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Empire International Pictures
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Foundation date 1 january 1983
Empire Pictures was an American small scale theatrical distribution company that was formed in 1983 by Charles Band, as a response to the dissatisfaction of how his films were distributed by motion picture companies while making films under the banner of Charles Band International Productions.
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,Trancers, 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 and long term debt obligations to Credit Lyonnais.
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, Band sold Empire to Epic Entertainment in 1988. The following year, 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.
Best films
(2002)
(1997)Filmography of Empire International Pictures (28 films)
Distribution
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Prison (1987)
, 1h42Directed by Renny Harlin
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Thriller, Horror, Crime
Themes Prison films, Ghost films
Actors Viggo Mortensen, Chelsea Field, Lane Smith, Lincoln Kilpatrick, Tom Everett, André De Shields
In 1964, inmate Charlie Forsythe swallowed 60,000 volts of electricity for a murder he did not commit.
Dolls (1987)
, 1h18Directed by Stuart Gordon
Origin USA
Genres Fantasy, Horror
Themes Jeu, Serial killer films, Films about toys
Actors Guy Rolfe, Ian Patrick Williams, Hilary Mason, Carolyn Purdy, Bunty Bailey, Cassie Stuart
A violent thunderstorm strands six people in the gothic English countryside including little Judy, who's traveling with her distant, uncaring father, David Bower, and her callous, arrogant stepmother Rosemary. They are accompanied by an amiable, mild-mannered businessman Ralph, who has given a ride to Isabel and Enid, two British punk rock girls who are hitchhiking. They all wind up at a mansion inhabited by Gabriel and Hilary Hartwicke, a kindly elderly people who appear to be toy makers; their house literally abounds with dolls, puppets, and other beautifully detailed toys. They give Judy a new doll, Mr. Punch, after she had been forced to give up her old teddy bear by her cruel stepmother before they arrived at the house. The Hartwickes invite the stranded travelers to join them for dinner and stay as guests until the storm ends.
Zone Troopers (1986)
, 1h28Directed by Danny Bilson
Genres Science fiction, War, Action, Adventure, Horror
Themes Political films
Actors Tim Thomerson, Timothy Van Patten, Art LaFleur, Biff Maynard
In Italy during World War II, an American military patrol discovers a spaceship that has crash-landed in the woods, along with its alien crew. A nearby Nazi unit also sends a patrol to investigate the crash and to capture the aliens if possible.
From Beyond (1986)
, 1h26Directed by Stuart Gordon
Origin USA
Genres Science fiction, Fantasy, Horror
Themes Films based on works by H. P. Lovecraft, Comedy horror films
Actors Jeffrey Combs, Barbara Crampton, Ken Foree, Ted Sorel, Carolyn Purdy, Bunny Summers
Dr. Edward Pretorius (Ted Sorel) is a scientist who has developed the Resonator, a machine which allows whoever is within range to see beyond normal perceptible reality. His assistant, Dr. Crawford Tillinghast (Jeffrey Combs), activates the machine and soon sees strange creatures in the air. When he is bitten by one of them, he urges Pretorius to turn the machine off. However, the crazed Pretorius refuses. Events transpire to the point where Crawford panics, fleeing outside. When the police arrive, they find Pretorius decapitated. Crawford is subsequently arrested and accused of murder.
Eliminators (1986)
, 1h36Origin USA
Genres Science fiction, Fantasy, Action, Adventure
Themes Robot films
Actors Andrew Prine, Denise Crosby, Patrick Reynolds, Roy Dotrice, Tadashi Horino, Gabino Diego
After returning from a scouting mission in a time machine, the Mandroid gives a Roman centurion shield to his master Abbot Reeves. Reeves orders the Mandroid to be dismantled (killed), but Reeves' assistant Takada tries to help the Mandroid to escape. Although Takada dies in the escape attempt, he tells the Mandroid to seek scientist Col. Nora Hunter for help in stopping Reeves from enacting an evil plan. In the U.S., the Mandroid finds Hunter and reveals himself to her. She believed Reeves to be dead and recognizes her designs for a Mars probe in the Mandroid. She repairs damage done to the Mandroid in his escape. The Mandroid plans to return to stop Reeves' evil plans (whatever they may be) and Hunter insists on accompanying him as his mechanic. She also brings along S.P.O.T., a small flying scout robot of her own design.
Rawhead Rex (1986)
, 1h29Directed by George Pavlou
Origin United-kingdom
Genres Horror
Actors David Dukes, Niall Tóibín, Kelly Piper, Donal McCann, Clive Barker, Hugh O'Conor
Howard Hallenbeck (David Dukes) travels to Ireland to research items of religious significance. He goes to a rural church to photograph some graves. Meanwhile, three farmers are attempting to remove an ominous stone column from a field. Two of the farmers head home. A thunderstorm appears out of nowhere, and smoke pours from the ground. Lightning strikes the column. The monster Rawhead Rex rises from the dirt.
