Planet of the Vampires (Italian: Terrore nello spazio, e.g. 'Terror in Space') is a 1965 Sci-Fi Horror film directed by Mario Bava, and co-produced by Italian International Film and American International Pictures. It has been cited (along with Shivers (1975) and It! The Terror from Beyond Space) as an influence on Alien (note the scene where they explore a derelict alien spacecraft and find the skeleton of giant alien crewmember).
Two spaceships piloted by Human Aliens—the Argos and Galliott—have been sent to investigate signals received from the fogbound planet of Aura. After both ships are forcibly pulled down to the surface of the planet, various crewmembers appear to go mad and attack each other. Captain Mark Markary is able to restore order, but it's only the beginning of a terror from which he fears none of them may escape.
This movie has the following tropes:
- Aerith and Bob: In the English dub we have characters called Bert and Brad.
- Asteroid Thicket: By the time they arrive in orbit around Aura the expedition has clocked 999 meteors that didn't hit them, thanks to the Meteor Rejector.
- Bedsheet Ghost: An In Space variation—when the slab is pulled off Bert's empty grave his plastic burial shroud flies out due to the difference in air pressure, to Tiona's shock.
- Beneath the Mask: While in private Captain Markary confides his fears to his Captain's Log."A captain...should not be afraid. And I confess now, to whoever may hear this, that today, now, I...am experiencing fear. I must not let my crew know this. I must keep them busy. I must not let them know that the situation appears more hopeless with each passing day."
- Comm Links: The crew use a wrist-mounted Video Phone.
- Dead All Along: The captain of the Galliott and one of his crew are discovered wandering around on the planet. For some reason the ship's doctor doesn't examine them for injuries, so they only find out they're alien meat puppets when they try to grab Captain Salis and his jacket rips away to show his decaying body.
- Deflector Shields: The spaceships use a Meteor Rejector to get through the Asteroid Thicket surrounding the planet. It becomes a plot-point when the Aurans steal it (the Meteor Rejector on the Galliott has been destroyed) to force the crew of the Argos to surrender or be marooned. The Argos crew then has to raid the Galliott to steal it back.
- Distress Call: The Aurans admit they sent out the signals to lure intelligent life in the hope of escaping their dying world.
- Don't Touch It, You Idiot!: While on the alien ship, Sanya points out a button that gave her a shock. Her captain then touches it himself. Unsurprisingly, he gets shocked.
- Downer Ending: Captain Markary and Sanya escape the planet, but are revealed to have been possessed by the Aurans. Wess dies while sabotaging the Meteor Rejector so they can't invade his own world, so the Aurans decide to make a new home on an Insignificant Blue Planet in the Sol system.
- Dwindling Party: In the end only three of the Argos crew make it off the planet.Capt. Markary: One entire crew lost; two of our own crew gone. Bert dead, Eldon disappeared. And this unknown enemy keeps getting closer!
- Finger-Twitching Revival: As a nurse does the paperwork for a seemingly dead patient, his eyes open for a quick peek, then his fingers start to twitch...but quickly stop when someone else enters the room.
- Gravity Sucks: The Argos is exposed to 40g's of force while being pulled down to the planet—which should have killed them, as their doctor points out.
- The Guards Must Be Crazy: During the raid on the Galliott, Tiona looks at her captain as he struggles to disconnect the Meteor Rejector instead of facing the door, enabling one of the aliens to sneak up and jab a ray gun in her back.
- Heroic Sacrifice: Wess is electrocuted destroying the Meteor Repeller. It's implied that someone on the Galliott did the same, preventing the Aurans from using that vessel. Unfortunately this only stops the Aurans returning to their own planet, which was doomed anyway.
- High Collar of Doom: Not worn by the vampires this time, but by the crew as part of their Space Clothes, presumably to establish an air seal around the neck when they put on a space helmet.
- If I Do Not Return: Captain Markary tells the others to take off if he's not back 45 seconds after blowing up the Galliott.
- I Got You Covered: Tiona and Dr. Karan are left to cover the retreat from the Galliott but end up getting killed by the pursuing aliens. It's All for Nothing as the people they were protecting had already been possessed, which was foreshadowed when they rushed on board without waiting to cover their comrades in turn.
