Planet of the Vampires

For most horror film fanatics, Italian DP-turned-director Mario Bava, who enjoyed his heyday in the 1960s and early 1970s, is all about Blood and Black Lace, Black Sunday, Baron Blood, and some other movies that don't start with a "B". However, he also did some classic spy spoofs (Danger: Diabolik) and schlock science fiction (Planet of the Vampires).

Reminiscent of Gene Roddenberry's 60s Star Trek, but with a much eerier 70s horror vibe, Planet of the Vampires is a curio definitely worth checking out — especially if you can find it playing on the big screen with an enthusiastic audience to laugh along with, as the acting and dialogue is sheer yet unintentional camp. I saw it at The Egyptian Theater in Hollywood, and there were plenty of fans in attendance, making the experience that much better (however, it is available on DVD).

When a small, tight-knit crew of helmeted, catsuit-clad intergalactic explorers find themselves on a desolate, seeming abandoned planet, they get into trouble no quicker than the time it takes to utter this loony line: "If there's any intelligent life on this planet, it's our enemy!" While the creatures on the planet are not exactly traditional vampires, they do suck the life and humanity out of our heroes, turning them into vicious, paranoid backstabbers.

They've been compelled to this evil orb called Aura, drawn by a distress call from some of their comrades, an exploratory team who seems to have crashed-landed and killed each other in the throes of horrible, inexplicable rages. Once buried in the not-so-hallowed ground, the undead astronauts come after their living counterparts and use a form of mind control that turns them into savages.

Quite obviously a low-low-budget film, replete with papier-mache rocks and cardboard consoles, Planet of the Vampires still manages to look nearly marvelous. The reveal on the "vampires" rising from their makeshift graves is quite spooky, thanks to Bava's considerable background in visual effects through cinematography and editing. The cheesy costumes come off chic, and the static dialogue scenes are jazzed up via commanding composition and arty angles.

Planet of the Vampires is not among the best of the scary sci-fi genre, but seen under the optimum circumstances, fans of schlock or/and vintage Italian horror will find it fun.

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