Planet of the Vampires
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Movie Reviews of Planet of the Vampires
Movie Review: the father of alien
Summary: 4 Stars
this 1965 sci-fi horror film is one of the movies that gave rise to alien. a ship in deep space goes to the aid of a ship in trouble and finds bodyless aliens who are looking for host. very creepy and just the right amount of goosebumps. give it a tryMovie Review: Great service
Summary: 4 Stars
This was a good movie was in great shape. I came in the time promised with no problems. Thank youMovie Review: Decent but outdone by the original Star Trek and "Alien"
Summary: 3 Stars
Although this 1965 film is an Italian production, directed by the famed Mario Bava, it was released by American International and stars American Barry Sullivan as the captain and main protagonist. Its original Italian title is (translated) "Terror in Space," which is better than the American title "Planet of the Vampires" (also "Demon Planet") seeing as how there are no blood-sucking vampires anywhere to be seen.
THE STORY: Barry Sullivan commands a spaceship that goes to a strange unknown planet in response to a distress call from another ship. They soon discover that the creepy planet is home to incorporeal aliens who desire their bodies and ship to leave the planet.
Although "Terror in Space" came out a year before the original Star Trek appeared on television, both the film and Star Trek borrow heavily from concepts introduced in the ground-breaking "Forbidden Planet" (1956). It should be noted that "Terror in Space" did not technically come before Star Trek since the first Trek pilot episode "The Cage" was filmed in 1964. And the second pilot "Where No Man Has Gone Before" was filmed at about the same time as "Terror" in 1965.
POSITIVES: I've heard a lot of good things about this film over the years, in particular the ultra-cool black leather uniforms with nazi-like emblems and the atmospheric creepiness of the planet, and was not disappointed.
In addition, the film features two women -- a redhead and a blond -- as prominent figures in the crew of the spacecraft, a notable thing for 1965 (although keep in mind that Gene Roddenberry featured a female first officer in "The Cage" a year before). Both of these women are stunningly beautiful, enhanced by the black leather uniforms.
Although the film borrows heavily from "Forbidden Planet" its story is original and innovative. So much so, in fact, that Ridley Scott's "Alien" (1979) ripped-off every main aspect of the first half (!!). No kidding. In defense of "Alien" Scott did take these concepts and made a BETTER sci-fi/horror picture.
NEGATIVES: The film is from 1965 and therefore has dated sets and effects, comparable to the original Star Trek tv series. If this fact turns you off, stay away.
Unlike "Forbidden Planet" and the original Star Trek the story isn't very compelling. Yes, the set-up is interesting but by the 35-minute mark I was highly tempted to tune out (and did the first time I tried to watch it). It's hard to say why the story isn't compelling despite the film's numerous innovations, but one reason for sure is that, unlike Star Trek, the crewmembers are bland and lack distinction.
Some point out that "Terror in Space" is a darker version of the original Star Trek. This is true only in the sense that the sets and uniforms are darker; certainly not in the sense that it's more serious and mature. I say this because Star Trek was ultra-serious and mature right out of the gate; for verification 9 out of the first 10 episodes were dark, serious and mature in the truest sense -- "The Cage," "Where No Man Has Gone Before," "The Corbomite Maneuver," "Enemy Within," "The Man Trap," "The Naked Time," "Charlie X," "Balance of Terror" and "What Are Little Girls Made Of?".
FINAL ANALYSIS: If it were 1965 I'd give "Terror in Space" a solid B+ (4/5 Stars), but since it's been so outdone by the original Star Trek and "Alien" I can only honestly rate it C+. Regardless, it deserves a revered spot in any sci-fi/horror aficionado's video library.
Movie Review: Not for everyone, but...
Summary: 3 Stars
Normally when someone says that a horror film is "not for everyone," what they mean is that there's something about it that's just a little too intense for most viewers. That is definitely NOT the case here. "Planet of the Vampires" is not a particularly gory film, nor is it really very graphic, nor is it even really all that fast-paced. Actually, it's slow. Really slow. But...Basically, it's a good movie for one of three audiences:
1. Nostalgists who remember this movie and others like it from Saturday matinees on TV.
2. People who like to watch movies to make fun of them...you know, old movies, made when movies were bad. I hate these people and like the idea of them throwing money at the folks who put out the Midnight Movies series. Better than that blowing all their excess income on WWF memorabilia.
