Band entered film production in the 1970s with Charles Band Productions. Dissatisfied with distributors' handling of his movies, he formed Empire Pictures in 1983. At its height, Empire would release an average of two films a month, one theatrically and one on home video. Movies released by Empire included Ghoulies and Ghoulies II, and the cult classic Re-Animator.
Empire folded in 1988, due to financial difficulties. Band would found Full Moon Productions the same year. Full Moon releases include the Puppet Master and Subspecies series. Full Moon's family-oriented label Moonbeam Entertainment released the Prehysteria! trilogy.