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Full Moon Features
Following in the same vein as last week’s Broad of the Dead, another horror distribution company that has to be mentioned is Full Moon. Now, whereas Anchor Bay is solely distribution, Full Moon acts as a production company as well, thanks to its man in charge, Charles Band.
When it comes to making feature-length, low budget b-horror, Full Moon is the reigning champ. The ideas behind its films are crazy but renting and/or buying a Full Moon film guarantees entertainment at the least. If you get bored with its horror flicks (which I don’t see how you could), you can pop on over to its sci-fi and fantasy sections (with caution, though because most of those are soft-core porn), to get your freakish fill.
Full Moon was one of the first horror companies I got hooked on (trust me, it can be addictive at times), my first exposure to it: Puppet Master, about blood-thirsty puppets avenging the death of their master. I was young when I saw it (4 to be exact), so seeing a bunch of killer dolls wasn’t exactly my idea of fun, but a few years and sequels later, I loved the series (and secretly wished I could carry Blade around in my pocket). A few years ago in my cult films class, we watched Puppet Master 4 as an assignment and I had forgotten how great that particular installment was. Unlike the previous films, this time the puppets were the good guys; , which oddly warmed my heart and cemented my love of the series.
Years later, Full Moon would rip-off their own series with the creation of Demonic Toys, which is still amusing, but not nearly as great as the Puppet Master series. This time, there’s an evil spirit, which uses its power to possess toys as his minions. The ninth Puppet Master film (yes, there really are that many), is the battle of both series, called Puppet Master vs. Demonic Toys, and by far the schlockiest. It’s something one really should see just for the sake of seeing it; besides any movie with Corey Feldman in it will provide solid belly laughs. As to who wins? Well, I’m not spoiling that for you.
Another Full Moon series that I find highly entertaining is Subspecies, which makes vampires look fucking scary (unlike a CERTAIN film series that makes them glittery, emo love machines). Radu, an evil vampire who has been exiled for years, returns to his hometown, kills his father and steals a stone to reinstate his powers. When his brother Stephen finds out, however, things don’t go Radu’s way and he gets A LITTLE pissed. In fact, one look at Anders Hove in his Radu gear sends shivers down my spine. This series also plays up the old-school gothic vibe (art- and architecture-wise) and gives Radu a hint of Nosferatu quality to him that makes for an interesting film series.
A few other Full Moon films that are worth a mention are Castle Freak, which stars Re-Animator icon Jeffrey Combs (who is in a majority of Full Moon’s films), The Dead Hate the Living, which was Full Moon’s first zombie movie, and The Gingerdead Man series, which is expecting its third film later this year.
So, if you love horror and love the schlock, you can’t go wrong with Full Moon. Be careful, however, because after a few movies, you may be completely hooked and end up owning the entire catalog.
Comment
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Comment by Devin on July 1, 2009 at 5:07am - Castle Freak is really good. Jeffrey Combs and Barbara Crampton should be A-list actors after what they put on the table for that movie.
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Comment by Victor Juliet on June 30, 2009 at 10:23pm -
Behind The Scenes of Charles Bands Full Moon Roadshow!
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Comment by Sean on June 30, 2009 at 10:18pm - I have a Puppet Master action figure collection...which I got several years ago *cough* (well, I did)...not that there's anything wrong with that. Blade included, though I wouldn't necessarily carry it in my pocket; I'm more of a Leech Woman man.
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Comment by Jose Antonio Rivera on June 30, 2009 at 9:40pm -
It's almost wrapped up. Charles Band and Full Moon has been kind enough to do mostly daily updates with vidcasts. It's supposed to be a new trilogy. I hope it is.
I love Blood Dolls, too.
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Comment by matty on June 30, 2009 at 9:29pm -
Whoa! Breaking news (not really): Puppet Master: Axis of Evil is being filmed now in China. Full Moon is doing a journal of it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBcKutRNUs8&feature=PlayList&p=FEE53E2170CE8F51&index=0
Hmm... lots of young actors again, but the sets and puppets are looking really solid.
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Comment by Tessa on June 30, 2009 at 8:54pm - PHZ - Hell-to-the-YEAH!
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Comment by PHZ-Sicks on June 30, 2009 at 8:53pm - Nothing says sexy like Castle Freak <--- Tessa's #1 crush
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Comment by matty on June 30, 2009 at 8:47pm
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I watched Puppetmaster III when I was 5, too!
Fun series, but man, there are about 5 plotholes in each film!
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Comment by Jose Antonio Rivera on June 30, 2009 at 2:07pm
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Ironically, I just did a blog about late night gems and I absolutely adore Full Moon pictures. Puppet Master and Blood Dolls being among my top favorites.
And they're still going strong! In October we'll be getting Puppet Master: Axis of Evil!
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Comment by Stuart on June 30, 2009 at 12:27pm -
Full moon's has some great stuff
Puppet Master is great
Oh my god castle freak is insane
great blog
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