Full Moon Features
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Full Moon Features is a motion picture production and distribution company headed by B-movie veteran Charles Band. It is known for the direct-to-video series Puppet Master and Subspecies, as well as the innovative VideoZone featurette at the end of films through 1991 to 2000.
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[edit] Full Moon Productions/Entertainment (1989-1995)
After the collapse of Band's previous film studio, Empire Pictures, he relocated to the United States and opened Full Moon Productions. Band's goal with Full Moon was to create low budget horror, sci-fi, and fantasy films while retaining a somewhat big budget look. In the United States, Full Moon teamed with Paramount Pictures and Pioneer Home Entertainment for direct-to-video releasing on VHS and Laserdisc, and the first release was the feature film directed by David Schmoeller, Puppet Master in 1989.
Puppet Master turned out to be a huge hit for Full Moon and following the film on VHS and Laserdisk was a featurette entitled No Strings Attached, which documents the making of Puppet Master. It featured interviews with cast and crew members, including actor Paul Le Mat and Charles Band himself. The next three releases - Shadowzone, Meridian: Kiss of the Beast, and Crash and Burn (changing to Full Moon Entertainment with the release of the latter) - all featured a making-of presentation after the film. Paramount, however, did not believe in the making-of concept, and forced Band to pay for all of the additional tape needed.
In an interview on the website, The Terror Trap, which can be found here: http://www.terrortrap.com/interviews/davidschmoeller/, Puppetmaster director, David Schmoeller, says that Charles Band owes him residuals from his work with Mr. Band. Mr Schmoeller also states that Charles Band does not give credit to directors, and Schmoeller goes on to say that Charles Band did not have Mr. Schmoeller on the directors commentary on the new DVD of Puppetmaster because "it would revealed that someone else shared in the creation of Full Moons biggest and most successful franchise". These quotes can be found in the above, online, public interview of David Schmoeller.
With the fifth Full Moon release, Puppet Master II, in 1991, Full Moon introduced VideoZone, a behind-the-scenes video magazine. The average VideoZone featured an introduction by Charles Band, the making-of the "movie you just watched", an interview with someone involved in a future Full Moon release, merchandise (such as Full Moon t-shirts, posters, and other assorted goods), trailers, and contact information. VideoZone tied together the "comic book feel" that Band insisted with the Full Moon product.
Full Moon continued producing its releases throughout the early '90s (sometimes as many as twelve releases a year), and in 1993 founded two more labels: Torchlight Entertainment, specializing in soft-core pornographic sci-fi comedies, and Moonbeam Entertainment, specializing in family orientated sci-fi and fantasy films. Torchlight's first release was Beach Babes From Beyond; Moonbeam's was Prehysteria!, which actually became a high seller for distributor, Paramount, and was one of the first Full Moon films to be sold as an in-expensive sell-through product (as most Full Moon features were sold on VHS as rental items, with prices upwards of $100 for each tape).
During this time, Full Moon released two films on a very limited theatrical release: Shrunken Heads, a tale of three kids murdered and brought back to life by a voodoo practitioner, and Oblivion, a sci-fi western. Both of these films did eventually make it to home video, including a VideoZone for Shrunken Heads, but not Oblivion. The sequel however, Oblivion 2: Backlash, did get a VideoZone.
[edit] Full Moon Studios/Pictures (1995-2002)
In 1995, due to the Direct to Video market losing interest and financial ground with the rental market, in addition to internal issues, Full Moon Entertainment separated from distributor Paramount. Full Moon's Halloween 1995 production, Castle Freak, was released on video unrated.
After the releases of Castle Freak and Oblivion 2: Backlash, Band renamed Full Moon Entertainment Full Moon Studios for the feature Vampire Journals, and used the name Full Moon Pictures for the following film, Hideous!. Band continued to distribute all films on his own under then name of Amazing Fantasy Entertainment, until around 1999, when some of the films were distributed by Kushner-Locke Entertainment.
