Queen of Blood

To be commended for casting a middle-aged woman as a seductive lady vampire; I would have love to have been a fly on the wall when Curtis Harrington told Florence Marly she was perfect for the part. With even less screen time than Max Schreck in 'Nosferatu' she's as memorably predatory but infinitely more alluring.

Is 'Planet Of Blood' a good movie or a good bad one? I've watched it three times this week and I'm still not sure. The print on the DVD I bought was lousy, yet there looked like there were some impressive visual images for a 1960s b-grade sci fi movie. The acting was variable to say the least, ranging from inept to quite good. The script has some silly moments and the whole movie is incredibly dated, yet there was a few genuinely creepy moments. Good, bad, camp, forgotten gem, however you describe this movie there's one thing for sure, it's entertaining! It's certainly an improvement on AIP's goofy 'Voyage To The Prehistoric Planet', released the previous year, which was also directed by Curtis Harrington, produced by Roger Corman, and included stock footage recycled from a Russian SF movie. Both movies also featured Basil Rathbone in small supporting roles. The main reason most people (myself included) will hunt this one down is to see cult favourites John Saxon ('Enter The Dragon', 'Cannibal Apocalypse') and Dennis Hopper ('Easy Rider', 'Blue Velvet') co-star as astronauts. Saxon ("That's one bad thing about space trips - no banana splits!"), Hopper, Judi Meredith, and Don Eitner are sent on a mission to Mars to retrieve a crashed alien space ship. The year is 1990(!) and man has unsuccessfully searched for life on other planets. Unexpectedly alien transmissions are received, but the alien ship crashes before it can reach Earth. Saxon and co. eventually find a survivor, a mysterious green skinned female (Florence Marley), who they rush back to Earth. That's when the trouble starts... 'Planet Of Blood' is lots of fun for fans of 1960s SF, Roger Corman, John Saxon and/or Dennis Hopper. p.s. Keep an eye out for Forrie Ackerman!

Queen of Blood (1966)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Earth finally manages to make contact with an alien form but that form crashes on Mars so astronauts are sent to try and rescue any survivors. Allan Brenner (John Saxon) and Laura James (Judi Meredith) both have different opinions on the mission but soon they are fighting for their lives when the Queen alien (Florence Marly) turns out to be a vampire.

QUEEN OF BLOOD isn't your average horror film. If you're familiar with Curtis Harrington then you know he liked to go more towards the art house than the drive-in. His feature film NIGHT TIDE is one of the strangest horror movies that you'll ever see and QUEEN OF BLOOD is just as weird on many levels. I know a lot of people praise Mario Bava for PLANET OF THE VAMPIRES and how he managed to turn a low-budget into a great looking production. I think Harrington really deserves the same credit because this movie certainly looks wonderful even if the film itself isn't a complete success.

What does work here are the terrific visuals. You've got the budget of your typical low-budget nature but Harrington makes sure you can't tell that by looking at the picture. I really loved the use of color throughout the film and especially the glowing reds. The colors certainly leap off the screen and manage to grab and hold your attention. Another plus is that we've got an excellent villain in the female vampire. I really loved her look with the green colors and there were some great scenes with the red blood just dripping from her that was quite effective.

Another plus is that we've got a good cast with both Saxon and Meredith doing a nice job with the lead roles. Marly is also quite good in the role of the vampire and we've got Basil Rathbone and Dennis Hopper in small roles. The film certainly does have some flaws including its story, which is rather unoriginal and there's no question that the psychedelic nature doesn't always work in regards to its story. Still, QUEEN OF BLOOD is an interesting picture visually and certainly worth watching.

Basil Rathbone, Dennis Hopper and John Saxon star in this piecemeal sci-fi horror using a ton of great special effects from some Russian film, as far as I've read somewhere anyway. That doesn't detract from the fact that the special effects are great for their time, and really groovy to boot. In fact, things only slow down a bit when we get to the actual story line.

Some aliens announce that they'll be dropping by Earth for a visit and perhaps a pint or too, but their ship crashes on Mars. Rathbone, being the head honcho, dispatches Hopper and a crew to go and find any survivors. They don't find any, but a follow up ship containing Saxon lands on Mars' moon Phobos and finds a female survivor. He leaves his buddy behind and takes a rescue ship over to Mars, where he joins up with the rest of the crew, who then set off home with their green skinned, creepy looking cargo.

This alien, with her beehive hairdo, evil grin, and green skin, is rather creepy to begin with, but when her eyes start glowing and she chows down on a crew member things take off. It's scientific research (the Captain's wishes to keep feeding the alien blood so they can get her back to Earth to study) versus common sense (Saxon just wants to destroy the thing, and quite rightly too). What will prevail? And what will the survivors do with the surprises that the aliens left on the ship?

Keep in mind: This film is PG, and made in the sixties, so don't go expecting Alien. The first half is full of those funky special effects from that other film, and the latter half, although not as fun, still has that creepy, silent alien prowling around. Dennis Hopper looks to be still in his teens and John Saxon gets to say lines like "I've only got paper moon money". What more do you want?

Okay, gore and nudity, but what else?

It's 1990 and earth has finally made its first contact with extraterrestrials on Mars. Which they have told earth through radio waves that they actually plan to visit earth. Although something goes wrong in their attempt and an expedition is sent to Mars to find any survivors. In which case they discover a green skinned lady. On their trip back the crew encounter that their new passenger has a deadly fixation for blood.

"Planet of Blood" is a cheap little hybrid picture by director / writer Curtis Harrington. He turns in one very solid Sci-fi / horror yarn which is held together by capable performances from John Saxon and Dennis Hopper and some strikingly eerie visuals that go a long way in plastering the film with an atmospherically moody embrace. The haunting story is quite languid, but keeps things rather firm and planted throughout the material are a few surprises and neat touches. The astute plot is quite original and has a variation that would go on to influence (with such others like "It! The Terror From Beyond Space" and Bava's "Planet of the Vampires") the masterpiece "Alien". Some might find the pacing quite slow going and a jargon packed script terribly chatty, but I found it more often interesting with the questions that are raised than boring. If action and mayhem is what you want, it doesn't really kick into gear until the final 30 minutes, where it ends on a surprising final note.

The production looks quite colourful with suited special effects (from a Russian sci-fi flick) that simply does the job. Visually, there are some wondrous lighting compositions and cardboard sets sprayed with a vibrant colour scheme. An otherworldly music score builds up some rustling tunes that rattle along. Harrington's direction is commendably focused and stylishly tailored. Performances are good with the likes of Basil Rathbone, Judi Merdith and Florence Marley as the mysteriously hypnotic and silent alien woman. Watch out for her "Look into my eyes" sequences. John Saxon chimes in with his usual impressive performance and a young Dennis Hopper is sound. Also Forrest J. Ackerman makes a minor mark in the last minute of the flick.

For it's budget, it's a well-presented and exceedingly slow burn premise with a sterling cast.