Stop me if you’ve heard this one before, good readers. You are a group of intrepid space travelers whose flight through the cosmos is interrupted by a mysterious distress signal coming from an uninhabited, previously uncharted planet. You land to investigate this signal, finding only a barren, cloudy wasteland to greet your crew. You come across a weird alien ship filled with the bones of a race of giants, lying dead in place at their navigation seats.
Soon, you and your crew are infected with a relentless, parasitical evil, one that needs your body to survive….and breed.
Yep, you’ve guessed it; you’ve just heard the plot to…. Mario Bava’s 1965 sci-fi thriller Terrore Nello Spazio ? (Commonly translated: Planet of the Vampires, but AIP released this in English under several title names.) Apparently, in space, no one can hear you scream copyright infringement.
Yes, the influence of Il Maestro reaches far and wide in this, his only science fiction undertaking. Adapated from Renato Pestriniero’s short story “One Night of 21 Hours,” Bava’s film is blessed with a moody, back-lit atmosphere that was uncommon for science fiction movies of the time. Starring American Barry Sullivan as Captain Markary and Brazilian bombshell Norma Bengell as Sanya, Planet gives us some signature Bava moments with its detailed set design, costuming and its mastery of the use of forced perspective.
Admittedly, the monster moments of the film are a little muddled. Despite the definitive nature of the English translation of the title, we never are quiet sure what the creatures on this forbidden planet are… Ghosts? Vampires? Psychic Phenomenon? There’s no actual blood sucking by them and since the sun never rises on this particular mudball of a world and no garlic handy, there’s none of the traditional vampire clichés to fall back on.
All we know for sure is that they live on the life force of others and they need a ship. Given the disdain for backstory in many of this era’s suspense films, who knows what Bava intended? And given his budget constraints, who cares (at least on his end)? Also, the “twist” ending does come right down Main Street (Quite literally down Main Street, in fact).
But make no mistake, the scene and sets in this film are wonderful. And their influence has endured, despite all the denials to the contrary.
Both Ridley Scott and Alien screenwriter Dan O’Bannon pleaded ignorance of the Bava film when they made their 1979 sci-fi/horror touchstone. However, given Bava’s influence in all aspects of modern film making, there certainly was some thematic borrowing from his movies in the work of graphic artist Jean (Moebius) Giraud (RIP) and set designer Ron Cobb. Creature designer H.R. Giger generally takes the fifth on this one and given his Necronomicon work, you’ll need brass balls to bug him about it.
Cobb, who also worked on Star Wars, was certainly familiar with Bava given George Lucas’ generous use of forced perspective in that movie. Alien’s visual homage to Planet is evident, especially in the crashed alien spacecraft scene (Fire up the movies and compare for yourself). Maybe Sigourney Weaver and Noomi Rapace were just over the the next ridge.
Also, Bava’s giant dead navigators at the controls is a motif that pops up again and again in the Alien series of films. The sound based control system for the alien ship in POTV also makes a cameo appearance in Scott’s Prometheus near the end of the film, which probably tells us that good ol’ Ridley probably gave the film a view in the last thirty odd years (Take that Charlize Theron!). It proves once again, no one loves Trash Theater more than the guys and gals who do set design and special effects. And no one likes to sneak in tributes to other films more than the people who do the dirty work.
That said, of equal interest to Bava-lunatics is the argument that Planet might have had an influence on a certain American TV series that would boldly go where no man has gone before in the following year of 1966.
Now calm down Trekkies (or Trekkers or Tweakers or whatever you’re calling yourself now), I’m fully aware that Gene Roddenberry had versions of Star Trek in the hopper as early as 1960. I also know that good ol’ Gene had the concept rejected several times by the Three Alphabet Networks until he made aspects of it more, shall we say, young-male accessible? Which meant less high concept SF and more mini-skirts. (And, of course, no powerful female leads. Because nothing says “ Gals, look how far you’ve come in the 23rd Century!” than officers in stockings and Go-Go Boots.)
Bava’s crew for Planet has a passing resemblance to the Enterprise’s final make-up: tough, but lovable captain, crusty, older doctor, hot-chick communications officer. Everything but a science officer with pointy ears. The horror undertones separate it from TOS in general, but in some of the specifics, it’s not too big a stretch to think that Roddenberry might have taken in a midnight showing of Planet.
Too bad Gene didn’t steal the idea of putting all his female leads in black vinyl uniforms like Bava did. It would have gotten him the Sir Mix-a-Lot seal of approval.