Empire International Pictures
Encyclopedia
Empire Pictures was a small scale theatrical distribution company that was formed in 1983 by Charles Band.
The company produced a number of low-budget horror and fantasy features including Trancers
and The Dungeonmaster
. It is perhaps best known for Re-Animator
and Ghoulies
which were major box office hits for the company in 1985.
Other Empire Pictures included From Beyond
, Dolls
, Troll
, Crawlspace
and Robot Jox
. Empire Pictures began to collapse in 1989 due to financial problems.
The studio was originally situated in Rome, Italy and as of today, MGM is the current owner of a majority of the Empire Pictures library. Once it became clear that Empire would not last for more than a couple more years, Charles Band formed another company, Full Moon Entertainment, which also specializes in horror/fantasy genre films.
Empire Pictures is not to be confused with the American film distribution company of the same name, which was established in 2000 and focuses on releasing art-house and foreign films.
The company produced a number of low-budget horror and fantasy features including Trancers
Trancers
Trancers is a 1985 science fiction film. It was directed by Charles Band and stars Tim Thomerson and Helen Hunt. It is the first film in a series of six: Trancers , and the direct-to-video releases; Trancers II , Trancers III , Trancers 4: Jack of Swords , Trancers 5: Sudden Deth and Trancers 6...
and The Dungeonmaster
The Dungeonmaster
The Dungeonmaster, , is a 1984 low-budget science fiction/fantasy film, rated PG-13, starring Jeffrey Byron, Charles Moll and Leslie Wing...
. It is perhaps best known for Re-Animator
Re-Animator
Re-Animator is a 1985 American science fiction horror film based on the H. P. Lovecraft story "Herbert West–Reanimator." Directed by Stuart Gordon, it was the first film in the Re-Animator series. The film has since become a cult film, driven by fans of Jeffrey Combs and H. P...
and Ghoulies
Ghoulies
The Ghoulies films are an American horror-comedy series released throughout the 1980s and 1990s and centered on a group of demons usually summoned by Satanic worshippers.-Ghoulies:...
which were major box office hits for the company in 1985.
Other Empire Pictures included From Beyond
From Beyond (film)
From Beyond is a 1986 American science fiction/ body horror film directed by Stuart Gordon, loosely based on the short story of the same title by H. P. Lovecraft, and was written by Dennis Paoli, Gordon and Brian Yuzna...
, Dolls
Dolls (1987 film)
Dolls is a horror film directed by Stuart Gordon, shot in Italy in 1985 and released in 1987.- Plot summary :A violent thunderstorm strands six people in the gothic English countryside: Judy, who's traveling with her thuggish father and her cold, self-centered, stepmother...
, Troll
Troll (film)
Troll is a 1986 cult dark fantasy film. Its plot has no relation to the films Troll 2 and Troll 3, which are intended to be more horror than fantasy. Its "sequel", Troll 2 is considered to be one of the worst films of all time.-Plot:...
, Crawlspace
Crawlspace (film)
Crawlspace is a 1986 horror/thriller film starring Klaus Kinski as Karl Guenther, the crazed son of a Nazi doctor, who is obsessed with trapping young women and then slowly torturing them to death...
and Robot Jox
Robot Jox
Robot Jox is a 1990 science fiction film directed by Stuart Gordon, and starring Gary Graham, Anne-Marie Johnson, and Paul Koslo.-Plot:Fifty years after a nuclear holocaust, open war is forbidden by the surviving nations, which have merged into two opposing super-nations: the American-influenced...
. Empire Pictures began to collapse in 1989 due to financial problems.
The studio was originally situated in Rome, Italy and as of today, MGM is the current owner of a majority of the Empire Pictures library. Once it became clear that Empire would not last for more than a couple more years, Charles Band formed another company, Full Moon Entertainment, which also specializes in horror/fantasy genre films.
Empire Pictures is not to be confused with the American film distribution company of the same name, which was established in 2000 and focuses on releasing art-house and foreign films.
Filmography
- Walking the EdgeWalking the EdgeWalking the Edge is a 1983 crime film, action film written by Curt Allen and directed by Norbert Meisel. The film stars Robert Forster, Nancy Kwan, Joe Spinell, A Martinez, James McIntire, Wayne Woodson, Luis Contreras....
(1983) - The AlchemistThe Alchemist (film)The Alchemist is a 1984 horror film about a man who desires to avenge a curse placed on him by an evil magician. The film was directed by Charles Band, and stars Robert Ginty, Lucinda Dooling, and John Sanderford.-Plot:...
