Roger Corman, the writer and director of over 400 movies that uses low-budget effects that became its own industry, has passed away. He was 98 years old.

Corman has died last Thursday at his Santa Monica home in California, according to a public statement from his daughter Catherine Corman.

“He was generous, open-hearted and kind to all those who knew him. When asked how he would like to be remembered, he said, ‘I was a film-maker, just that.'”

That he was. Corman has been in the film industry for more than 60 years, being referred to as the “king of the B-movies”. Not only that, he also was responsible for developing the talents of renowned directors in film today, like James Cameron and Martin Scorsese. His style of filmmaking also influenced folks like Larry Kaufman to create similar b-grade film studios like Troma.

Dubbed the “Orson Welles of the Z movie”, he made over 400 films, including cult classics like Pirahna,

…and The Little Shop of Horrors.

He also almost released the 1994 Fantastic Four movie, which made the rounds on YouTube. You be the judge whether it’s worth releasing or not.

Thank you for shaping the new style of American cinema that many people grow to appreciate, particularly to those of us with a small budget. Without him, there wouldn’t be a cheaper alternative to filmmaking and film-watching that exists today.