With the release of Shrieker in 1998, Band enlisted the help of Ohio-based filmmaker and Tempe Entertainment founder J.R. Bookwalter, who had recently relocated to California. Bookwalter was commissioned by Band to begin editing features, including Curse of the Puppet Master. Curse of the Puppet Master is considered by many fans to be the "worst" of all of the Puppet Master films due to the film's reuse of previous series' scenes and snippets cobbled together into a new feature-length film. However, Bookwalter's work got Full Moon noticed on Apple.com, where a story was published about Bookwalter's editing of Curse of the Puppet Master on his iBook in a hotel room in Ohio.
Over the next several years, Full Moon continued its releases and even introduced more labels:
- Alchemy Entertainment/Big City Pictures - specializing in urban horror and sci-fi films.
- Surrender Cinema - replacing Torchlight Entertainment, specializing in the same soft-core sci-fi as Torchlight.
- Cult Video - mainly used to re-release old pre-Empire and Empire era Band films.
- Pulp Fantasy Productions - New films that don't fit the usual Full Moon mold.
- Pulsepounders - Replacing Moonbeam Entertainment, specializing in sci-fi and fantasy films for families.
Bookwalter would eventually get the chance to direct a Full Moon film with the sequel to Witchouse, Witchouse 2: Blood Coven. It was Bookwalter's first film on 35mm, and with it, opened a new door for Bookwalter's Tempe Entertainment.
Starting with HorrorVision, Tempe Entertainment was hired to produce several Full Moon films for Band. All of these films were shot on DV, a first for Full Moon, and were primarily made for under $60,000 (with Witchouse 3: Demon Fire completed for $26,000). The films were produced under very tight schedules, some being shot in as little as nine days. While the production drawbacks were high in each situation, this opportunity gave new exposure to Bookwalter and Tempe, who was used to producing films on shoestring budgets.
Once again, the industry changed, and Band decided to end the Full Moon label with the 2002 release of Jigsaw.
During this era of Full Moon, Band secured a weekly television series on the Sci-Fi Channel called William Shatner's Full Moon Fright Night. Veteran actor Shatner hosted Full Moon films with wraparounds, as well as interviews with many of sci-fi's most notable personalities, including Stan Lee and Jeffery Combs. Tempe also received exposure here as HorrorVision was included in this short-lived series.
With the release of 2000's The Dead Hate the Living!, Band dropped the VideoZone name and produced behind-the-scenes featurettes without a masthead.
[edit] Shadow Films/Entertainment and Wizard Video (2002-2004)
Blockbuster Entertainment, a long time supporter of the Full Moon brand, requested the company produce a slasher film, due to the late '90s resurgence of this subgenre thanks to Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer. With the help of an uncredited Tempe Entertainment, Band produced Bleed, and acquired Keith Walley's Scared, renaming it Cut Throat.
Band produced only two more films "officially" under the Shadow name: (Birthrite, Delta Delta Die!). Another Keith Walley film, Speck, was acquired. William Shatner's DV science-fiction movie, Groom Lake, produced by J.R. Bookwalter, became notorious as one of the most expensive films of the modern era of Full Moon.
Band also decided around this time to bring back an old label used in the Empire era named Wizard Video, which distributed cult-like films. This modern rendition saw the release of Tempe's Skinned Alive and Ozone (renamed Street Zombies for the Wizard release). However, due to low sales, another Tempe film, Bloodletting (which was also renamed: I've Killed Before), was dropped from the release schedule. It was eventually released on DVD by Anchor Bay two years later.
[edit] The Return of Full Moon Pictures and Birth of Full Moon Features (2004-Present)
In late 2003, Band began work on his first 35mm film in years, Dr. Moreau's House of Pain. The film, released in January 2004, also marked the official return of the name Full Moon Pictures. However, the film's video releases all contain the name of Shadow Entertainment, but the film's trailer contains the Full Moon Pictures logo.
Quickly after the release of Dr. Moreau's House of Pain, Full Moon released Puppet Master: The Legacy, a "greatest hits" film that contained the best scenes from all (up to that point) seven Puppet Master films with about 20 minutes of a wrap around story and very bad puppet effects (string rods can be seen in almost every scene featuring the puppets). Once again, all video releases said Shadow Entertainment, but the trailer contained the Full Moon Pictures logo.
On the heels of Puppet Master: The Legacy, Band quickly cut together Tomb of Terror, Horrific, and Urban Evil. These three films, edited by HorrorVision director Danny Draven, were clip shows that showed off the best in Full Moon's library.
