18 April 2024
Planet of the Vampires (1965)
86 min.
Directed by Mario Bava.
With Barry Sullivan, Norma Bengell, Angel Aranda, Evi Marandi, Fernando Villena, Franco Andrei.
An exquisite low-budget mix of horror and science fiction from the late great Mario Bava.

This one clearly had an influence on several later horror classics, inspiring (thematically) Ridley Scott's ALIEN and (stylistically) Dario Argento's Suspiria.

When several space crews land on a planet after receiving signals of life, the newcomers inexplicably begin attacking each other and dying...

Only to have their bodies come back to life!

They're being reanimated by the parasitic aliens who have tricked them into coming, and need a way off their doomed planet.

Sullivan is terrific as the lead captain, Bava does an excellent job with a limited budget, and the clever ending is superb.

A must see.

Also known as The Demon Planet and Terrore Nello Spazio: Terror in Space.

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