Such long-running moneymakers have included all five absurdist "Puppetmaster" films, all five hardboiled kitsch-noir"Trancers" adventures, three "Subspecies," two "Dollman," and "Demonic Toys," and a new addition in the camp space-western "Oblivion." The films are shot in several days on budgets of usually less than a million dollars. Locations like Spain, Romania and the Czech Republic are used for their cheap labor, instant sets and lunatic stuntmen. The company also films its own video promotional magazine which it tacks on to the end of every video release. Called the "Video Zone," it is a prime example of refreshing entertainment savvy and relentless hucksterism. Band knows his business.
Charles Band has done some really excellent genre work, amongst the moldering mountains of dreck, producing films by sex-and-violence specialist, director Stuart Gordon, a cult favorite who has helmed such classic exploitative exercises as "The Pit and the Pendulum," "Dolls," "Re-Animator," "From Beyond," "Robot Jox" and most recently, "Castle Freak." The Gordon/Band collaborations are the best in the ever-expanding Full Moon film library, but there are several other projects of note. The cheesiest concepts are visualized and then realized by the Full Moon production team--unfortunately, that also means we get five installments of "Ghoulies."
A punishing production schedule of twelve motion pictures a year insures that there will always be some money back through sheer unit volume. But these guys aren't in it totally for the money, if they were they'd be doing Troma Team calibre folderol, but without the anarchic sense of humor to make it all okay. Sure, they produce some real stinkers. Probably a few more than half of Full Moon's films are irredeemable garbage, but that's really not so bad. Full Moon boasts an actor's stable of such low-budget superstars as Barbara Crampton, Jeffrey Combs, Tim Thomerson and Lance Henriksen, so there is always at least a moment of clarity, professionalism or actorly skill to pull the product from the depths.
The B-movie is the ultimate marriage between art and commerce. Just the fact that films like "Seed People" and "Shrunken Heads" get made shows the free market at work, helping the artist to find a niche and be creative. Low budget film is the final frontier for the artist in a media-saturated world. Crass commercial enterprises like Full Moon, with its collectors catalogue hawking company logo satin baseball jackets, original screenplays and other memoribilia, have a built-in, pre-sold fan base and market. By shamelessly promoting themselves they are creating their own footnote in film history. Believe it or not, your Jack Deth coffee mug just may well be worth several thousand bucks in the near future. Horror movie fanboys are more nuts than comic collectors and SCA goofuses put together. Nearly as fruitcake as "Trekkers," only not nearly as sad or dangerous.
The video market is such so that an endeavor as ambitious as Full Moon can fly. Given the aggressive merchandising and franchising impetus, it is a marvel that as many good films as they have ever get put together. Be that as it may, Full Moon's track record is mighty impressive for a bunch of filthy Hollywood parasites. It's almost to the point where they can warrant their own section at Blockbuster Video. And baby, that means you have arrived!