Charles Band returns... and he still loves dolls!

Charles Band is probably one of the most controversial figures in the b-movie/horror industry. He has run several noteworthy production companies including EMPIRE and FULL MOON and has also been at least partially responsible for bottom-dwelling franchises like PUPPETMASTER, DEMONIC TOYS and GHOULIES. You would be hard-pressed to find a more interesting imdb page than the one for Band. The problem is that his companies always seem to flame out leaving many pissed off investors and collaborators in the ashes. But Band somehow always manages to resurface. Now he is back with new movies, and more importantly… new toys!

Band’s new venture is called Wizard Entertainment which is a production company with an action figure subsidiary called Wizard Toys. In a business plan that sounds like something dreamed up by an evil, cash strapped George Lucas, the toys and films will be developed at the same time.

Band lays out his plan in this quote from an interview with figures.com:

The new label is called Wizard, and the only reason why I chose Wizard is a million years ago, before most of the fans were probably even born, is I had a Wizard video label. This was back in the stone age days of home video. This was in ‘79, ‘80. The titles on that label were ‘Texas Chainsaw Massacre,’ ‘Halloween,’ ‘I Spit On Your Grave,’ ‘The Boogeyman,’ I mean, we had pretty weighty titles, but of course that was at a time when the video business was newborn and there was no rental back in the day. I kind of brought that label back just ‘cause I like the name of it and I like the little wizard (mascot). So, that’s the new label and I’ve got a partner who’s a big believer in what I’m doing. He’s funding it. Basically, the idea is to make six quality films of which I will direct all six, and they’re all sort of my kind of high-concept films which deal with creatures or puppets or monsters that, hopefully, will all be very toy-etic, if that’s a word, and we will then pretty much be able to release (the action figures) day and date with the movies. Even though I’ve now finished directing my fifth film (of the six planned for Wizard Entertainment), it takes a long time for a film to get made and released. The first film that I directed seven months ago is just coming out, called Decadent Evil. It’s tied to our first toy, a nasty little character in the movie called Marvin. Again, what I’m planning to do is not only have the action figures out for every release, but go back in the library and re-release, in a more upscale sort of way, the more classic puppets from the ‘Puppetmaster’ series and some of the other films that I’ve done over the years. So, pretty much day and date with Marvin, the first little creature from my first Wizard movie, we’re also beginning to release some really cool drafts of puppets from ‘Puppetmaster.’ So, Blade will come out, and Tunneler… I’ve got the sculpts and they’re just looking really good.

Read the full interview here.

If that wasn’t enough Charles Band news, he also has a Blog where you can read more about his projects.