Great Sixties science fiction/horror film from master fantasy director Mario Bava. Two ships in outer space end up setting down on an alien planet. After losing communications with one of the ships, the crew of the other vessel goes to investigate. Many of the occupants are found dead, having seemingly lost their minds and killed each other. Many crew members cannot be found. It appears that there is an alien presence on the planet that has taken over the bodies of one of the space crews. A struggle to survive the alien vampires and escape the evil planet and get back into space ensues. Among this film’s strengths are a very atmospheric, dark, planetary setting, a film shot with deeply saturated color, the intense buildup of paranoia. Barry Sullivan stars. This movie has been cited as a major influence on Dan O’Bannon who wrote the screenplay for “Alien” (1979). There are many similarities including the discovery of an ancient alien ship and it’s fossilized crew members. A nice melding of science fiction and horror elements.
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