Charles Robert Band (born December 27, 1951) is an American film producer and director of low-budget horror, science fiction and fantasy films. He founded Empire International Pictures in 1983 and Full Moon Features in 1988; the latter became known for direct-to-video franchises including Puppet Master and Subspecies.
Early life Band was born in Los Angeles, California. He is the son of director-producer Albert Band and the brother of film composer Richard Band. Albert Band began his career as an assistant to John Huston; in 1961 he relocated to Rome, where Charles and Richard spent much of their childhood.
Career 1970s and early 1980s Band made his feature debut as producer-director with Last Foxtrot in Burbank (1973), a now-lost softcore parody edited by John Carpenter. He produced Mansion of the Doomed (1976) and directed Crash! (1977). His producing credits from the period include Cinderella (1977) and Laserblast (1978). He then produced and directed two 3-D films, Parasite (1982), Demi Moore's first starring role, and Metalstorm: The Destruction of Jared-Syn (1983), which was distributed by Universal Pictures.
Empire Pictures (1983–1988) Band formed Empire International Pictures in 1983. Many of the company's films were shot in Italy between 1984 and 1988. Band directed Trancers (1984), Empire's first production shot overseas, and the company was associated with Stuart Gordon's Re-Animator, From Beyond and Dolls, as well as Ghoulies, Troll and TerrorVision. Band provided funding for Re-Animator but did not produce it. His father produced and directed films for Empire and later for Full Moon. During this period Band bought a 12th-century castle in Umbria, later used as a location for several of his films.
Band left Empire in 1988 amid financial difficulties. Sources differ on the details of the company's sale.
Full Moon In October 1988, Band announced a partnership between his newly formed Full Moon company and Paramount Home Video. The company's first major franchise began with Puppetmaster (1989), followed by series including Subspecies, which was shot in Romania; Band was the first American producer to open a production facility there after the fall of the Iron Curtain. He co-directed Doctor Mordrid (1992) with his father. Full Moon's tapes carried VideoZone, a behind-the-scenes segment modeled on comic-book editorial pages. In 1993–1994, Band launched the family label Moonbeam, which released the Prehysteria! films, and the adult label Torchlight.
After the Paramount distribution deal ended, Full Moon's budgets declined, and Band temporarily replaced the Full Moon name with Shadow Entertainment. In the mid-2000s he revived the label with new series including The Gingerdead Man and Evil Bong, and later launched a Full Moon streaming service.
Memoir In 2021, William Morrow published Band's memoir, Confessions of a Puppetmaster: A Hollywood Memoir of Ghouls, Guts, and Gonzo Filmmaking, written with Adam Felber.
Personal life Band's son Alex Band is the lead singer of The Calling. Band met actress Robin Sydney while making The Gingerdead Man; they married on December 9, 2023, in Santa Monica, in a ceremony officiated by Joe Bob Briggs.
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) The Dungeonmaster (1984, segment "Heavy Metal") Trancers (1984) 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) 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) Ravenwolf Towers (2016, TV Series) Fists of Fury (2016) Evil Bong 666 (2017) Puppet Master: Axis Termination (2017) Evil Bong 777 (2018) Bunker of Blood: Chapter 2 - Deadly Dolls: Deepest Cuts (2018) Death Heads: Brain Drain (2018) Vampire Slaughter: Eaten Alive (2018) Bunker of Blood: Chapter 6: Zombie Lust: Night Flesh (2018) Bunker of Blood: Chapter 8: Butcher's Bake Off: Hell's Kitchen (2018) Corona Zombies (2020) Barbie & Kendra Save the Tiger King (2020) Barbie & Kendra Storm Area 51 (2020) Evil Bong 888: Infinity High (2022) Barbie & Kendra Crash Joe Bob’s Drive-in Jamboree! (2024) Barbenheimer (TBA)
Bibliography Confessions of a Puppetmaster: A Hollywood Memoir of Ghouls, Guts, and Gonzo Filmmaking (2021, with Adam Felber)
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 (1978) 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)
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 (1989)
Full Moon
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
External links
Charles Band's Blog MJ Simpson - Career Interview (2005) Killer POV - Career Interview (January 2014) (MP3) (Flash)