Charles Robert Band (born December 27, 1951) is an American film producer and director, known for his work on horror comedy movies.

Career

Band entered film production in the 1970s with Charles Band Productions. Dissatisfied with distributors' handling of his movies, he formed

Empire Pictures Empire International Pictures (aka Empire Entertainment) was an American small-scale theatrical distribution company. Charles Band formed Empire in 1983, prompted by his dissatisfaction with distributors' handling of films made by his previous b ...

in 1983. At its height, Empire would release an average of two films a month, one theatrically and one on home video. Movies released by Empire included ''

Ghoulies ''Ghoulies'' is a 1985 American horror comedy film directed by Luca Bercovici in his directorial debut, and co-written with producer Jefery Levy. It stars Peter Liapis, Lisa Pelikan, Michael Des Barres, Jack Nance, Scott Thomson, and Mariska ...

'' and ''

Ghoulies II ''Ghoulies'' is an American comedy horror film series that consists of four films released from 1985 to 1994. The films center on a group of small demonic creatures that have a wide range of twisted appearances. Films Overview ''Ghoulies'' ...

'', and the

cult classic A cult following refers to a group of fans who are highly dedicated to some person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The lattermost is often called a cult classic. ...

Re-Animator ''Re-Animator'' (also known as ''H. P. Lovecraft's Re-Animator'') is a 1985 American comedy horror film loosely based on the 1922 H. P. Lovecraft serial novelette "Herbert West–Reanimator". Directed by Stuart Gordon and produced by Brian Yuzn ...

''. Empire folded in 1988, due to financial difficulties. Band would found

Full Moon Productions Full Moon Productions was a record company started in 1991''Full Moon Productions''
accessed on 23 January 2013.

the same year. Full Moon releases include the ''Puppet Master'' and ''

Subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

'' series. Full Moon's family-oriented label Moonbeam Entertainment released the '' Prehysteria!'' trilogy.

Personal life

Band was born in Los Angeles, California. He is the son of director-producer

Albert Band Albert Band (May 7, 1924 – June 14, 2002) was a French-American film director and film producer. He was the son of artist Max Band, father of filmmaker Charles Band and of film composer Richard Band and the grandfather of Alex Band, Taryn Ba ...

, and brother of composer

Richard Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Frankish language, Old Frankish and is a Compound (linguistics), compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic language, Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' an ...

. Band's grandfather was the artist Max Band. With his former wife Meda, Band had two children,

Alex Alex is a given name. It can refer to a shortened version of Alexander, Alexandra, Alexis. People Multiple *Alex Brown (disambiguation), multiple people * Alex Gordon (disambiguation), multiple people *Alex Harris (disambiguation), multiple pe ...

, the vocalist for the band The Calling, and Taryn. He had two sons with his former wife Debra Dion.

Filmography

As director

* '' Last Foxtrot in Burbank'' (1973, as Carlo Bokino) * '' Crash!'' (1977) * ''

Parasite Parasitism is a close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives on or inside another organism, the host, causing it some harm, and is adapted structurally to this way of life. The entomologist E. O. Wilson has ...

'' (1982) * '' Metalstorm: The Destruction of Jared-Syn'' (1983) * ''

The Alchemist An alchemist is a person who practices alchemy. Alchemist or Alchemyst may also refer to: Books and stories * ''The Alchemist'' (novel), the translated title of a 1988 allegorical novel by Paulo Coelho * ''The Alchemist'' (play), a play by Be ...

'' (1983, as James Amante) * ''

Ragewar ''The Dungeonmaster'' (originally ''Ragewar: The Challenges of Excalibrate'' and ''Digital Knights'') is a 1984 American anthology fantasy film produced by Charles Band, and is split up into seven distinct story segments, each written and direc ...

'' (1984, segment "Heavy Metal") * ''

Trancers ''Trancers'' (also released as ''Future Cop'') is a 1984 American science fiction action film directed by Charles Band and starring Tim Thomerson, Helen Hunt, and Art LaFleur. It is the first film in the ''Trancers'' series. Thomerson plays Jac ...

