There’s going to be a Full Moon right before Halloween this year, but it’s not “that” kind of full moon. It Came from the Video Aisle! hits bookshelves October 28th, promising to take readers inside Charles Band’s Full Moon Entertainment Studio like nothing before.

For our younger readers who don’t know what a “video aisle” is: Once upon a time, there were these places called “video stores.” In them were row after row, shelf after shelf, of movies on VHS (and later DVD and Blu-ray). These were the video aisles. People like you would peruse these aisles looking for movies to rent for a night or two and then return to the store. Some of these movies were more cheaply produced and made exclusively for the home video market.

One of the greatest purveyors of such direct-to-video movies was a man named Charles Band. First he ruled a theatrical empire. Then he began casting a Full Moon over video stores right at the dawn of direct-to-video fare.

It Came from the Video Aisle! is his story…

Synopsis:

Charles Band’s Full Moon Entertainment was the most remarkable B-movie studio of the 1990s, responsible for a barrage of sci-fi, fantasy, and horror classics during the last true “golden age” of the home video era. From Puppetmaster to Trancers and beyond, Full Moon transformed the VHS experience for fans worldwide, bringing the inner workings of the movie-making process into the living room, and in turn creating a ravenous fanbase that remains to this day. This book tracks the history of the company, from its late ’80s birth among the ruins of the American drive-in through to its bid to survive in the modern digital world. Featuring rare artwork, behind-the-scenes photos, and over 60 exclusive interviews with the cast and crew who helped to create the legendary B-movie studio, this is an essential read for any cult film fan still lamenting the death of the “mom ‘n pop” video store.

Boasting interviews with over 60 directors, actors, producers, and crew and featuring over 400 behind-the-scenes photos, posters, and artwork (many never before published), It Came from the Video Aisle! is going to be a must-read for any fan of Full Moon or the golden age of home video entertainment when his company launched. Even though Charles Band personally authorized this book, I’ve been told there are some sordid details regarding the company’s history that just can’t be sugarcoated.

Featured interviewees include Charles Band himself, Richard Band, Jackson Barr, Adolfo Bartoli, J.R. Bookwalter, Jeff Burr, William Butler, J.S. Cardone, Benjamin Carr, Peter David, Sonny Carl Davis, Mike Deak, Danny Draven, Richard Elfman, Jack Ersgard, Ernest Farino, Jeff Farley, Brent Friedman, Stuart Gordon, Trent Haaga, Kenneth J. Hall, Linda Hassani, Sam Irvin, Mel Johnson, Jr., Rolf Kanefsky, John Lechago, Jacqueline Lovell, Lee MacLeod, Peter Manoogian, Mark Manos, Ed Naha, Ted Nicolaou, Dennis Paoli, Dave Parker, Vlad Paunescu, Albert Pyun, Mark Rappaport, Fred Olen Ray, Ethan Reiff, Duncan Rouleau, David Schmoeller, Gary Schmoeller, Pat Siciliano, Venesa Talor, Tim Thomerson, Cyrus Voris, and Graeme Whifler.

Nathan Shumate, Jay Woelfel, Chris Endicott, Thomas Sueyres, Dave Wain, and Matty Budrewicz are amongst the guest contributors. Full Moon fixture C. Courtney Joyner penned the foreword.

Finally, from the press release, a little something about the authors of this massive 480-page tome dedicated to all things Full Moon.

About the Authors:

Dave Jay is a London-based writer. He is the principal author of Empire of the ‘B’s (published by Hemlock Books) and has contributed towards cult film magazines such as Fangoria, Gorezone, Delirium, and Horrorhound. He also works as a music writer/producer, having had music featured in film and television, including Driven, “The Last Castle,” and the soundtrack album for Austin Powers in Goldmember.

William S. Wilson resides in Williamsburg, Virginia, and has written articles for genre magazines Fangoria and Deep Red. He has also contributed to a number of film guides including Horror 101, Hidden Horror, BFI’s 100 European Horror Films, and the 101 film book series edited by Steven Jay Schneider (Paranormal Activity).

Torsten Dewi lives in Baden-Baden, Germany and has been a professional writer for the last twenty years. Alongside his co-writing credit for Empire of the ‘B’s, he has written numerous successful novels, genre screenplays for the international market (Lost City Raiders, Post Impact, and Sumuru), and hundreds of articles for a broad selection of magazines including Playboy and TV Zone. His non-fiction work includes a guide to the “Babylon 5” universe, a Dune photobook, and three annual guides to science fiction on TV.

You Full Moon fanatics can go ahead and pre-order It Came the Video Aisle! right now from Amazon.