Horror Planet (1981)

Way back in the 80’s I started to collect movies. I’ve had plenty of titles come and go within my collection thanks to ebay and the days of trading VHS in the mid to late 90’s. Horror Planet is a title that found its way onto my shelf in the very beginning but somehow found its way out through one of the avenues previously mentioned. Just like life is a big circle, so is movie collecting it seems. I first found this one in a Camelot music store that was closing its doors and had it for sale as a previous rental for a buck. The box was cut and slammed into a clam shell case. I remember watching part of it at some point but quickly lost interest so it made its way out. A few months ago however it found its way back to my shelf but in much better condition. I decided to give Horror Planet another go round.

Horror Planet is a British production released in 1981 in the UK under the title Insemenoid and in 1982 in the US as Horror Planet. Personally I like the Insemenoid title better but Horror Planet suits the film well since it seems to fall into the galaxy of cheesiness.

Terror strikes!

A crew of space archeologists is exploring a tomb on a distant planet when they encounter a large hideous alien life form. This life form decides it needs to mate and picks the lovely Sandy (Judy Geeson) as its interplanetary bride. Yep the name of the game in this one is alien rape! I’m still not sure how she was raped though since earlier in the film one crew member died from hypothermia because of being exposed to the atmosphere and I would think the alien would need to have ripped Sandy’s space suit away in order to get to her lady parts. Of course the whole rape scene is shown as some type of out of body, hallucinogenic experience treating the viewer to long shots of Ms.Geesons’ nakedness……kind of the high point of the film actually. I would have preferred that the even lovelier Kate (Stephanie Beacham) had been picked as the carrier of alien offspring. Horror fans will remember her most as Jessica Van Helsing in Hammer Films production of Dracula A.D. 1972.

You want me to do what Mr. Warren?

Once Sandy is impregnated she begins to lose her mind and crave the blood of her colleagues in order to satiate the hunger of the embryos that are gestating inside her……at a pretty quick rate I might add. Sandy’s mental state then seems to come under control and she gives birth to the alien offspring. Immediately she returns to her destructive state and disembowels several more crew members. During all the carnage, Mark (Robin Clarke), Sandy’s lover, finds the alien babies and gives them to the last remaining crew member. Mark and Sandy battle to the death and Sandy is strangled to death. Mark returns to the babies and finds them eating upon the last crew member before they pounce upon him. 28 days later a rescue shuttle craft arrives and finds the base in ruins. All records have been destroyed and there are no signs of survivors. As the shuttle craft leaves the planet the last shot reveals that the alien offspring have stowed away in a compartment on the shuttle itself. 

Love is in the atmosphere

For an Alien (1978) rip off this one isn’t too bad. There is plenty of action and gore and enough sleaze to balance it all out. The sets are probably above T.V. movie quality (relative to the era mind you) but not quite up to par with the likes of Alien or Star Wars(1977). The rape scene and birth scene are pretty graphic. More than what I thought would have been dished out considering this was a British film. Director Norman J. Warren made a good pick on Judy Geesons’ casting. She is definitely a screamer!  Horror Planet was Warren’s eight film and he was no stranger to alien storylines. He also directed Alien Prey (1977) and the 1979 space comedy Spaced Out. Horror Planet would make a great double feature with Roger Corman's Galaxy of Terror (1981), which I might have to take another gander at while the idea is fresh in my mind!

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