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CHARLES BAND’S FULL MOON HORROR ROAD SHOW |
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Trash City Entertainment will present Charles Band’s Full Moon Horror Road Show on June 8th, 2008, at 7:30p.m. This event is part of a 12 city tour sponsored by Full Moon Features and is presented live at the Barrymore Theatre in Madison One of the most highly regarded Full Moon productions was a Stuart Gordon-directed adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe's "The Pit and the Pendulum" (1991). Originally intended as a $10 million theatrical release to star Peter O'Toole and Billy Dee Williams. O'Toole was replaced by grizzled genre veteran Lance Henriksen, who delivered a commanding and surprisingly nuanced performance as the inquisitor Torquemada. While not the classic horror film some would have expected, it has been favorably compared with Roger Corman's 1961 version with Vincent Price and Barbara Steele. In a single year (1993), Band produced 12 films, two of which he also directed. In the vastness and thrift of his oeuvre (some 70 features in twenty-one years), Band has been called the Corman of his generation and while he is quick to disassociate himself from the current trashy Corman product, Band welcomes comparisons with the halcyon days of the influential exploitation producer-director in the 50s, 60s and early 70s. Band expanded Full Moon in 1994 to include two new subsidiary labels, Moonbeam, for family-oriented fantasies, and Torchlight, for adult fantasies. The success of "Prehysteria" (1993), a kiddie-oriented "Jurassic Park" knock-off starring Austin O'Brien (of "The Last Action Hero"), alerted Band to the commercial possibilities of modestly budgeted direct-to-video kid flicks. Two sequels quickly followed, as did other wholesome fare, notably the superior "Dragonworld" (1994). A "Free Willy" with a dragon, the film boasts strong performances, imaginative special effects and an atmospheric score that place it among Band's finest efforts. Full Moon Studios further diversified with five CD-ROM titles announced and 51 Full Moon movies were offered on laserdisc for sale overseas. Domestically, horror was increasingly de-emphasized in favor of family fare but the company motto was unchanged: "200 movies by the year 2000." In the past decade Full Moon has grown into an empire which encompasses several subdivisions including Pulsepounders, Surrender Cinema, Pulp Fantasy, Action Xtreme, Alchemy, Filmonsters, Moonbeam, Torchlight, Monster Island and Cult Video.
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