(1984) - The DungeonmasterThe DungeonmasterThe Dungeonmaster, , is a 1984 low-budget science fiction/fantasy film, rated PG-13, starring Jeffrey Byron, Charles Moll and Leslie Wing...
(1985) - GhouliesGhouliesThe Ghoulies films are an American horror-comedy series released throughout the 1980s and 1990s and centered on a group of demons usually summoned by Satanic worshippers.-Ghoulies:...
(1985) - Re-AnimatorRe-AnimatorRe-Animator is a 1985 American science fiction horror film based on the H. P. Lovecraft story "Herbert West–Reanimator." Directed by Stuart Gordon, it was the first film in the Re-Animator series. The film has since become a cult film, driven by fans of Jeffrey Combs and H. P...
(1985) - Savage Island (1985)
- TrancersTrancersTrancers is a 1985 science fiction film. It was directed by Charles Band and stars Tim Thomerson and Helen Hunt. It is the first film in a series of six: Trancers , and the direct-to-video releases; Trancers II , Trancers III , Trancers 4: Jack of Swords , Trancers 5: Sudden Deth and Trancers 6...
(1985) - UnderworldUnderworld (1985 film)Underworld is a 1985 British horror film, written by Clive Barker and James Caplin, and starring Denholm Elliott, Miranda Richardson, Steven Berkoff, Larry Lamb, Ingrid Pitt and Art Malik, in which a mad doctor keeps mutants underground. The film was directed by George Pavlou.-Plot:Dr...
(1985) - Zone TroopersZone TroopersZone Troopers is a 1985 science fiction film, directed by Danny Bilson and starring Tim Thomerson. The original music score was composed by Richard Band.-Plot:...
(1985) - BreedersBreeders (1986 film)Breeders is a 1986 horror-science fiction film directed by Tim Kincaid, and stars Teresa Farley, Lance Lewman, and Frances Raines.-Plot:When five Manhattan women are accosted under mysterious circumstances, the police think they have got a twisted serial rapist on their hands. But as Detective Dale...
(1986) - CrawlspaceCrawlspace (film)Crawlspace is a 1986 horror/thriller film starring Klaus Kinski as Karl Guenther, the crazed son of a Nazi doctor, who is obsessed with trapping young women and then slowly torturing them to death...
(1986) - Dreamaniac (1986)
- EliminatorsEliminatorsEliminators is a 1986 film directed by Peter Manoogian. The plot concernes a "Mandroid" constructed by an evil scientist from the body of a downed pilot, who teams up with the scientist responsible for android technology, her pet robot Spot, a riverboat guide, and a martial arts warrior...
(1986) - From BeyondFrom Beyond (film)From Beyond is a 1986 American science fiction/ body horror film directed by Stuart Gordon, loosely based on the short story of the same title by H. P. Lovecraft, and was written by Dennis Paoli, Gordon and Brian Yuzna...
(1986) - Ghost Warrior (1986)
- Rawhead RexRawhead Rex (film)Rawhead Rex is a 1986 Irish horror film directed by George Pavlou and written by Clive Barker. The film is about a monstrous pagan god's bloody rampage through the Irish countryside, and based on the short story by Clive Barker that originally appeared in vol. 3 of his Books of Blood series...
(1986) - Robot HolocaustRobot Holocaust-Plot summary:Neo, a drifter from the atomic-blasted wastelands, and his klutzy robot sidekick, arrive at a factory where slaves labor to fuel the Dark One's Power Station. He meets a woman who convinces him to help rescue her father, a scientist who invented a device that can break the Dark One's...
(1986) - TrollTroll (film)Troll is a 1986 cult dark fantasy film. Its plot has no relation to the films Troll 2 and Troll 3, which are intended to be more horror than fantasy. Its "sequel", Troll 2 is considered to be one of the worst films of all time.-Plot:...
(1986) - TerrorVisionTerrorVisionTerrorVision is an American horror-comedy film released in 1986.The film was directed by Ted Nicolaou, produced and written by Albert and Charles Band and composed by Richard Band, all of whom would go on to found and work with Full Moon Features in 1989...
(1986) - Buy & CellBuy & CellBuy & Cell is a 1987 comedy film directed by Robert Boris. The original music score was composed by Mark Shreeve.-Plot:Herbie Altman is framed by his business partner and sent to jail where he sets up "Con Inc." an investment company with the help of those around him.-Principal...
