Michael_Elliott Planet of the Vampires (1965) ** 1/2 (out of 4) A group of astronauts land on a mysterious planet that has all sorts of strange secrets. As soon as they land the astronauts quickly lose their mind and violently attack each other. After regaining order, the group begins to wonder around when they learn that they're not alone.PLANET OF THE VAMPIRES is considered by many to be one of director Mario Bava's greatest films. I'm not going to go that far but there's no question that it's visually very impressive and shows that the Italian director could work wonders with very little to no money. The budget of this film was extremely small yet this no-budget movie went on to influence some much bigger pictures including ALIEN. I think the greatest thing that can be said about this movie is that it looks like a much bigger budget than what the director actually had to work with.The visual look of the picture is certainly the highlight. Every single frame of this film looks terrific and I especially loved the look of the actual planet. The fog machines are on overdrive but that just adds to the atmosphere and I'm sure covers up some fake looking things. The colors really jump off the screen and while they're not as impressive as what was seen in BLOOD AND BLACK LACE it's easy to compare the two films. Another major plus is that the director does build up an impressive atmosphere and you certainly get the feeling that these people are stranded and in danger.The performances are another strong suit with both Barry Sullivan and Norma Bengell standing out in the acting department. As technically impressive as PLANET OF THE VAMPIRES is, at the same time I can't help but say that the story itself was rather boring and the film drags really badly throughout the running time. I know some people appreciate the dialogue driven action but I found the picture to be way too slow for its own good.

Claudio Carvalho The spaceships Argos commanded by Captain Mark Markary (Barry Sullivan) and her sister Galliot commanded by Captain Sallas (Massimo Righi) travel to the mysterious planet Aura to investigate a strange transmission of a distress signal. The spaceships are protected by the meteor rejector instrument but on the arrival, the gravity increases and the automatic controls go haywire and the Galliot crashes on the surface of Aura. Then the crew-members in Argos go crazy and attack each other in a first moment. Soon Captain Mark finds that most of the crew from Argos is dead after fighting against each other. When the dead members resurrect, Captain Mark, communications officer Sanya (Norma Bengell) and engineer Wess (Ángel Aranda) discover that parasite bodiless aliens have entrapped them with the transmission expecting to flee from their dying world. What will be their attitude?"Terrore nello spazio", a.k.a. "Planet of the Vampires", despite the low- budget, is an original, stylish and with a surprising plot point. The conclusion shows a great surprise to the viewer. This movie was certainly the major influence to at least Ridley Scott's "Alien" and "Prometheus" that have similar storyline. It was said that the set was a Tower of Babel, with international cast using their own native language (Barry Sullivan, English; Norma Bengell, Portuguese; Ángel Aranda, Spanish; and Evi Marandi, English). My vote is seven.Title (Brazil): "O Planeta dos Vampiros" ("The Planet of the Vampires")

Scott LeBrun Master filmmaker Mario Bava is working at the peak of his abilities with this sinister sci-fi / horror flick that surely had to have influenced "Alien" just as much as "It! The Terror from Beyond Space". The story (the English language version was co-adapted by noted writer Ib Melchior, based on a tale by Renato Pestriniero) sees a group of astronauts investigating signals sent from a distant planet. They're forced to land, where a strange presence influences their minds and turns them against each other. Not only that, but these aliens are able to resurrect the bodies of the human dead.As fans of Bava come to expect, everything is very stylishly done. The atmosphere is overwhelming, the fog machine works overtime, the sets are incredible, and the use of colour is impeccable. It does actually feel like these characters could be on another planet. There's a little bit of gore along the way to spice things up. Even the costumes are stylized; dig the ridiculous size of those collars! The eerie music is by Gino Marinuzzi Jr. Bava creates a palpable sense of doom and gloom, and the story builds to an effective twist ending.The actors are all fine, with veteran Barry Sullivan ("The Bad and the Beautiful") assuming the role of the intrepid captain. Lovely ladies Norma Bengell and Evi Marandi play Sanya and Tiona, respectively. Angel Aranda plays the part of crew member Wess, and busy horror & exploitation star Ivan Rassimov ("The Man from the Deep River") has dual roles.If you're an admirer of "Alien", then you really should check out this suspenseful little gem that preceded it.Eight out of 10.

Wuchak 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.