After getting converted to space energy in an alien facility, the disgusting, slimy Hungry Beast is accidentally reconstituted on Earth with the help of some janky new satellite TV equipment. With his tentacle eye and blobby, asymmetric body, the alien invader begins to tear through the Puttermans and their ultra-80s, swingers’ decor. TerrorVision isn’t exactly good — it’s intentional campiness begins to grate — but it’s the perfect midnight movie: imaginative, splattery, gooey and gorey (and it’s only 83 minutes long!).
Empire International Pictures, the studio behind TerrorVision , is one of those remarkable businesses that perfectly captures both an era and an aesthetic. Their relentlessly imaginative films freely blend sci-fi and horror — TerrorVision is just the beginning. Empire was also behind Ghoulies, Re-Animator, From Beyond, Crawlspace, Trancers, Dolls and Enemy Territory .
And now, a new documentary will give us a look behind the scenes.
Celluloid Wizards in the Video Wasteland: The Saga of Empire Pictures is a kickstarted documentary by Daniel Griffith, who has previously created documentaries about Mystery Science Theater 3000 and Dark Star, John Carpenter’s first movie.
Check out the trailer:
Here’s the official description for Celluloid Wizards in the Video Wasteland:
“Scientists. Psychopaths. Aliens. Mutants. Cyborgs. Trolls. Valet Girls. Sorority Babes. These are only a few of the extraordinary characters that populated the cinematic universe of Empire Pictures, the short-lived film studio founded in the 1980’s by legendary B-movie producer Charles Band ( The Puppet Master series). While other independent studios were targeting the growing home video market, Band was producing low-budget horror and fantasy features for multiplexes worldwide.
But, while Band ambitiously exclaimed “2,000 movies by the year 2000”, his newfound studio was rapidly crumbling beneath him. His unbridled passion for motion picture marketing and distribution clashed with scandalous banking practices, largely due to a turbulent relationship with the infamous Crédit Lyonnais. But what really caused the youthful film company to crash and burn upon the sticky floors of empty movie theaters?
From the immediate box office success of “Re-Animator” and “Ghoulies”, to abysmal failure of “Eliminators” and “TerrorVision”, this unique documentary chronicles the epic journey of Charles Band’s Empire Pictures. Beginning with his childhood spent on the set of his father’s productions, and ending in the controversial aftermath of his first motion picture company, “Celluloid Wizards in the Video Wasteland” reveals the true origin story of one of the last surviving B-movie producers in Hollywood!"