(1987) - The Caller (1987)
- CreepozoidsCreepozoidsCreepozoids is a 1987 low budget science fiction/horror film directed by David DeCoteau, and starring Linnea Quigley, Ken Abraham, Michael Aranda and Kim McKamy -Plot summary:...
(1987) - DollsDolls (1987 film)Dolls is a horror film directed by Stuart Gordon, shot in Italy in 1985 and released in 1987.- Plot summary :A violent thunderstorm strands six people in the gothic English countryside: Judy, who's traveling with her thuggish father and her cold, self-centered, stepmother...
(1987) - Enemy TerritoryEnemy Territory (film)-Plot summary:At night the tenants of a housing project lock their doors and pray. For now their building is ruled by a savage gang called the Vampires. But one night they meet their match and the night becomes an eternity.-Release:...
(1987) - Mutant Hunt (1987)
- NecropolisNecropolisA necropolis is a large cemetery or burial ground, usually including structural tombs. The word comes from the Greek νεκρόπολις - nekropolis, literally meaning "city of the dead"...
(1987) - The Princess AcademyThe Princess AcademyThe Princess Academy is a 1987 independent film comedy directed by Bruce A. Block and written by Sandra Weintraub. It was filmed mostly in Yugoslavia.-Plot:...
(1987) - Valet GirlsValet GirlsValet Girls is a 1987 American comedy film about three women in L.A. who are working as valet girls while trying to get started in the entertainment industry....
(1987) - Vicious Lips (1987)
- Assault of the Killer Bimbos (1988)
- CatacombsCatacombsCatacombs, human-made subterranean passageways for religious practice. Any chamber used as a burial place can be described as a catacomb, although the word is most commonly associated with the Roman empire...
(1988) - Cellar DwellerCellar DwellerCellar Dweller is a 1988 horror film, about a comic book artist who unleashes a demon after drawing it. It was directed by John Carl Buechler, written by Don Mancini , and stars Debrah Farentino and Brian Robbins.-Plot:...
(1988) - Ghost TownGhost Town"Ghost Town" is the title of a 1981 song by the British ska band, The Specials. The song spent three weeks at number one and ten weeks in the top 40 of the UK Singles Chart. Addressing themes of urban decay, deindustrialisation, unemployment and violence in inner cities, the song is remembered for...
(1988) - Ghoulies II (1988)
- Prison (1988)
- Pulse PoundersPulse PoundersPulse Pounders is a 1988 film directed by Charles Band. The film is an anthology film consisting of sequels to two Empire features, including The Dungeonmaster, Trancers, and an H.P. Lovecraft adaptation of The Evil Clergyman...
(1988) - Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-RamaSorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-RamaSorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama is a 1988 sci-fi/horror B movie directed by David DeCoteau, loosely-based on the classic short story The Monkey's Paw....
(1988) - Transformations (1988)
- ArenaArena (1989 film)Arena is an American science fiction film directed by Peter Manoogian and starring Paul Satterfield and Claudia Christian. Set in 4038, Satterfield plays Steve Armstrong, the first human in 50 years to compete in the intergalactic boxing sport called simply "The Arena"...
(1989) - Deadly WeaponDeadly weaponA deadly weapon, sometimes dangerous weapon, is a statutory definition listing certain items which can inflict mortal or great bodily harm. In addition, deadly weapon statutes often contain "catch all" provisions which describe abilities used to designate other implements as deadly weapons.Whether...
(1989) - Intruder (1989)
- Puppet MasterPuppet Master (film)Puppet Master is a 1989 horror film written by Charles Band and Kenneth J. Hall, and directed by David Schmoeller...
(1989) (produced by Empire Pictures, released by Full Moon FeaturesFull Moon FeaturesFull Moon Features is a motion picture production and distribution company headed by B-movie veteran Charles Band. It is known for the direct-to-video series Puppet Master and Subspecies, as well as the innovative VideoZone featurette at the end of films through 1989 to 2000.-Full Moon...
) - Robot JoxRobot JoxRobot Jox is a 1990 science fiction film directed by Stuart Gordon, and starring Gary Graham, Anne-Marie Johnson, and Paul Koslo.-Plot:Fifty years after a nuclear holocaust, open war is forbidden by the surviving nations, which have merged into two opposing super-nations: the American-influenced...
(1990) - SpellcasterSpellcaster (film)-Plot:Winning a trip to Italy through a contest, Jackie and her brother Tom join other winners Myrna , Yvette , Terri , Harlan and Tony . They settle into the rooms of an old castle, together with Cassandra , a rock star playing along in the contest...
(1992)