'' (1985) * ''

Pulse Pounders ''Pulse Pounders'' is a 1988 American anthology film directed by Charles Band. The film is composed of three 30-minute films, two of which are sequels to ''The Dungeonmaster'' and ''Trancers''. The third is an adaptation of H. P. Lovecraft's " The ...

'' (1988) * '' Meridian: Kiss of the Beast'' (1990) * '' Crash and Burn'' (1990) * ''

Trancers II ''Trancers II'' (also released as ''Trancers II: The Return of Jack Deth'') is a 1991 American direct-to-video science fiction action film directed by Charles Band. It is a sequel to '' Trancers'' and is set six years after the events of the first ...

'' (1991) * ''

Doctor Mordrid ''Doctor Mordrid'' is a 1992 American superhero film directed by the team of Albert and Charles Band and starring Jeffrey Combs. Plot Anton Mordrid (Combs) is a wizard sent to Earth by a being called the Monitor, to stop the evil wizard Kabal ...

'' (1992) * '' Prehysteria!'' (1993) * ''

Dollman vs. Demonic Toys ''Dollman vs. Demonic Toys'' (on screen title being ''Dollman vs. the Demonic Toys'') is a 1993 American direct-to-video horror film. It is a continuation of three films released by Full Moon Features: '' Dollman'', ''Demonic Toys'' and ''Bad Cha ...

'' (1993) * ''

Head of the Family ''Head of the Family'' is an American 1996 B movie black comedy released by Full Moon Features. It concerns a Southern couple who blackmail a family of mutants to get money and revenge. Plot Howard (Gordon Jennison Noice) is the meanest nastie ...

'' (1996, as Robert Talbot) * '' Mystery Monsters'' (1997, as Robert Talbot) * ''

Hideous! ''Hideous!'' is a 1997 comedy horror film and monster movie, about several elite human oddity collectors and traders who find themselves locked in a castle with several mutated creatures come to life. The film combines live-action actors with rod ...

'' (1997) * '' The Creeps'' (1997) * '' Blood Dolls'' (1999) * '' NoAngels.com'' (2000) * ''

Full Moon Fright Night Full may refer to: * People with the surname Full, including: ** Mr. Full (given name unknown), acting Governor of German Cameroon, 1913 to 1914 * A property in the mathematical field of topology; see Full set * A property of functors in the mathe ...

'' (2002, TV Series) * '' Puppet Master: The Legacy'' (2003) * ''

Dr. Moreau's House of Pain ''Dr. Moreau's House of Pain'' is a 2004 film directed by Charles Band Charles Robert Band (born December 27, 1951) is an American film producer and director, known for his work on horror comedy movies. Career Band entered film productio ...

'' (2004) * ''

Decadent Evil Dead The word decadence, which at first meant simply "decline" in an abstract sense, is now most often used to refer to a perceived decay in standards, morals, dignity, religious faith, honor, discipline, or skill at governing among the members of t ...

'' (2005) * '' Doll Graveyard'' (2005) * '' The Gingerdead Man'' (2005) * ''

Petrified In geology, petrifaction or petrification () is the process by which organic material becomes a fossil through the replacement of the original material and the filling of the original pore spaces with minerals. Petrified wood typifies this proce ...

'' (2006) * ''

Evil Bong ''Evil Bong'' is a 2006 American stoner horror comedy film directed by Charles Band about a group of stoners who smoke from a sentient, malevolent bong that traps the smoker in The Bong World, a surreal realm filled with killer strippers and othe ...

'' (2006) * ''

The Haunted Casino ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'' (2007) * ''

Decadent Evil Dead II The word decadence, which at first meant simply "decline" in an abstract sense, is now most often used to refer to a perceived decay in standards, morals, dignity, religious faith, honor, discipline, or skill at governing among the members of t ...

