Oh, the horror!

There used to be a sort of magic in going to the local video store.

Before the days of the super-streamlined Blockbuster selection-where hundreds of unrented DVD copies of that latest new release line the shelves and the older film selection dwindles more and more every day-it was a joy for film freaks to roam the aisles of their video store, browsing through obscure VHS horror titles, looking for a cheap thrill on a Saturday night.

If you were one of those people whose idea of a good time was renting an armload of low-budget horror and other B-grade films and watching them all in one night, then these titles may mean something to you: Puppet Master, Trancers, Dollman, Subspecies, Troll.

What ties these movies together? They were all made, either directly or with indirect involvement, by filmmaker and uber-producer Charles Band.

Now you can get your chance to relive these nostalgic films and maybe meet the man himself when his Full Moon Horror Road Show hits the Aladdin Theater tonight. The Road Show is in its third year, and Band promises a good time for fans and non-fans alike. It’s a “crazy circus act,” with chopped-off heads, cameos by Full Moon creatures and even some potential surprise celebrity appearances (think Bill Moseley, Sid Haig or possibly William Shatner).

“I can promise a show that you aren’t going to find anywhere else, for better or worse,” Band, 57, said.

Band’s current production company, Full Moon, has been cranking out straight-to-video, and now DVD, sci-fi and horror films since 1989. Before then, his now defunct Empire Pictures put out such genre classics as Re-Animator, Ghoulies and the mind-numbing Creepozoids.

His ubiquitous output could be viewed as quantity over quality, but there is magic to some of these films.

They may be zero-budget and sometimes have an amateur feel (even though Band and much of his crew are in no way amateurs), but there is something to be said for their high-concept and dedicated approach. Band and his team do not half-ass anything. When they have the idea to make a movie about a killer gingerbread cookie (The Gingerdead Man) or an evil bong (Evil Bong), they go right out and do it. And yes, the titles and artwork often come before the actual creation of the film.

So, after hundreds and hundreds of films written, directed or produced by Band, how does he still make it fresh?

“You never stop learning,” Band said. He joked that sometimes, “I feel like I’ve never really begun….”

For Band, the art of filmmaking–creating characters, crafting sets, working with up-and-comers–is a joy in itself. Sure, he likes the final product, but going out and doing it time after time is still fresh to him.

“The idea is to do something edgy, and different, and clever, and somewhat in good taste,” he said.

The “good taste” portion is probably not referring to the “poon-tang tribe” that is featured in his upcoming Evil Bong sequel, King Bong. (And yes, the tribe will make an appearance at the Road Show.) What keeps Full Moon alive is its heavy marketing, and the Road Show will have creature replicas for sale along with special box sets of films.

While Band is riding the wave of nostalgia that his movies bring up for many people, he is also working constantly to create memorable new works for his audience. “You can’t stop making the movies,” Band said. He said that it’s exhausting, but he always jumps right back into the fray.

Someday, a Band film, like the just-released Dangerous Worry Dolls, may mean as much to a new generation as Puppet Master meant to the generation before. Something to watch with friends, quote and enjoy.

The 1980s explosion of home video gave way to a flood of low-budget films, some great, some horrible, but all mostly memorable. Discovering a film that no one else knew about was thrilling. But now it often seems that the thrill of discovery is long gone.

Yet, companies like Full Moon are still out there, working their asses off to keep the dream of low-budget horror alive. And Band is right there–with his camera and buckets of fake blood in hand.

He’s giving us all something to do on a lazy Saturday night.

Charles Band’s Full Moon Horror Road Show8 p.m., tonight, $20The Aladdin Theater3017 S.E. Milwaukie Ave.