After the release of those films, Band re-christened the Full Moon name to Full Moon Features. Full Moon Features intends to take more time making films, with considerably higher budgets and on 35mm film, and as of July 2006, has focused on that, with the exceptions of When Puppets and Dolls Attack!, Monsters Gone Wild!, and Aliens Gone Wild! (all clip shows).
In 2005, Band also embarked on a road show entitled Charles Band's Full Moon Horror Road Show, bringing along what many various bulletin board members consider FAKE puppets and dolls from his movies, including, Puppetmaster, The Gingerdead Man and Doll Graveyard. The puppets were auctioned off as stunt puppets used in the films, but were thought to be mass produced reproductions. Many fans were and still are, outraged over this. These questionable original puppets and props were sold on Ebay and Charles Band was accused by some bidders on Ebay of selling one of a kind original puppets and props that were neither. He would list the puppet as the only one, or one of five,etc, only to find more later. His memorabilia is no longer on Ebay.[citation needed].
Also in 2005, Charles Band held a contest in every city his Roadshow was in, for a chance to be killed by a puppet or monster in one of his movies. About 25 people won a walk on role statewide. As of 2008, not one winner has gotten their movie role from Charles Band.
September of 2006 marks the beginning of Band's second Road Show tour. On the tour, talks from Band himself, appearances from the stars of his films, and exclusive merchandise will be made available. The tour also serves as promotion for the next upcoming Full Moon films, Evil Bong and Dead Man's Hand. A similar contest was held at each Roadshow in 2006 for a female to scream and win a role in a Full Moon feature. Again, in 2008, not one winner has received her movie role.
[edit] Notable Releases
- Puppet Master - Full Moon's first franchise, inspired from an earlier Empire film, Dolls, and United Artists' success with Child's Play the year prior. Spawned eight sequels, including one not produced by Full Moon: Puppet Master II, Puppet Master III: Toulon's Revenge, Puppet Master 4, and Puppet Master 5: The Final Chapter during the Full Moon Entertainment era, Curse of the Puppet Master and Retro Puppet Master during the Full Moon Pictures era, and Puppet Master: The Legacy during the second Full Moon Pictures run. A Sci-Fi Channel produced Puppet Master vs. Demonic Toys aired around Christmas 2004 and was released on DVD by Anchor Bay Entertainment in 2006.
- Subspecies - Full Moon's take on the Dracula story. It currently consists of Subspecies, Bloodstone: Subspecies II, Bloodlust: Subspecies III, and Subspecies 4: Bloodstorm (released during the Full Moon Pictures era). Fans of the series also consider Vampire Journals as an entry as well.
- Trancers - A carry over from Band's days at Empire, under the Full Moon name, he produced Trancers II, Trancers III, Trancers 4 & Trancers 5. Trancers 6 was created by Johnnie J. Young and Jay Woelfel's Young Wolf Productions and was distributed by Band under the Full Moon Pictures label.
- Doctor Mordrid - Originally going to be based on Marvel Comic's Doctor Strange, one of Full Moon's "flashier" films.
- Demonic Toys - a rip off of their own Puppet Master franchise, created a cross sequel called Dollman Vs. Demonic Toys featuring characters from Demonic Toys, Dollman, and Bad Channels.
- The Pit & The Pendulum - Directed by Re-Animator's Stuart Gordon, a retelling of the classic Edgar Allan Poe story.
- Prehysteria! - Family sci-fi film about mini dinosaurs that come to life.
- The Dead Hate the Living! - Full Moon's first zombie film, received notable coverage in various horror magazines.
- Groom Lake - William Shatner's show about a dying woman who receives a visit from aliens. Only notable given the name and the stories behind it, as the film received mostly negative reviews.
- Clockmaker -A B-budget film about kids and time-travel.
[edit] External links
- Full Moon Features Official Web Site
- Full Moon Direct Official On-line Store
- Charles Band's Official Web Site
- Tempe Entertainment Official Web Site
- Puppet Master vs. Demonic Toys Product Page @ Anchorbayentertainment.com
- Charles Bands myspace
- Charles Band youtube page
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