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Planet of the VampiresRating:
Release Date: 28 August, 2001 Retail Price: $14.95 Sorry, this product is not currently available. Cast: |
Planet of the Vampires Reviews
Italian Yellow Fever in Space, 28 March 2006
First of all "Planet of the Vampires" is not about vampires, it is about aliens taking over the bodies of a group of space explorers. It alternates between science fiction and horror. Although directed by legendary horror filmmaker Mario Bava, it is technically science fiction. The production design and premise were heavily influenced by "Forbidden Planet" and would itself provide much of the inspiration for "Alien".
Bava is generally acknowledged as the founder of the "gialli" style of Italian horror/thrillers, which is characterized by a much greater focus on the deed of murder (whereas other styles emphasize the solving of the murder). They also have a lavish and lush look and in this regard could be thought of as the opposite of the "film noir" style. Dario Argento is the other acknowledged master of "gialli".
If you are looking for a sci-fi film heavy on atmosphere, with very original cinematography, and featuring the all-time coolest black leather space suits; then "Planet of the Vampires" is a must see.
There is also a subtle anti-fascist political message. Note that the crews of both the Argos and the Galliot wear Nazi "SS" lightening flash insignia and that the disciplined and militaristic natures of the crewman make it far easier for the aliens to successfully impersonate them. The ending implies that 1930's fascism was actually an attempt by the invading aliens to take over the earth.
Bava appears to cheat a bit to make the ending a bigger surprise. It is possible that this may just be the English dubbing which assigns earth names to the crew members and has the alien referring to them as humans.
The scene with the bodies of dead crewmen rising up out of their graves still wrapped in clear plastic is extremely eerie.
As in "Alien" the two spacecraft are lured to the planet by mysterious radio signals and find an earlier victim of the same trap. Both ships are damaged upon landing and an alien presence is able to turn various members of the crew into violent killers.
As the engineer works to repair The Argos, its crew is slowly being taken over. Most of the suspense comes from the race to fix the ship before everyone falls victim to the alien possession. But eventually the captain begins to worry that a successful repair will furnish the aliens with a means to leave this planet and invade his unsuspecting home world.
A historically significant film that is still very entertaining.
Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.
the father of alien
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 try
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