Planet of the Vampires – Kino Lorber/Scorpion Releasing (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Italy/Spain, 1965
Director: Mario Bava
Writers: Mario Bava, Alberto Bevilacqua, Callisto Cosulich, Antonio Román, Rafael J. Salvia
Writers English Language Version: Louis M. Heyward, Ib Melchior
Cast: Barry Sullivan, Norma Bengell, Ángel Aranda, Evi Marandi, Stelio Candelli

Release Date: October 28th, 2014
Approximate running time: 87 Minutes 50 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono English
Subtitles: N/A
Region Coding: Region A
Retail Price: OOP

"A Close Encounter Of The Undead Kind! Get sucked into a chilling black hole of cosmic creepiness when an evil alien race zeroes in on a crew of unsuspecting astronauts, turning them into zonked-out zombies! Packed with space-age suspense and extraterrestrial terror, this eerily photographed and electrifying thriller drips with an intoxicating, feverish atmosphere of dread. A band of space travelers has just intercepted a distress call from a distant world! Is it a desperate cry for help... or something far more sinister? After landing on the shadowy planet, the crew is attacked by a horde of disembodied aliens with a diabolical plan: to conquer the universe by controlling the crew's minds and stealing their souls-proving that even in outer space, possession is 9/10 of the law!" - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.25/5

Planet of the Vampires comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 28.5 GB

Feature: 22.8 GB

Colors look nicely saturated and they often look vibrant. Black levels are consistently strong and the details look sharp. The source used for this transfer is in great shape and there are no issues with DNR or compression. When compared to the previous home video release, this release is superior in every way.

Audio: 4.25/5

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in English. The audio sounds are clean, clear, and balanced, and the ambient sounds are well represented.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a stills gallery, original Italian opening credits (2 minutes 48 seconds, Dolby Digital mono), a theatrical trailer (2 minutes 17 seconds, DTS-HD mono English, no subtitles), ‘Trailers from Hell’ with filmmaker Joe Dante (3 minutes 47 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), ‘Trailers from Hell’ with Josh Olson (2 minutes 28 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), author Renato Pestriniero’s original story, alternate music score highlights (20 minutes 31 seconds, Dolby Digital mono) and an audio commentary with Tim Lucas, author of Mario Bava – All the Colors of the Dark.

Summary:

When it comes to Italian cinema, science fiction is the one genre that far too often misses the mark, or when it does work, as in the case of films like Contamination, Beast in Space, or Alien 2: On Earth, it is for all the wrong reasons. This brings us to Mario Bava’s Planet of the Vampires, one of the few times that he would ever venture into the science fiction genre. With his only other foray into this genre being the film The Day the Sky Exploded, he was the cinematographer on that film. First and foremost, what distinguishes Planet of the Vampires from the majority of Italian science-fiction films is Mario Bava's incorporation of film elements typically associated with the horror genre.

The narrative is well constructed, allowing each new revelation an ample amount of time to fully resonate before moving to the moment of terror. And though the characters are not much more than mere props in the grander scheme of things, this ultimately proves not to be a problem since this film's greatest strength is its atmospheric visuals. Some of the most striking moments are the scenes where the first corpses rise from their tombs and the one where the Captain and crew members are trapped on what appears to be an alien spaceship.

As mentioned before, the performances are one of Planet of the Vampires' strongest assets, and they are best described as adequate. Notable cast members include Stelio Candelli (Nude for Satan), Norma Bengell (Hellbenders), Ivan Rassimov (The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh, Spirits of Death) and Barry Sullivan (Violent Naples) in the role of Captain Mark Markary. Overall, Planet of the Vampires is one of those rare examples where a film exceeds the sum of its parts, and there is no denying this film’s influence on the science fiction genre. Its influence can be traced to films like Alien.

Planet of the Vampires gets a solid release from Kino Lorber/Scorpion Releasing that comes with a strong audio/video presentation and an informative audio commentary, recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer