Tag Archives: Charles Band

Flashback Weekend Coming!

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In just 6 days, we’ll be heading into Rosemont for this year’s Flashback Weekend! As usual, they have an incredible guest list. There is a Re-Animator reunion with Jeffrey Combs, Barbara Crampton, and Bruce Abbott, which is celebrating its 40-year anniversary! Along with a reunion for The Howling (1981), with director Joe Dante, and stars Dee Wallace and Belinda Belaski. Of course, Robert Englund is also appearing! Then there is a Terrifier reunion with 11 guests from the film series. But also, names like Devon Sawa, Charles Band, Kane Hodder, Danielle Harris, Adam Green, Ken Kirzinger, Amanda Wyss, Tuesday Knight, Andras Jones, and more.

Of course, there is also the HUGE dealer room filled with plenty of goodies to tempt money from your wallets. And as always, we will be vending there as well, with our usual array of horror reference books, while my wife will have her selection of Horror Slave custom pillows, tote bags, and more.

For all the info, head over to their website HERE, and we hope to see you there!

Book Review: Naked Theater & Uncensored Horror

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Naked Theater & Uncensored Horror
Published by FAB Press, 2023. 360 pages
By Stuart Gordon

I’ve been wanting to get to this title ever since it arrived in the mail from FAB Press when it first came out. But like all things in life, something else always came up. Until a few days ago when I decided now was the time. It was a Sunday, and I didn’t have any real plans for the day, so I knew I could at least start it. 3 days later, I finished it.

I’ve known Gordon’s work since his debut film, Re-Animator (1985), hit the theater I worked at when it first opened. All horror fans immediately knew him as “the guy who did Re-Animator” and would watch for his next venture into the film world. The more films Gordon did, the more interviews and articles about him came out, the more we got a hint of his history. I knew very well that he came from theater background, even being here in Chicago for quite some time, but I really had no clue to the extent he had, or the impact that he made.

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Flashback Weekend Approaches!!!

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In just a few days, we’ll be heading into Rosemont, IL for this year’s Flashback Weekend. Out of all the conventions we attend each year, Flashback in the only one in our backyard. We’ve been at every single one since they started in August of 2002, and they have remained the best horror convention in the Chicagoland area. And this year is going to be even bigger with a massive guest list they have lined up.

With reunions for 3 different films (Cabin Fever, The Thing, and The Warriors), plus more than a few people connected with the Halloween series, and so many more, this is going to be epic. Plus, you also have directors like Sam Raimi, Eli Roth, Charles Band, and especially Don Coscarelli from the Phantasm series. Then there is Michael Gross from the Tremors series, Quinn Lord from Trick ‘r Treat, and many, many more.

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Movie Review: From Beyond

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Directed by Stuart Gordon
Starring Jeffrey Combs, Barbara Crampton, Ken Foree, Ted Sorel, Carolyn Purdy-Gordon, Bunny Summers

For horror fans, the ‘80s were a time of sheer wonderment when it came to special effects. With the constant advancement of special makeup effects, it was a time of foam rubber, latex, and slime, with the only boundaries being imagination. One film that represents that more than most is Stuart Gordon’s From Beyond.

When I worked at the theater back in the ‘80s, Re-Animator (1985) played there and it just blew me away, between the gore and just the outrageousness of the whole story. I had already been reading Fangoria by that time, so when From Beyond was coming out, I was already excited about seeing it. And luckily for me, it played at my theater as well, so I spent a lot of time in there watching it over and over. I had recently started reading horror fiction, and thanks to Stephen King, had already started to dive into the works of H.P. Lovecraft, and had read the very short story that From Beyond was based on. In fact, the pre-credit sequence in the film is pretty much the whole story. But I think writer Dennis Paoli, along with producer Brian Yuzna and director Gordon, fleshed out the rest of the plot that, while way gorier and gooier than Lovecraft would have spelled out, I think it still felt it could be in the same universe.

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Book Review: Confessions of a Puppetmaster

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Confessions of a Puppet Master: A Hollywood Memoir of Ghouls, Guts, and Gonzo Filmmaking
Published by William Morrow, 2021. 288 pages
By Charles Band & Adam Felber

Whether you like Charles Band, or any of his production companies such as Full Moon or Empire, you cannot argue the fact that this man has made his career out of doing the kind of films he wants, usually picking something to exploit and make money from, which then lets him continue what he’s doing. I know that’s a broad statement, especially coming from a guy that doesn’t like a lot of stuff that Band has his fingers in. But there are more than a few of those that I have really enjoyed over the years. Not to mention the fact that Band still believes and practices the good old-fashioned ballyhoo. That alone, I have to give him credit for.

