followed by a discussion by Dr. Kenneth Hobson, who will compare the behavior of queen wasps with the movie´s wasp woman. You may never look at insects quite the same! Queen wasps are socially on the same level as black widow spiders, both being carnivorous. These insects first paralyze their victims and then slowly devour them while still alive, which is how they kill their mates.
The Independent Film Project/OU promotes independent filmmaking in the region presenting screenings with cast and crew, symposia and workshops. All events are free and open to the public and held at the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History - Kerr Auditorium. Upcoming events include "The Horror Film Workshop" on Saturday, October 22 10 a.m.-5 p.m including complimentary refreshments and lunch at the museum´s Redbud Café; and, "Curucu: Beast of the Amazon" on Friday, November 11 at 7 p.m. For additional information visit the website at http://art.ou.edu/ind_film/ , e-mail IndieFilmProject@ou.edu, or call telephone (405) 325-4670.