In loving memory of Roger Corman (1926-2024).
Background[]
New World Pictures was founded by B-movie legend Roger Corman in 1970. However, they didn't use an on-screen logo until 1976. In recent years, Corman had reissued parts of the pre-1984 New World library on VHS and DVD on his own New Concord Home Video label (Corman left New World in 1984). These rights would later go to Buena Vista Home Entertainment, and eventually Shout! Factory. The 1970-1983 films, except Battle Beyond the Stars (co-produced with and released through Orion) were licensed to Viacom Enterprises (now "CBS Television Distribution") for TV distribution. The pre-1974 titles are now owned by Paramount. The USA rights to Warriors of the Wind (an infamous redub of Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind) now belong to Studio Ghibli.
1st Logo (1976-1977; 1979)[]
Nickname: "Sliding Rectangles"
Logo: Two rectangles (light blue and dark blue) slide from both sides of the screen and eventually overlap each other (ala the Orion/Warner Bros. logo) on the dark blue rectangle we see, "ROGER CORMAN PRESENTS" (in Peignot font, the same used for the first Viacom logo) and on the light blue rectangle we see "A NEW WORLD PICTURES RELEASE" in the same font, as well.
FX/SFX: The siding rectangles.
Music/Sounds: None.
Availability: Rare.
- Might be seen on a few New World films from the era, but most went straight to the feature such as Hollywood Boulevard.
- This appears on the U.S. version of Starcrash (1979) on the 1986 Charter VHS release, along with the Shout! Factory DVD and Blu-ray.
2nd Logo (1977-1980)[]
Nickname: "Constellation"
Logo: On a Orion-like starfield, the phrase "NEW WORLD PICTURES PRESENTS", stacked and curved like an open eye, trails itself from the right of the screen in multiple colors (a la Filmways' second logo) onto the center.
FX/SFX: The cheaply-made trailing animation.
Music/Sounds: None.
Availability: Uncommon.
- Films that contain this logo are God Told Me To, The Kids Are Alright, Humanoids from the Deep, Grand Theft Auto, and Piranha.
3rd Logo (1980-1984)[]
Nicknames: "Blue Sun", "Blue Camera", "Blue World"
Logo: On a plain black background, the bold company name "NEW WORLD PICTURES" fades in. Then, two light streaks collide in the background and morph into a blue Aztec hieroglyph-like sun. The sun shines, then fades out.
Variant: A version exists on Battle Beyond the Stars with "NEW WORLD PICTURES PRESENTS" under it, then it fades to "A ROGER CORMAN PRODUCTION". On this version, the logo zooms up at the end.
FX/SFX: The light streaks circling around the logo and the fade-out on the studio name.
Music/Sounds: None or the opening theme of the film.
Music/Sounds Variant: On Galaxy of Terror, a loud whoosh is heard followed by blasts.
Availability: Rare. Appears on films like Galaxy of Terror and Forbidden World.
Editor's Note: Not a popular logo, thanks to the dark atmosphere.
4th Logo (1984-1991)[]
| WARNING! This logo contains flashing images that may cause seizures in some viewers. Please do not watch the videos of this logo if you are prone to seizures. |
Nickname: "The Sphere"
Logo: On a black background, several 3-dimensional orange "slices" merge together to form a red-orange globe shape as the camera pulls back; as this occurs, a quick flash of light happens as each section passes. Once the abstract globe forms, the company name "NEW WORLD PICTURES" (or "NEW WORLD INTERNATIONAL" for international distribution) fades in below it.
Variants:
- A version exists with the sphere "wiping" in. This was seen on a few early releases such as Children of the Corn.
- One version exists where the text reads just "NEW WORLD", with "ENTERTAINMENT" underneath.
- On Hellbound: Hellraiser II, the text is in red, just like the television logo variant from Gladiators.
FX/SFX: The 3D sections merging into the globe. Very nice animation that still looks good today.
Music/Sounds: A new-age synth theme. In other cases, it is silent or uses the opening theme of the film.
Availability: Common.
- Preserved on Anchor Bay Entertainment, Image Entertainment and possibly other labels' DVD & Blu-ray releases of New World Pictures material.
- Original VHS releases of New World's films were always plastered with the New World Video logo, so there is no chance of finding it there, although the logo can be found on the Thorn EMI Video print of The Philadelphia Experiment as well as VHS versions of C.H.U.D., Children of the Corn, The Applegates and City of Blood.
- This is often plastered by the Trans Atlantic Entertainment or Lakeshore International logo on TV prints, though it was retained on a U.S. cable print of Dead Heat.
- Also appears on Malofilm tapes of films such as Hide and Go Shriek and Frankenstein General Hospital, as well as the Canadian Cineplex Odeon/MCA VHS of Making Contact (aka Joey).
- The New World International logo can be found on Checkered Flag. It may have also appeared on Warriors of the Wind.
Editor's Note: The flashing of the lines do not help with those susceptible to epileptic seizures, but this is still among one of the most memorable logos from the 1980s.