If I was going to have one complaint about this book it would be that it is only 288 pages. I would have expected from someone of his long running career, that this would have been well over 500+ pages. There are plenty of great stories in here, but figured there would be many more. Maybe that’s for volume 2? Band not one to speak truthfully about his past, the mistakes that he’s made and how he’s lost his fortune more than once, so I give him a lot of respect for that. This isn’t a bit of puff journalism on “gee look at all the great stuff I’ve done” but a really inside look of someone that wanted to work in the film business but by his terms. He may not be conventional, but his methods work.

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Flashback Approaches!

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Our first real convention since October of 2019 is only 2 weeks away, and it looks like it is going to be HUGE! Moving to a new location, the Hyatt Regency O’Hare, this place looks to be not only a much bigger location, but is going to allow for even more fun. I can’t wait to be able to hang out with all our convention friends and family once again. It really has been way too long.

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Charles Band Tells It All

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Whether or not you’re a fan of his movies, you can’t be unimpressed with his legacy, from the movies he produced back in the Empire Pictures to his Full Moon empire, he definitely had his hand in the creation of direct-to-video film production. From titles like From Beyond (1986) to the Subspecies and Puppet Master series, he has continued to put his stamp in the world of low budget film production.

Now, coming this November from Harper Collins, you will be able to read how it all started, and what Band went through, all the ups and downs, to get where he is today. Priced at $27.99 for the hardcover edition, Confessions of a Puppet Master will be released on Nov. 16th and gives us all the juicy bits from Band and co-author Adam Felber, through his 40-year career in the business, working with a wide variety of talented directors, actors, and movie magic creators, learning of all the wins and losses that he has taken over those four decades, all covered within the 320 pages.

For all the details, just click HERE.

Need More Horror Books?

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Of course you do. What a silly question. Here are a few that have recently come out, or will be coming out this year that you might want to add to your library.

Puppet Master Complete: A Franchise History by Nat Brehmer

For better or for worse, Full Moon’s Puppet Master series is one of the longest running straight-to-video horror series since the first one came out in 1989. Author Brehmer covers all 14 films (to date, at least!), with an in-depth exploration into each of them, including the made-for-TV crossovers, and theatrical reboots. He also covers the action figures, comic books, and the other merchandise that has been coming over the last 30+ years. It features new interviews with the people behind the franchise, as well as dozens of behind-the-scenes photos. If you’re a fan of the series, you are probably going to need this one!

This is being published by McFarland with a price tag of $39.95. No exact release date yet.

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Flashback Weekend Just Days Away!

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flashback logo

Being that my “real” job has been more than a bit stressful these last few weeks, I’m even more thrilled to have this year’s Flashback Weekend coming up in just a few days. Nothing more enjoyable than escaping from the real world and getting to hang out with a bunch of like-minded horror fans. And Flashback Weekend is just the place to do it!

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Book Review: It Came from the Video Aisle!

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IT CAME FROM THE VIDEO AISLE

It Came from the Video Aisle!
Published by Schiffer Publishing, 2017. 480 pages.
By Dave Jay, William S. Wilson, & Torsten Dewi

You couldn’t have grown up in the video store era of the late ’80s/early ’90s, and not know who Full Moon Entertainment was. In fact, their product was usually all over the shelves in the horror section. They really were a staple of the horror market back then. Sure, it didn’t matter if most of the films weren’t any good, there were sure enough of them to make you hope that maybe the one you were currently holding in your hands would be one of the good ones! All seriousness aside, we all know the quality of the end result in a majority of Full Moon titles are, but no matter what, you have to give them, and Charles Band, credit for what they were continuing to do, which was making low budget features the old fashion way…a lot of work and a lot of ballyhoo. There are more than a few of Full Moon’s titles that I actually enjoy, but nowhere near is that a high percentage. But just as started into this new book on the company and the man behind it, I was amazed at how it drew me in more and more into the world of Full Moon, and those fighting for the cause of low budget filmmaking.

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