TerrorVision (1986)
, 1h25Directed by Ted Nicolaou
Origin USA
Genres Science fiction, Thriller, Comedy, Horror comedy, Horror, Comic science fiction
Themes Films about television, Comedy science fiction films, Comedy horror films, Films about extraterrestrial life
Actors Chad Allen, Diane Franklin, Mary Woronov, Gerrit Graham, Bert Remsen, Jon Gries
On an alien planet named Pluton, an alien garbage disposal converts a monstrous mutant called a Hungry Beast into energy and beams it into space. Meanwhile on Earth, the Putterman family is getting satellite television, courtesy of a temperamental DIY antenna. The reception is poor at first, but suddenly strengthens when a bolt of the alien energy hits the dish.
Troll (1986)
, 1h22Directed by John Carl Buechler
Origin USA
Genres Science fiction, Thriller, Comedy, Horror comedy, Fantasy, Horror
Themes Films about magic and magicians, Films based on mythology, Witches in film, Films based on Norse mythology, Comedy horror films
Actors Noah Hathaway, Michael Moriarty, Shelley Hack, Jenny Beck, Sonny Bono, June Lockhart
The film begins with the Potter family moving into a new apartment complex in San Francisco. While unpacking, their young daughter Wendy is attacked by a grotesque little creature, who had long ago been transformed from a powerful wizard into a troll. Using a magic crystal green ring, it captures Wendy and possesses her form. After meeting the other eccentric tenants, the family notices Wendy's unusual behavior (roaring, biting, tossing people across rooms, punching people in the groin), but they attribute her behavior to the stress of the move. The only one that notices something is terribly wrong is Wendy's brother, Harry Potter Jr.
Crawlspace (1986)
, 1h14Directed by David Schmoeller
Origin USA
Genres Thriller, Horror
Themes Serial killer films
Actors Klaus Kinski, Talia Balsam, David Schmoeller, Tané McClure
A young woman walks through the hallways of an apartment building, looking for "Mr. Gunther". She walks into a room in the attic and the door closes and locks behind her. Inside the room, she finds rats in cages, as well as a caged woman (Sally Brown). Karl Gunther (Klaus Kinski) appears and says of the caged woman: "She can't talk. I cut her tongue off." Karl presses a button and a blade is shoved through the woman's back and sticks out of her chest, killing her. Karl pricks his finger with a sharp object, and smears an inscribed bullet with his blood and loads it into a revolver. He points the gun to his head and the gun clicks. He puts the gun down and says: "So be it.
Walking the Edge (1985)
, 1h33Origin USA
Genres Drama, Action, Crime
Actors Robert Forster, Nancy Kwan, Joe Spinell, A Martinez, Wayne Woodson, Luis Contreras
In the opening scene, a criminal gang led by Brusstar (Joe Spinell) enters a home with the intention of killing a man. A housewife, Christine (Nancy Kwan), survives the hit that kills her husband and young son. Shocked, she discovers that her upstanding citizen of a husband (played by Phil H. Fravel) was a drug dealer. She decides to take revenge on the criminal gang that has murdered her husband and son.
Re-Animator (1985)
, 1h26Directed by Stuart Gordon
Origin USA
Genres Science fiction, Comedy, Horror comedy, Horror
Themes Medical-themed films, Films about religion, Films based on works by H. P. Lovecraft, Films based on science fiction novels, Comedy science fiction films, Giant monster films, Zombie films, Films about viral outbreaks, Comedy horror films, Disaster films
Actors Jeffrey Combs, Bruce Abbott, Barbara Crampton, Robert Sampson, David Gale, Carolyn Purdy
At University of Zurich Institute of Medicine in Switzerland, Herbert West brings his dead professor, Dr. Hans Gruber, back to life. There are horrific side-effects, however; as West explains, the dosage was too large. When accused of killing Gruber, West counters: "I gave him life!"
Ghoulies (1985)
, 1h21Directed by John Carl Buechler, Albert Band, Jim Wynorski
Origin USA
Genres Comedy, Horror comedy, Fantasy, Horror
Themes Demons in film, Comedy horror films
Actors Lisa Pelikan, Michael Des Barres, Jack Nance, Mariska Hargitay, Scott Thomson, Bobbie Bresee
Jonathan et son amie Rebecca emménagent dans la vaste demeure que le jeune homme vient d'avoir en héritage. La maison appartenait à son père mais Jonathan ne l'a pas connu. En inspectant la bibliothèque, Jonathan découvre de nombreux livres de magie noire. Au cours d'une soirée, Jonathan pratique un rite d'initiation sans succès apparemment. Il devient de plus en plus accro à ces pratiques et suit avec méthodologie les instructions des livres. Bientôt, il parvient à faire surgir de petites créatures démoniaques et acquiert de plus en plus de puissance...
Trancers (1984)
, 1h16Directed by Charles Band
Origin USA
Genres Science fiction, Action, Horror, Crime
Themes Christmas films, Time travel films
Actors Tim Thomerson, Helen Hunt, Art LaFleur, Richard Herd, Telma Hopkins, Andrew Robinson
Jack Deth (Tim Thomerson) is a police trooper in the year 2247 who has been hunting down Martin Whistler (Michael Stefani), a criminal mastermind who uses a psychic power to turn people into zombies and carry out his orders. Deth can identify a tranced victim by scanning them with a special bracelet. All trancers appear as normal humans at first, but once triggered, they become savage killers with twisted features.