Terrore nello spazio [1965]

Country of Origin: Italy / Spain
Year of Production: 1965
Running Times: 85 mins [UK]     86 mins [Italy]     88 mins [Spain]
Format: Technicolor     Eastmancolor     35mm     Colorscope
Ratio: 2.35:1
Sound: mono

PRODUCTION
Production Companies: Italian International / Castilla Cinematografica
Executive Producers: Samuel Z. Arkoff, James H. Nicholson
Producer: Fulvio Lucisano
Associate Producer: Salvatore Billitteri
Production Manager: Mario Silvestri
Director of Production: Giancarlo Sambucini

SCRIPT
Script: Callisto Cosulich, Antonio Román, Alberto Bevilacqua, Mario Bava, Rafael J. Salvia
English Language Script: Ib Melchior, Louis M. Heyward
English Language Screen Story: Ib Melchior
Story: One Night of 21 Hours by Renato Pestriniero [first published in Interplanet 3]

DIRECTION
Director: Mario Bava
Assistant Directors: Serena Canevari, Manuel San Roman, Lamberto Bava

PHOTOGRAPHY
Directors of Photography: Antonio Rinaldi, Antonio Pérez Olea; Mario Bava [uncredited]
Camera: Saverio Diamanti
Assistant Camera: Giorgio Aureli

EDITING AND POST PRODUCTION
Editors: Antonio Gimeno, Romana Rortini

MUSIC
Music: Gino Marinuzzi; Kendall Schmidt [on US prints]
Electronic Music: Gino Marinuzzi Jr

SOUND
Sound Recording: Mario Ronchetti, Eugenio Fiori
Dubbed At: Titra Sound Corp, NY

MAKE UP AND COSTUMES
Head Make Up: Amato Garbini
Assistant Make Up: Giancarlo del Brocco
Hair: Gabriella Borzelli
Costume Designer: Gabriele Mayer
Shoes: Pompei

SPECIAL EFFECTS
Electronic Effects: Paolo Ketoff

DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Art Director: Giorgio Giovannini
Assistant Set Designer: Emilio Zago

MISCELLANEOUS
Weapons: G. Stacchini
Production Secretaries: Lucio Romeo, Rosalba Scavia

LOCATIONS
Locations: Cinecitta Studios, Rome

CAST
Barry Sullivan [Captain Mark Markary]
Norma Bengell [Sanya]
Ángel Aranda [Wess]
Evi Marandi [Tiona]
Stelio Candelli [Brad]
Massimo Righi [Captain Sallas]
Franco Andrei [Garr]
Fernando Villena [Dr Karan]
Mario Morales [Eldon]
Ivan Rassimov [Carter]
Rico Boido [Key / Keir]
Alberto Cevenini [Wan / Toby]

The spaceships Argos and Galliot are on a mission to explore the distant planet Aura. The crew of the Galliot are driven mad when they land and begin attacking each other. They recover but find that their sister ship, the Argos, hasn't been so lucky - its crew killed each other. The Galliot survivors discover the planet is home to a race of disembodied aliens who are looking for bodies to help them escape their dying world.

Bava's contribution to 60s Italian SF is typically stylish and lyrical, able to overcome the dodgy special effects and hopeless acting with a creepy and oppressive atmosphere. The scenes set on the planet surface are particularly memorable and indeed would clearly influence the look of Ridley Scott's Alien 14 years later. Bava's cameras are constantly moving, helping to heighten the sense of paranoia and unease that grips the surviving crewmembers as the aliens begin to pick them off. Eerie use of sound effects and - crucially - of silence also helps, most notably in the haunting rebirth of the dead crew. Not Bava at his absolute best, perhaps, but still a remarkable piece of work.

Spain
Theatrical Distributor: C.B. Films / Nou Films

USA
Theatrical Distributor: AIP
Video Distributor: Home Box Office; Orion Home Video; Sinister Cinema
DVD Distributor: MGM

UK
Theatrical Distributor: Warne-Pathe
Video Distributor: RCA-Columbia

CENSORSHIP HISTORY

UK
Rating: X

1965
September
15: Italy - theatrical release

November
Day Unknown: USA - theatrical release

2001
August
28: USA - DVD release [MGM]

10,000 years ago, or 10,000 years to come. Are they beings of the Future or of the Past, these "men" who rule the demon planet?

Terror en el Espacio - Spanish title
Terror in Space
Planet of the Vampires - US, UK title
Planet of Terror - US advertising title
The Demon Planet - alternative US title
Outlaw Planet - advertising title
The Outlawed Planet
The Haunted Planet - advertising title
The Haunted World
Planet of Blood - early US title
Planet of the Damned
Space Mutants

SEE ALSO
Alien [1979]

MAGAZINES

Bianco e Nero vol.27 no.1/2 [January / Febryary 1966] p.9
note

Daily Cinema no.9602 [20 November 1968] p.8
review [by Marjorie Bilbow]

Filmfax no.45 p.24
review

Hollywood Reporter vol.188 no.18 [26 November 1965] p.3
credits, synopsis, review [by James Powers]

Kinematograph Weekly no.3188 [16 November 1968] p.20
credits, review [by Graham Clarke]

Monthly Film Bulletin vol.35 no.419 [December 1968] p.204
credits, synopsis, review

Monthly Film Bulletin vol.53 no.625 [February 1986] pp.59-60
credits, synopsis, review [by Philip Strick]

Monthly Film Bulletin vol.53 no.626 [March 1986] p.95
note [correcting printing error in Monthly Film Bulletin vol.53 no.625 [February 1986]]

Motion Picture Herald vol.234 no.12 [22 December 1965] p.428
credits, synopsis, review [by Loren G. Buchanan]

Shock Xpress no.6 pp.16-17
review

Starburst no.268 [December 2000] pp.30-35
illustrated article [Terror in Space by Jonathan Rigby]

SubTerranea 10 p.7
review

Variety 1 December 1965
credits, review [by Dool]

Video the Magazine November 1986
review

BOOKS

Aurum Encyclopedia of Film: Horror p.174
credits, review

Aurum Encyclopedia of Film: Science Fiction p.246
credits, review

Reference Guide to Fantastic Films p.373
credits

Science Fiction and Fantasy Film Handbook pp.126-7
credits, review

OTHER SOURCES

screen
credits

KEYWORDS

aliens, astronauts, other planets, possession, space travel, spaceships

Last Updated: 6 March, 2007