'' (2007) * ''

Dangerous Chucky Dolls Dangerous may refer to: Film and television * ''Dangerous'' (1935 film), an American film starring Bette Davis * '' Dangerous: The Short Films'', a 1993 collection of music videos by Michael Jackson * ''Dangerous'' (2021 film), a Canadian-Ameri ...

'' (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 ''Ooga Booga'' is an Online game, online multiplayer video game for the Dreamcast, focusing on the combat of "Kahunas" using thrown shrunken heads, riding animals, staffs, or using spells. The game received positive reviews from video game critic ...

'' (2013) * ''

Blood of 1000 Virgins Blood is a body fluid in the circulatory system of humans and other vertebrates that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells, and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells. Blood in the cir ...

'' (2013, Documentary) * '' Nazithon: Decadence and Destruction'' (2013, Documentary) * ''

Unlucky Charms This is a comprehensive list of episodes for the animated television comedy ''Drawn Together''. Each episode (except "Lost in Parking Space, Part One" and "Nipple Ring-Ring Goes to Foster Care") contains at least one musical number that ties in ...

'' (2013) * '' Bada$$ Mothaf**kas'' (2013, Documentary) * ''

Gingerdead Man vs. Evil Bong ''Gingerdead Man vs. Evil Bong'' is a 2013 American crossover horror comedy film produced by Full Moon Features, about a battle between the namesake characters from two other film series, ''The Gingerdead Man'' and ''Evil Bong''. The film was r ...

'' (2013) * ''

The Haunted Dollhouse ''Craig of the Creek'' is an American animated television series created by Matt Burnett and Ben Levin for Cartoon Network. The show's pilot episode premiered on the Cartoon Network app on December 1, 2017, and the first episode of its first seaso ...

'' (2013) * ''

Trophy Heads A trophy is a tangible, durable reminder of a specific achievement, and serves as a recognition or evidence of merit. Trophies are often awarded for sports, sporting events, from youth sports to professional level athletics. In many sports medals ...

'' (2014) * ''

Evil Bong 420 ''Evil Bong'' is a 2006 American stoner horror comedy film directed by Charles Band about a group of stoners who smoke from a sentient, malevolent bong that traps the smoker in The Bong World, a surreal realm filled with killer strippers and othe ...

'' (2015) * ''

Kings of Cult Kings or King's may refer to: *Monarchs: The sovereign heads of states and/or nations, with the male being kings *One of several works known as the "Book of Kings": **The Books of Kings part of the Bible, divided into two parts **The ''Shahnameh'' ...

'' (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 ''Evil Bong'' is a 2006 American stoner horror comedy film directed by Charles Band about a group of stoners who smoke from a sentient, malevolent bong that traps the smoker in The Bong World, a surreal realm filled with killer strippers and othe ...

'' (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 ''Corona Zombies'' is a 2020 American comedy horror film directed by Charles Band, and produced and distributed by Full Moon Features. Inspired by the COVID-19 pandemic, the film stars Cody Renee Cameron as Barbie, a woman who finds herself faci ...

'' (2020, Video) * '' Barbie & Kendra Save the Tiger King'' (2020, Video) * '' Barbie & Kendra Storm Area 51'' (2020) * '' Evil Bong 888: Infinity High'' (2022)

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 "Cinderella",; french: link=no, Cendrillon; german: link=no, Aschenputtel) or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a folk tale with thousands of variants throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsi ...

'' (1977) * '' Crash!'' (1977) * '' End of the World'' (1977) * ''

Auditions An audition is a sample performance by an actor, singer, musician, dancer or other performer. It typically involves the performer displaying their talent through a previously memorized and rehearsed solo piece or by performing a work or piece g ...

'' (1978) * ''

Laserblast ''Laserblast'' is a 1978 American science fiction film about an unhappy teenage loner who discovers an alien laser cannon and goes on a murderous rampage, seeking revenge against those who he feels have wronged him. The extremely low-budget film ...

