Italian horror master Mario Bava brought his considerable skills to bear on this hypnotic genre hybrid, creating one of the most eerily atmospheric science fiction films ever made. A spaceship is lured to a mysterious planet, where members of its crew are slaughtered, and their bodies possessed by a near-extinct alien race--a minimalist plot, to be sure, but in the hands of Bava and cinematographer Antonio Rinaldi, Planet of the Vampires (the best-known of this film's many titles) is a near-masterpiece of style over substance. The simplest sets and backdrops are composed with a perfect eye for perspective and color, with sensible spaceship design and memorable costumes that look like they sprang from the futuristic fantasies of an S&M biker gang. Performances are secondary but effectively low-key, serving to enhance Bava's painterly use of matte work and miniatures. With a surprise twist ending, POTV is an essential addition to anyone's sci-fi collection. --Jeff Shannon
Spotlight customer reviews:
Customer Rating: Summary: Great service Comment: This was a good movie was in great shape. I came in the time promised with no problems. Thank you Customer Rating: Summary: the come of age Comment: if you think that this is a normal review you're right. but mario bava wasn't. he invented in his sci-fi-flic on very low budget a few genres at the same time, just because of only this one room was such an encaving moment, pressure about exploring one guy on a strange planet.
when alfred hitchcock ends, bava starts. Customer Rating: Summary: sick horror sci fi Comment: THis film came out in 65 - the original star trek came out in 66. Yunno those star trek plots where the psychic aliens take over crew members? This film is like the horror version of that plot. (Ray bradbury's martian chronicals is probably the inspiration for this type of stuff - he took hp lovecrafts approach to sci fi to another level)
I especially loved the creepy creepy vintage sci fi sound design (make sure youre in the right state of mind to enjoy this). It starts slow and just keeps getting better and better. When they find the alien ship! WOAH!!!
but all in that hokey 60s sci fi way - like the original star trek. obviously (as other reviewers have noted) this movie was a big inspiration on ALIEN as well. well worth your time and $. Customer Rating: Summary: planet of the vampires Comment: if there could be a worse movie, i am not aware of it. while it has a surprising end, it has added a new meaning to the word 'acting.' clumsy and uneven performance, strange music and , well, you get the point. there is no point. Customer Rating: Summary: Italian Yellow Fever in Space, 28 March 2006 Comment: 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.
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![Planet of the Vampires [Region 2]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41JQB9RKNXL._SL160_.jpg)