3. Students of film, i.e., movie geeks. The open-minded viewer will be able to see through the awful dialogue, not-so-hot acting and general lack of action, and just bask in the lurid atmosphere that Bava creates for the alien world of his film. The color (bloody reds and luminous greens, primarily)is amazing to just look at, and the sets are worthy of much perusal. Not to mention an opening theme that really is creepy as hell, and somehow manages to make the first scenes -- which appear to depict a Go-Bot floating against a black curtain with holes poked through it to allow a flashlight beam to dimly shine out -- slightly unsettling.
Mind you, "Planet of the Vampires" is rarely more than slightly unsettling, and frequently much, much less. There is little plot, not much happens, and there aren't any vampires. I'll be honest and say I was kinda hoping for some whacked-out Italian vampire space goddess to appear, some kinky approximation of Barbara Steele in full cosmic vampire regalia, exposing much skin and gnawing at the necks of hapless spacemen with her wicked fangs, but no. Sadly, no. It was not to be. My hopes were dashed. No slinky vampire women, no Barbara Steele, just some reanimated dead fellas who stumble around and cause trouble. But...
I don't know, there are a few scenes that are genuinely cool. The emergence of the zombies from their graves is great. The climax of the film is -- amazingly -- rather suspenseful, almost shocking in that nothing else in the movie is. And the ending, while a science fiction cliche, works here because you never see it coming.
Further, film geeks of varying degrees will be stunned at first how Ridley Scott (blatantly!) swiped from "Planet of the Vampires" for the (so much better it goes without saying) "Alien;" how John Carpenter swiped the setting and the general plot of intangible aliens possessing human bodies for his (superior) "Ghosts of Mars;" and how...okay, maybe this one is just me, but it seems plausible...Lucio Fulci appears to have stolen the last scenes of "The Gates of Hell" (little kid emerges from Bava-ish mists to come into view and be revealed as a zombie) from a scene about two-thirds of the way through "Planet of the Vampires!"
Can so much genius have been mined from one film that is (most charitably) more style than substance, and (least charitably) not really that great a flick on its own terms? Well, it sure looks like it. Unbelievably, "Planet of the Vampires" has evidently been influential on a lot of moviemakers; if nothing else, it should be seen for that reason.
Movie Review: Fun Italian Space Bites!
Summary: 3 Stars
Planet of the Vampires
Quite a cast and crew that produced this one. It's an American International picture, written by the same writer who wrote Angry Red Planet and whose outlines inspired Irwin Allen's Lost in Space: Ib Melchior. And the director, Mario Bava is best known as a horror director, whose work Twitch of the Death Nerve, considered one of the first slasher films, was imitated in American theaters with Friday the 13th. The actor Barry Sullivan I found, was a character actor all through the sixties and seventies, with parts in shows like Kung Fu, Hawaii Five-O and The Streets of San Francisco.
Blue planets whiz by as we sail into the velvet blackness, with the usual violins and weird musical accompaniment.
What strikes me is the roominess of the ship. This was made in 1965, so I expected the effects to be better than a fifties sci-fi flick, but the lack of budget is fairly apparent. The leather outfits with high collars, biker helmets and gray instrumentation were interesting if allowable.
The techie talk is really awesome, the jargon a bit much but fun to listen to. Kinda like the techno-speak on Star Trek. "In sixty fractions of megon, we'll start the landing maneuver." Cool!
They're about to make a routine landing on the planet Aura with their sister ship. Suddenly radio communications are blocked from the sister ship. They are gripped in some kind of gravitational force and land quite hard on the planet below. Good stuff so far. The actual ship model that lands and the lighting a bit cheesy for 1965.
As soon as they land, they start beating each other up! And then don't remember doing it! Are they being taken over by some kind of invisible beings or (shall I say it?) VAMPIRES???? ..
Not really. Despite the title, there are no vampires, just some invisible beings who want to take over bodies, living or dead. They prefer dead and a bit beat-up.
The movie does its best to build suspense but it goes a little long for me. Not a bad chiller on a midnight view.
The twist ending is worthy of Rod Serling.
Definitely worth the rent, though not as thought-provoking as The Angry Red Planet, the undead do have a great time!
Recommended.