Charles Band
Charles Robert Band (born December 27, 1951) is an American film producer and director, known for his work on horror comedy movies.[2] His most famous films are those in the Puppet Master franchise and the Subspecies series, made by his company Full Moon Features. Before Full Moon Features, his earlier (and now defunct) company Empire Pictures made films like Ghoulies and the cult classic Re-Animator. One of the few non-horror films he worked on was the Prehysteria! trilogy, which was made by his family-oriented company Moonbeam Entertainment.
Charles Band | |
---|---|
Born | Charles Robert Band December 27, 1951[1] |
Other names | Carlo Bokino Robert Talbot James Amante |
Occupation | Film producer, film director |
Years active | 1973–present |
Spouse(s) | Meda Band (1977–1983) Debra Dion (1984–2004) |
Children | 4; including Alex Band |
Website | charlesband |
Band started in film in the 1970s with a company known as Charles Band Productions. Band was unhappy with the way his films were being distributed which led him to form the company known as Empire Pictures. Band formed Empire in the 1980s. This allowed for Band to distribute his movies his way. Soon Empire would team up with Wizard Video. Empire would go on to produce 12 theatrical and 12 direct to video films a year. In the late 1980s due to fall of the Italian lira Empire would close their doors being that they were based in Rome. This is when Band would return to the states and form Full Moon Features which would later become Full Moon Pictures.
Personal life
Band was born in Los Angeles, California. He is the son of director-producer Albert Band, and brother of the composer Richard. With his former wife Meda, he had two children, Alex, the vocalist for the band The Calling, and Taryn. He had two sons with his former wife Debra Dion. Band's grandfather was the artist Max Band.
Publication
In 2021 a book was released entitled "Confessions of a Puppetmaster: A Hollywood Memoir of Ghouls, Guts, and Gonzo Filmmaking written by Adam Felber and Charles Band. The book takes you through the life and mind of Charles Band. It goes into how he got started in the industry and what led him to choose the path he took to get to where he is today in the film industry.
Filmography
As director
- Last Foxtrot in Burbank (1973, as Carlo Bokino)
- Crash! (1977)
- Parasite (1982)
- Metalstorm: The Destruction of Jared-Syn (1983)
- The Alchemist (1983, as James Amante)
- Ragewar (1984, segment "Heavy Metal")
- Trancers (1985)
- Pulse Pounders (1988)
- Meridian: Kiss of the Beast (1990)
- Crash and Burn (1990)
- Trancers II (1991)
- Doctor Mordrid (1992)
- Prehysteria! (1993)
- Dollman vs. Demonic Toys (1993)
- Head of the Family (1996, as Robert Talbot)
- Mystery Monsters (1997, as Robert Talbot)
- Hideous! (1997)
- The Creeps (1997)
- Blood Dolls (1999)
- NoAngels.com (2000)
- Full Moon Fright Night (2002, TV Series)
- Puppet Master: The Legacy (2003)
- Dr. Moreau's House of Pain (2004)
- Decadent Evil Dead (2005)
- Doll Graveyard (2005)
- The Gingerdead Man (2005)
- Petrified (2006)
- Evil Bong (2006)
- The Haunted Casino (2007)
- Decadent Evil Dead II (2007)
- Dangerous Chucky Dolls (2008)
- Evil Bong II: King Bong (2009)
- Skull Heads (2009, Video)
- Evil Bong 3-D: The Wrath of Bong (2011)
- Killer Eye: Halloween Haunt (2011)
- DevilDolls (2012)
- The Dead Want Women (2012)
- Puppet Master X: Axis Rising (2012)
- Ooga Booga (2013)
- Blood of 1000 Virgins (2013, Documentary)
- Nazithon: Decadence and Destruction (2013, Documentary)
- Unlucky Charms (2013)
- Bada$ Mothaf**kas (2013, Documentary)
- Gingerdead Man vs. Evil Bong (2013)
- The Haunted Dollhouse (2013)
- Trophy Heads (2014)
- Evil Bong 420 (2015)
- Kings of Cult (2015, Documentary)
- Evil Bong: High 5 (2016)
- Ravenwolf Towers: The Feature (2016, Video)
- Ravenwolf Towers (2016, TV Series)
- Fists of Fury (2016)
- Evil Bong 666 (2017)
- Puppet Master: Axis Termination (2017)
- Evil Bong 777 (2018)
- Puppet Master: Blitzkrieg Massacre ''as Robert Talbot'' (2018)
- Bunker of Blood: Chapter 2 - Deadly Dolls: Deepest Cuts (2018, Video)
- Death Heads: Brain Drain (2018, Video)
- Vampire Slaughter: Eaten Alive (2018, Video)
- Bunker of Blood: Chapter 6: Zombie Lust: Night Flesh (2018, Video)
- Bunker of Blood: Chapter 8: Butcher's Bake Off: Hell's Kitchen (2018, Video)
- Corona Zombies (2020, Video)
- Barbie & Kendra Save the Tiger King (2020, Video)
- Barbie & Kendra Storm Area 51 (2020)
List of Full Moon films
Charles Band Productions
- Last Foxtrot in Burbank (1973)
- Mansion of the Doomed (1975)
- Cinderella (1977)
- Crash! (1977)
- End of the World (1977)
- Auditions (1978)
- Laserblast (1978)
- Fairy Tales (1979)
- Tourist Trap (1979)
- The Day Time Ended (1980)
- The Best of Sex and Violence (1980)
- Famous T&A (1982)
- Parasite (1982)
- Metalstorm: The Destruction of Jared-Syn (1983)
- Filmgore (1983)
- Walking the Edge (1985)
Empire
- The Alchemist (1983)
- The Dungeonmaster (1984)
- Ghost Warrior (1984)
- Trancers (1984)
- Ghoulies (1985)
- Re-Animator (1985)
- Savage Island (1985)
- Underworld (1985)
- Walking the Edge (1985)
- Zone Troopers (1985)
- Breeders (1986)
- Crawlspace (1986)
- Dreamaniac (1986)
- Eliminators (1986)
- From Beyond (1986)
- Necropolis (1986)
- Rawhead Rex (1986)
- Robot Holocaust (1986)
- Troll (1986)
- TerrorVision (1986)
- Vicious Lips (1986)
- The Caller (1987)
- Creepozoids (1987)
- Dolls (1987)
- Enemy Territory (1987)
- Mutant Hunt (1987)
- The Princess Academy (1987)
- Ghoulies II (1987)
- Prison (1987)
- Valet Girls (1987)
- Assault of the Killer Bimbos (1988)
- Buy & Cell (1988)
- Catacombs (1988)
- Cellar Dweller (1988)
- Ghost Town (1988)
- Pulse Pounders (1988)
- Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama (1988)
- Transformations (1988)
- Arena (1989)
- Deadly Weapon (1989)
- Intruder (1989)
- Robot Jox (1989)
- Spellcaster (1991)
Full Moon
Puppet Master
Pulp Fantasy
- Head of the Family (1996)
- The Killer Eye (1998)
- Killer Eye: Halloween Haunt (2011)
Action Xtreme
- Alien Arsenal (1999)
- Murdercycle (1999)
Filmonsters!
- Frankenstein Reborn! (1998)
- The Werewolf Reborn! (1998)
Alchemy Entertainment/Big City Pictures
- Ragdoll (1999)
- The Horrible Dr. Bones (2000)
- Killjoy (2000)
- The Vault (2001)
- Cryptz (2002)
- Killjoy 2: Deliverance from Evil (2002)
References
- "Charles Band Biography". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. March 3, 2022.
- "Charles Band Filmography". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. March 3, 2022.