Has Full Moon waned?

[Fearless Freep]

Yeah, when I'm looking at the video racks in 'rent/no rent' decision mode, Thomerson's name on the box definately tips the scales to 'go for it!'

[Chris K.]

Chadzilla wrote:
>
> Not too many, Band himself talked about this after the Fall
> of Empire.  The markets just dried up, he could not get
> bookings and most of Empire's profits were video sales
> driven.  Let me paraphrase Band a little here - a movie is
> pre-sold to an ancillary market (here video) and turns a
> profit which is then invested in creating newer product, so
> the box-office success of Re-Animator and Ghoulies iced
> Band's cake for at least two years, but most other films
> could not get wider release (or just flat out did not do as
> well) because the same markets that were giving Band the
> money were also strangling his primary venue, the motion
> picture theater.  By 1987 Empire was pretty much through.
> Prison and Ghost World were sold to New World and Robot Jox
> was sold to Columbia (which thought it would be a major hit,
> it did okay - I think 4 million or so in opening weekend
> sales).  Catacombs eventually came out as Curse IV and it is
> a nifty little horror movie.  In a huge irony, Teenie
> Weenies, a children's fantasy movie to be made by Empire was
> discarded, but bought up by Disney....and made as Honey, I
> Shrunk the Kids!

Speaking of scrapped Empire projects, have you heard of one called PULSE POUNDERS? It was in production in 1989 during Empire's close and would use footage oif Jeffery Byron and Richard Moll from THE DUNGEONMASTER, and a storyline featuring Barbara Crampton and David Gale (and, I might add, Gale plays the role of a rat-like creature who lusts for Crampton-reminds you of some earlier Empire flick featuring those two)! Even though the footage of Crampton and Gale was shot, the rest of the unfinished film is said to be in Band's posession and has done nothing with it so far.

Also, CATACOMBS had two video releases. After being briefly released to theatres in 1988, CATACOMBS was first released on video by TransWorld Entertainment in 1989. Later in 1993, Columbia Home Video/Epic Entertainment released CATACOMBS on video as CURSE IV: THE UNLTIMATE SACRAFICE. I too felt CATACOMBS was a nice little horror film and had some likable characters.

Also, their has been some connection between Empire and TransWorld Entertainment (i.e. when ARENA was released theatrically in 1988 TransWorld was handling some of the distribution, also on the video for ARENA the old TransWorld logo appears before the film starts) during Empire's fall.

PRISION, GHOST WORLD, CELLAR DWELLER, and TRANSFORMATIONS were released on video through New World after Empire distributed them. PRISION, from what I heard, was another success from Empire that was well recieved (and supposidly it got a rave from none other than Steven Speilberg).


Chadzilla wrote:
>
> Needless to say, my friends thought TerrorVision was a heck
> of a lot BETTER than Pretty in Pink!  :-)

Personally, I would agree with your friends. PRETTY IN PINK was okay, TERRORVISION had better pacing. Hey, I'm an Empire finatic.

[Megafury]

I bought tons of Full Moon toys at Spencers. I got the movie replica Blade dolls for $3 each, I got 5 of them around my house. Blockbusters near my place cleaned out their storage a couple months ago, I got every Puppet Master movie they had, I saw some other Full Moon movies like Creeps. Everything Full Moon is on clearance everywhere at the mall. They're starting to dissapearing.

[twsmith]

Just noticed that I forgot to add my two cents about the whole Paramount/Full Moon deal . . . Paramount owns the right to the Full Moon library until early 2004 at the very latest- it might even be sooner than that.

I am also a card carrying member of the Full Moon fanclub, and everytime I watch a film like Demonic Toys, one of the Puppet Master films, or especially one of the Trancers films- I sorely miss them.

I'm definately gonna start reviewing some of them at my site when I get a chance.

Also- I always thought I was the only Full Moon AND pro wrestling fan around. Nice to see that I'm not, although I can safely say that I'm not too crazy about American pro wrestling. Japanese puroresu and Mexican lucha libre are more my taste. I consider American "wrestling" to be a complete embarassment these days. I always did wonder what might happen if you were to put some of the full moon gimmicks in a wrestling ring . . . God knows I certainly wouldn't mind finding out. I wouldn't mind working the Jack Deth gimmick if I ever tried to get back in the ring one day, either . . . I don't think I would embarass myself too much, considering the guy I'd be trying to mimic- God himself, Tim Thomerson.

--Tony

[Chadzilla]

Yeah, that's a pretty famous "lost" movie.  Rumor has it that its trapped, incomplete (some post-production work still pending) somewhere in some vault (tied up due to bankruptcy litigation, I guess).  Hopefully Band will get it out someday.  I do know those involved in it would like to see its eventual release.

[nshumate]

Steven Millan wrote:
>
>                        Both Charles Band's bad financial
> woes,as well as his handling of the company to J.R.
> Bookwalter,who has carelessly sank down the company with his
> Tempe Video-style acquirations of truly awful no-budget
> movies,are the main reasons behind Full Moon's downward
> descend.
>                        I'll heavily have to admit this,but
> Band could surely use the helkp of both Fred Olen Ray and Jim
> Wynorski to write,produce and direct a handful of new genre
> movies that really could save the comapny from
> collapsing,

Sorry, but wrong.  Bookwalter had been doing post-production for Band for years, and since Band no longer afford ro produce his own movies (he couldn't even afford to pay himself), he started outsourcing.  The budgets were already getting that low; Band couldn't find anyone else who could make movied for under $100,000. And then under $50,000.

And if you think that HorrorVision, Hell Asylum, Dead & Rotting, and such are sooooo much worse than Talisman or Prison of the Dead... well, you're definitely in the minority.

(As for Fred Olen Ray -- he did Sideshow for Full Moon, remember?  And already Charlie was so out of money that he couldn't afford a good movie.  Hell, Charlie can't even afford to hire himself to direct anymore.)

Nathan

[John]

I could swear I once read/heard that Band screwed a lot of people.

[StatCat]

I've been a fan of some of the full moon movies for years (also a member of their fanclub) It is sad to see them degrade to the level they're at now but they've been heading towards that direction for at least a few years now. I still have several of their newsletters, pretty much all of their comics, cards, t shirt, cds, blade resin model statue, cards Charle's band signed (think it was some special mail away offer if I remember) etc. I can remember a few years back around Halloween I even got to ask Band a few questions because he appeared as a special guest at a chat room. Too bad not too many people were there who actually knew anything about the movies he's worked on.

[nshumate]

Danny Draven (director of Horrorvision, Hell Asylum, Cryptaz, Deathbed) once joked that he was about to register "charliebandowesmemoney.com."

Nathan