Confessions of a Puppetmaster

A Hollywood Memoir of Ghouls, Guts, and Gonzo Filmmaking

By: Charles Band, Adam Felber

Narrated by: Charles Band, Sean Patrick Hopkins

“Confessions of a Puppetmaster is a fast, funny, wild ride through some wild times. Plus, Charlie compares me to Harrison Ford, so I’m all in!” (Bill Maher)

Renowned producer, director, and “B-movie” showman Charles Band takes listeners on a wild romp through Hollywood’s decidedly un-Oscar-worthy underbelly, where mayhem and zombies reign supreme, and cheap thrills and entertainment are king

"This book is a blast. It made me want to stay up all night and watch terrible movies." (Peter Sagal)

"One of the most entertaining film bios ever." (Larry Karaszewski)

"Reads like a Tarantino film written by Hunter S. Thompson." (Booklist)

Zombies, aliens, a little skin, lots of gore - and even more laughs - the cinematic universe of Charles Band is legendary. From the toilet-invading creatures of Ghoulies to the time-travelling bounty hunter in Trancers to the pandemic-crashed Corona Zombies, Band has spent four decades giving B-movie lovers exactly what they love. In Confessions of a Puppetmaster, this congenial master of Grindhouse cinema tells his own story, uncut.

Born into a family of artists, Band spent much of his childhood in Rome, where his father worked in the film industry. Early visits to movie sets sealed young Charlie’s fate. By his 20s, he had plunged into moviemaking himself and found his calling in exploitation movies - quick, low-budget efforts that exploit the zeitgeist and feed people’s desire for clever, low-brow entertainment. His films crossed genres, from vampire flicks to sci-fi to erotic musical adaptations of fairy tales. As he came into his own as a director, he was the first to give starring roles to household names like Demi Moore, Helen Hunt, and Bill Maher.

Off set, Band’s life has been equally epic. Returning to his beloved Italy, he bought both Dino De Laurentiis’ movie studio and a medieval castle. After Romania’s oppressive communist regime fell, he circumvented the US State Department to shoot films in Dracula’s homeland. He made - and then lost - a moviemaking fortune. A visionary, Band was also at the vanguard of the transition to home video and streaming, making and distributing direct-to-video movies long before the major studios caught on.

In this revealing tell-all, Band details the dizzying heights and catastrophic depths of his four decades in showbiz. A candid and engaging glimpse at Hollywood’s wild side, Confessions of a Puppetmaster is as entertaining as the movies that made this consummate schlockmeister famous.

©2021 Charles Band (P)2021 HarperCollins Publishers

Just like a Fullmoon movie, A Crazy Good Time

As a fan of Fullmoon movies growing up as a kid, Its amazing to hear how these classic films was all created lol.

2 things I can find about this book I felt could've been improved.... The lack of talking about Puppet Master... Yes he mentions it but thats it, I feel that's his biggest franchise and he treats it like some basterd red headed step child. That alone could've been another chapter or so.....

and the other thing is Charles Band starts off reading the book and it gets you excited for a great time..... And that's it... His story is read by someone else... BUMMER.

BUUUUUUT Besides that, The man owned A Castle, A FREAKING CASTLE 🏰....

Keep doing what you do Mr Band, Love the cheese then, Still loving the cheese now.

Thanks....

Great memoir from an amazingly creative guy!

it's amazing what this guy was involved with, from the ups and downs of his career to the actual movie properties he developed! amazing!

Deeply revealing, yet also hilarious!

Adam Felber and Charles band do an excellent job of telling Charles' crazy life story in a moving, informative, and funny way. Charles holds almost nothing back, refusing to gloss over the bad, wall also highlighting the good in the best way possible. Fantastic!

Funny and insightfull

I totally recommend this audiobook! It was funny and quite easy to hear! I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it.

Funny, fascinating and entertaining as hell!

Band takes us through his crazy, inspiring and tragic journey in becoming one of the top B movie horror and sci fi mavericks in hollywood. Worthy of mention is Sean Patrick's performance as he captures the nuances and aliveness of the peculiar characters Band comes across right down to hilarious the Brooklyn accents.

Captivating

Charles Band is truly a captivating, infectious personality who's passion for film making makes every minute listened to, every page turned, worth it.

What an interesting life!

II didn't know anything about Charlie Band before I read the book. I was surprised to find out that I had seen some of his movies over the years. He has had a pretty amazing career. I have a feeling his life story would make a great movie also. Adam Felber did a good job piecing together a life that is all over the map.

I was a little confused when the narrator switched from Charlie to Sean Patrick Hopkins and then back to Charlie. Not a big issue but worth mentioning.

worth the wait

loved this so glad to have this in my collection Charles band is a b movie icon and hearing his life story was truly inspiring

Great story and narration

I grew up on Charles Band movies so this memoir was very enjoyable. And the narration is fantastic.

Fabulous showbiz memoir about a unique character

Really enjoyed the story of a guy who made brilliant moves and stupid ones in equal amounts. Totally enjoyed the ride from the 70’s to today dealing with indie exploitation movies and lots of his clever side hustles. Funny and very breezy telling. I’m not familiar with the movies but now I want to see some. His ability to produce so many properties is stunning.