{"id":9703,"date":"2014-02-12T15:51:37","date_gmt":"2014-02-12T21:51:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bmovienation.com\/?p=9703"},"modified":"2014-02-12T15:51:37","modified_gmt":"2014-02-12T21:51:37","slug":"the-mad-mad-world-of-charles-band","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bmovienation.com\/?p=9703","title":{"rendered":"The Mad Mad World Of Charles Band"},"content":{"rendered":"

There\u2019s definitely a buzz around B movies these days, with the genre seemingly, er, healthier than ever. Take Sharknado, which aired on SyFy and became a Twitter sensation. I think the only thing I managed to tweet last year was \u201cMy feed is full of Sharknado”.<\/p>\n

This low budget movie has now clocked up millions of viewings and to many it\u2019ll be a first taste of the B Movie tradition of seat-of-the-pants production values and fantastical story lines. After all, who would have thought that using a chainsaw on a flying shark was an ideal way to defend yourself?<\/p>\n

Although B movies exist in all areas of filmmaking, these days they tend to be associated with quirky sci-fi\/fantasy\/horror titles. My love of the genre dates back to childhood and I remember while buying Uncanny Xmen at the newsagent, that I wished looked old enough to get a copy of Fangoria \u2013 the horror\/fantasy film review magazine featuring titles from independent studios such as the enduring Troma Entertainment among others.<\/p>\n

Needless to say, I didn\u2019t have to be asked twice if I wanted to review Empire of the \u2018B\u2019s, a book by Dave Jay that details the rise and fall of Charles Band\u2019s distinctive Empire Studios.<\/p>\n

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Usually when you mention B movies people think of Roger Corman. I will always have a soft spot for Rock and Roll High School, which stars The Ramones. But hey, Roger Corman sold out, literally. He flogged New World Pictures, his cult film production company, to an investment firm in 1983.<\/p>\n

So it\u2019s down to the likes of Jay to set the record straight, in his beguiling labour of love that stretches to 377 glorious pages of awesome. In the process, he firmly plants the idea that Charles Band, producer\/writer\/director and distributor extraordinaire, should usurp Corman\u2019s cult cinema crown.<\/p>\n

OK, so no one\u2019s heard of Band but everyone knows his movies \u2013 maybe not all 260 of them, though \u2013 but it was the likes of Re-Animator, Troll and Ghoulies that always felt like authentic Bs.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not entirely a one man effort, though, as the book was put together with help from like-minded collaborators: fantasy writer Torsten Dewi and Nathan Shumate, who publishes the fanzine Arcane and runs the Cold Fusion reviews web site, also chipped in.
\nEmpire of the Bs Troll<\/p>\n

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Yet it’s obvious that over the 10 years Dave Jay took to put together Empire of the \u2018B\u2019s that he has spent a lot of time in contact with Charles Band and his extended film family. The result is akin to an encyclopaedia of low budget lovelies, yet concentrating on Charles Band’s most prolific years to deliver an absorbing, blow-by-blow account of Empire Pictures.<\/p>\n

The book opens with an introduction from horror film director Stuart Gordon, so the reader gets introduced to Charles Band from afar. It\u2019s a fascinating description of their first meeting and how Gordon was drawn to the young impresario\u2019s character and unstoppable entrepreneurialism. You also gain insight into how Empire Pictures was actually a family affair.<\/p>\n

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