In the world of indie filmmaking in general, not just limited to the realm of horror, there are few who can claim to have accomplished more than one Mr. Charles Band. As the man behind Full Moon Features, he’s produced literally hundreds of movies spanning nearly 40 years. Now, the man behind it all is getting the documentary treatment in the form of Full Moon Rising: The Charles Band Story. Fango is proud to exclusively share the first look at the trailer for the doc. Check it out.
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Full Moon Rising has been confirmed to be part of the lineup at this year’s London FrightFest, with the doc set to have its world premiere on August 31. For those in or around London, mark your calendars and plan accordingly. The doc was directed by Sarah Appleton (The Found Footage Phenomenon) and produced by Chris Alexander. It also features tons of interviews with the likes of Barbara Crampton (Castle Freak), John Carpenter (Halloween) and many others. The Synopsis for the movie reads as follows:
“A documentary charting the rise of the eccentric legendary B-movie producer/director Charles Band and his company Full Moon Features. Framed as a character study – through looking at his work and talking to the people around him – this film considers how an individual entrepreneur can successfully survive over 50 years making movies in Hollywood, on his own terms.”
The documentary kicks off with Charlie’s upbringing by his film director father Albert Band and how growing up on film sets sculpted the movie mogul he would become later in life. It covers his involvement with the beginning of video in the early 80s and tracks how he followed trends in film technology in order to keep Full Moon Features thriving today.
Band has more than 400 producing credits to his name to go along with over 100 directing credits, dating back to early cult favorites like Tourist Trap, right up through 2026 with movies like Models vs. Werewolves. Band has created many franchises in his day, including Subspecies and Puppet Master, just to name a couple. Everyone in the doc has nothing but kind words for the man, throwing around words like “genius” and “eccentric” to describe him. He is very much deserving of a deep dive into his life.
Sarah Appleton is a director/producer known for the Shudder original documentary The Found Footage Phenomenon (2022) and the J-Horror Virus (2023). Appleton has made multiple feature documentaries centered on film and the arts, having spent over a decade running the production company Caprisar Productions Ltd, based in London.
Full Moon Rising: The Charles Band Story premieres at London FrightFest on Monday, August 31.
