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Charles Band

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Charles Band
Band at Festival de Cinema de Sitges in 2019
Born
Charles Robert Band

(1951-12-27) December 27, 1951 (age 74)[1]
Los Angeles,[1] California, U.S.
Other namesCarlo Bokino
Robert Talbot
James Amante
OccupationsFilm producer, film director
Years active1973–present
Spouse
  • ​
    (m. 2023)​
Children4, including Alex Band
FatherAlbert Band
RelativesRichard Band (brother)
Websitecharlesband.com

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.[2][3]

Early life

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Band was born in Los Angeles, California.[2] He is the son of director-producer Albert Band and the brother of film composer Richard Band.[2][4] Albert Band began his career as an assistant to John Huston;[3] in 1961 he relocated to Rome, where Charles and Richard spent much of their childhood.[4][3][5]

Career

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1970s and early 1980s

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Band made his feature debut as producer-director with Last Foxtrot in Burbank (1973), a now-lost softcore parody edited by John Carpenter.[5][3] He produced Mansion of the Doomed (1976) and directed Crash! (1977).[2] His producing credits from the period include Cinderella (1977) and Laserblast (1978).[3] He then produced and directed two 3-D films, Parasite (1982), Demi Moore's first starring role,[6] and Metalstorm: The Destruction of Jared-Syn (1983), which was distributed by Universal Pictures.[2][3]

Empire Pictures (1983–1988)

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Band formed Empire International Pictures in 1983.[2][3] Many of the company's films were shot in Italy between 1984 and 1988.[2] Band directed Trancers (1984), Empire's first production shot overseas,[5] and the company was associated with Stuart Gordon's Re-Animator, From Beyond and Dolls, as well as Ghoulies, Troll and TerrorVision.[3] Band provided funding for Re-Animator but did not produce it.[2] His father produced and directed films for Empire and later for Full Moon.[4] During this period Band bought a 12th-century castle in Umbria, later used as a location for several of his films.[3][7]

Band left Empire in 1988 amid financial difficulties.[3] Sources differ on the details of the company's sale.[2][5]

Full Moon

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In October 1988, Band announced a partnership between his newly formed Full Moon company and Paramount Home Video.[3] 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.[3] He co-directed Doctor Mordrid (1992) with his father.[2][3] Full Moon's tapes carried VideoZone, a behind-the-scenes segment modeled on comic-book editorial pages.[3] In 1993–1994, Band launched the family label Moonbeam, which released the Prehysteria! films, and the adult label Torchlight.[2][5]

After the Paramount distribution deal ended, Full Moon's budgets declined, and Band temporarily replaced the Full Moon name with Shadow Entertainment.[3] 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.[3]

Memoir

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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.[8][7]

Personal life

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Band's son Alex Band is the lead singer of The Calling.[9] 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.[10][9]

Filmography

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As director

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Bibliography

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  • Confessions of a Puppetmaster: A Hollywood Memoir of Ghouls, Guts, and Gonzo Filmmaking (2021, with Adam Felber)

List of Full Moon films

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Charles Band Productions

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Empire

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Full Moon

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Pulp Fantasy

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Action Xtreme

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Filmonsters!

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  • Frankenstein Reborn! (1998)
  • The Werewolf Reborn! (1998)

Alchemy Entertainment/Big City Pictures

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  • Ragdoll (1999)
  • The Horrible Dr. Bones (2000)
  • Killjoy (2000)
  • The Vault (2001)
  • Cryptz (2002)
  • Killjoy 2: Deliverance from Evil (2002)

References

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  1. 1 2 "Charles Band Biography". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. March 3, 2022.[dead link]
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Newman, Kim; Nicholls, Peter (December 1, 2021). "Band, Charles". In Clute, John; Langford, David; Sleight, Graham (eds.). The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction (4th ed.). Gollancz. Retrieved October 6, 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Phipps, Keith (October 29, 2018). "The Little Horror Movie Studio That Refuses to Die". The Ringer. Archived from the original on April 16, 2026. Retrieved October 6, 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 "Albert Band". Variety. 2002. Retrieved October 6, 2026.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 "Charles Band – Biography". TCM Movie Database. Retrieved October 6, 2026.
  6. ↑ "Artist Talk: Charles Band". Fantasia International Film Festival. 2023. Retrieved October 6, 2026.
  7. 1 2 Henry, Lisa (November 5, 2021). "Confessions of a Puppetmaster: A Hollywood Memoir of Ghouls, Guts, and Gonzo Filmmaking". Library Journal. Retrieved October 6, 2026.
  8. ↑ Band, Charles; Felber, Adam (2021). Confessions of a Puppetmaster: A Hollywood Memoir of Ghouls, Guts, and Gonzo Filmmaking. William Morrow. ISBN 978-0-06-308734-7.
  9. 1 2 Hamman, Cody (December 14, 2023). "Full Moon founder Charles Band's marriage to Robin Sydney was officiated by Joe Bob Briggs". JoBlo. Retrieved October 6, 2026.
  10. ↑ Clark, Erin (December 13, 2023). "Filmmaker Charles Band Marries Actress Robin Sydney in a 'Magic Castle' Themed Wedding Ceremony". People. Retrieved October 6, 2026.
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