'' (1978) * ''

Fairy Tales A fairy tale (alternative names include fairytale, fairy story, magic tale, or wonder tale) is a short story that belongs to the folklore genre. Such stories typically feature magic, enchantments, and mythical or fanciful beings. In most cult ...

'' (1979) * ''

Tourist Trap A tourist trap is an establishment (or group of establishments) that has been created or re-purposed with the aim of attracting tourists and their money. Tourist traps will typically provide overpriced services, entertainment, food, souveni ...

'' (1979) * ''

The Day Time Ended ''The Day Time Ended'' is a 1980 American science fiction film directed by John 'Bud' Cardos and starring Jim Davis, Christopher Mitchum and Dorothy Malone. The film was originally titled ''Earth's Final Fury''; this was changed to ''Vortex'', w ...

'' (1980) * ''The Best of Sex and Violence'' (1980) * ''Famous T&A'' (1982) * ''

'' (1982) * '' Metalstorm: The Destruction of Jared-Syn'' (1983) * ''Filmgore'' (1983) * ''

Walking the Edge ''Walking the Edge'' is a 1985 crime film and action film directed by Norbert Meisel, written by Curt Allen and starring Robert Forster, Nancy Kwan, Joe Spinell, A Martinez, James McIntire, Wayne Woodson, Luis Contreras. Plot A criminal gang l ...

'' (1985)

Empire

*''

'' (1983) *''

The Dungeonmaster ''The Dungeonmaster'' (originally ''Ragewar: The Challenges of Excalibrate'' and ''Digital Knights'') is a 1984 American anthology fantasy film produced by Charles Band, and is split up into seven distinct story segments, each written and direc ...

'' (1984) *'' Ghost Warrior'' (1984) *''

'' (1984) *''

'' (1985) *''

'' (1985) *''Savage Island'' (1985) *''

Underworld The underworld, also known as the netherworld or hell, is the supernatural world of the dead in various religious traditions and myths, located below the world of the living. Chthonic is the technical adjective for things of the underworld. ...

'' (1985) *''

Zone Troopers ''Zone Troopers'' is a 1985 American science fiction film directed by Danny Bilson and starring Tim Thomerson. It was filmed in Italy by Empire Pictures with Charles Band as executive producer. The original music score was composed by Richard Ban ...

'' (1985) *''

Breeders A breeder is a person who selectively breeds carefully selected mates, normally of the same breed to sexually reproduce offspring with specific, consistently replicable qualities and characteristics. This might be as a farmer, agriculturalist, ...

'' (1986) *''

Crawlspace A crawl space is an unoccupied, unfinished, narrow space within a building, between the ground and the first (or ground) floor. The crawl space is so named because there is typically only enough room to crawl rather than stand; anything larger t ...

'' (1986) *''Dreamaniac'' (1986) *'' Eliminators'' (1986) *'' From Beyond'' (1986) *''Necropolis'' (1986) *'' Rawhead Rex'' (1986) *''

Robot Holocaust ''Robot Holocaust'' is a 1987 post-apocalyptic science fiction film written and directed by Tim Kincaid, and produced by Charles Band. Plot After society was almost destroyed in a robot rebellion in 2033, the remnants are either slaves to the Dar ...

'' (1986) *''

Troll A troll is a being in Nordic folklore, including Norse mythology. In Old Norse sources, beings described as trolls dwell in isolated areas of rocks, mountains, or caves, live together in small family units, and are rarely helpful to human bei ...

'' (1986) *''

TerrorVision ''TerrorVision'' is a 1986 American science fiction horror comedy film directed by Ted Nicolaou, produced and written by Albert and Charles Band and composed by Richard Band, all of whom would go on to found and work with Full Moon Features in ...

'' (1986) *''Vicious Lips'' (1986) *'' The Caller'' (1987) *''

Creepozoids ''Creepozoids'' is a 1987 American science fiction horror film, the first 35mm film directed by David DeCoteau, and starring Linnea Quigley, Ken Abraham, Michael Aranda, Richard S. Hawkins and Kim McKamy (also known as Ashlyn Gere). It was remade ...