- "I Know You're in There Somewhere" Fight: Markary tries this after encountering his younger brother, but the alien possessing his corpse says he's wasting his time. So Markary just shoots him in the legs.
- Insignificant Blue Planet: Earth is so insignificant it isn't on the astronavigation charts.
- It Won't Turn Off: Markary is disturbed by the words of the alien on what appears to be a Captain's Log, so ends up smashing the console when he can't turn it off.
- Just One Second Out of Sync: The Aurans are Energy Beings who exist "on a different plane of vibrations". They look like globes of light that appear to vanish when looked at directly.
- Let's Split Up, Gang!: The characters keep doing this!
- Eldon is left to guard the Galliott while the others go back for cutting equipment. Presumably Captain Markary thought at the time that the journey across the lava field was more dangerous, but he had the personnel to leave someone with him.
- Bert is standing guard beneath the Argos with a second guard, but each of them are out of sight of the other.Cptn. Markary: (while burying Bert) Rest easy, Bert. I'm sorry we weren't around to help you.
- Carter is left on guard outside the alien spacecraft. By the time Markary and Sanya emerge, he's vanished.
- Averted when one man is left outside to cover Markary and Sanya when they enter the Galliott. He's still there when they emerge, though is killed in the subsequent melee.
- Meat Puppet: The Aurans can control the bodies of the dead, and take over living people when they're asleep.
- Men Are the Expendable Gender: It looks like it's going to be played straight until Tiona gets killed during the final act.
- Microts:Brad: In sixty fractions of megon, we'll start the landing manoeuvre.
- "Not So Different" Remark: One of the Aurans says their murderous actions are no different from what the protagonists would do to save their own species from destruction.
- Not Himself: Every time someone starts talking in a stilted manner (and for those already dead, walking in a Zombie Gait), you know they've been possessed by the aliens.
- Ominous Fog: Aura is shrouded in a fog that even infrared lasers have trouble piercing. According to the director this was to obscure the
No Budget set rather than for horror reasons. - Our Doors Are Different: The doors on the alien spacecraft are round and are opened when a tuning fork makes the correct sound.
- Our Vampires Are Different: For one thing, they're more like zombies.
- Plot-Demanded Manual Mode: As the crew can barely move under the crushing G's, Markary edges a hand to switch over to manual, assuming his spacecraft has gone out of control. However at the last moment they land without problems.
- Puppeteer Parasite: The Aurans are compared to parasites, to which they respond by claiming that—if the subject is willing—it's actually a Symbiotic Possession.
- The Radio Dies First: The first sign that something has gone wrong is when the Galliott is cut off in the midst of a completely innocuous conversation.
- Ray Gun: Played straight with the "field ray guns" used by the protagonists.
- Ribcage Ridge: Giant skeletons of the crew of the alien spacecraft are found.
- Rise from Your Grave: First the grave markers topple, then the corpses throw aside the metal slabs covering their graves and tear off their plastic burial shrouds.
- Starship Luxurious: The Argos, the Galliott, and the alien derelict all have spacious interiors.
- Techno Babble: Fortunately only in the early part of the movie to establish the sci-fi setting.
- Traitor Shot: When they first wake up after crashlanding, an alien-possessed Sanya and Bert exchange a Meaningful Look before attacking Captain Markary.
- Two-Keyed Lock: Red and green magnetic keys are needed to open the safe holding the atomic detonators, held by the captain and his second officer.
- Wham Line: "Mark...(Sanya turns her gun on Wess) Wess has found out about us."
- You Have to Believe Me!
- After seeing several dead crewmembers locked inside the bridge, Captain Markary leaves a man on guard and goes back to get cutting equipment to break through the hatch. When he returns the guard has disappeared, the hatch is unlocked, and all the bodies have disappeared. Dr. Karan argues that they hallucinated, but they quickly find blood to prove their story.
- Tiona faints on seeing Bert standing in front of her, but when the others rush back Bert is lying on the Auto Doc slab. She eventually convinces the captain to open his grave, which is empty.
Sanya: How will they accept us?
Capt. Markary: I hope, well. For them.