'' (1987) *''

Dolls A doll is a model typically of a human or humanoid character, often used as a toy for children. Dolls have also been used in traditional religious rituals throughout the world. Traditional dolls made of materials such as clay and wood are found ...

'' (1987) *'' Enemy Territory'' (1987) *''Mutant Hunt'' (1987) *''

The Princess Academy ''The Princess Academy'' is a 1987 independent film comedy directed by Bruce A. Block and written by Sandra Weintraub. It was filmed entirely in Yugoslavia near Zagreb and at Yadran Studios. Plot Cindy Cathcart ( Lar Park-Lincoln) is a stude ...

'' (1987) *''

Prison A prison, also known as a jail, gaol (dated, standard English, Australian, and historically in Canada), penitentiary (American English and Canadian English), detention center (or detention centre outside the US), correction center, correc ...

'' (1987) *''

Valet Girls ''Valet Girls'' is a 1987 American comedy film directed by Rafal Zielinski, written by Clark Carlton, and starring Meri Marshall, April Stewart, Mary Kohnert, Jack DeLeon, Jon Sharp, Michael Karm, Steven Lyon, Randy Vasquez, Stuart Fratkin, and T ...

'' (1987) *'' Assault of the Killer Bimbos'' (1988) *'' Buy & Cell'' (1988) *''

Catacombs Catacombs are man-made subterranean passageways for religious practice. Any chamber used as a burial place is a catacomb, although the word is most commonly associated with the Roman Empire. Etymology and history The first place to be referred ...

'' (1988) *''

Cellar Dweller ''Cellar Dweller'' is a 1988 American monster horror film about a comic book artist who unleashes a demon after drawing it. It was directed by John Carl Buechler, written by Don Mancini (credited as Kit Du Bois), and stars Debrah Farentino and ...

'' (1988) *''

Ghost Town Ghost Town(s) or Ghosttown may refer to: * Ghost town, a town that has been abandoned Film and television * Ghost Town (1936 film), ''Ghost Town'' (1936 film), an American Western film by Harry L. Fraser * Ghost Town (1956 film), ''Ghost Town'' ...

'' (1988) *''

Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama ''Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama'' (also known as ''The Imp'') is a 1988 American comedy horror film directed by David DeCoteau, loosely based on the classic short story ''The Monkey's Paw''. Notable for scream queens Linnea Quig ...

'' (1988) *''Transformations'' (1988) *''

Arena An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators ...

'' (1989) *''

Deadly Weapon A deadly weapon, sometimes dangerous weapon (although some jurisdictions differentiate between the two) or lethal weapon, is an item that can inflict mortal or great bodily harm. By statutory definition, certain items, especially firearms, are de ...

'' (1989) *'' Intruder'' (1989) *''

Robot Jox ''Robot Jox'' is a 1990 American Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction, post-apocalyptic Mecha science fiction film, science-fiction film directed by Stuart Gordon and starring Gary Graham, Anne-Marie Johnson and Paul Koslo. Co-written by scien ...

'' (1989) *'' Spellcaster'' (1991)

Full Moon

Puppet Master

Pulp Fantasy

* ''

'' (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 Killjoy may refer to: Characters * Killjoy, in Charlton Comics' ''E-Man'' series * Killjoy, in the video game ''Valorant'' * Killjoy, in the Marvel Comics series '' Weapon P.R.I.M.E.'' * Killjoy, in the movie ''The Ice Pirates'' * Dr. Killjoy, i ...

'' (2000) * ''The Vault'' (2001) * ''Cryptz'' (2002) * '' Killjoy 2: Deliverance from Evil'' (2002)

References

External links

*
Charles Band's Blog

Killer POV - Career Interview (January 2014) (MP3)
* (Flash) {{DEFAULTSORT:Band, Charles 1951 births Film producers from California Film directors from Los Angeles Horror film directors Science fiction film directors Living people American people of Lithuanian-Jewish descent Jewish American writers Writers from Los Angeles 21st-century American Jews