Planet of the Vampires: Limited Edition – Radiance Films (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: May 27th, 2024
Approximate running times: 89 Minutes 28 Seconds (Italian Version), 87 Minutes 32 Seconds (English Version)
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (Both Versions)
Rating: 15 (UK)
Sound: LPCM Mono Italian (Italian Version), LPCM Mono English (English Version)
Subtitles: English (Italian Version), English SDH (English Version)
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: £19.99 (UK)

"In the outer reaches of deep space, the spaceship Galliott answers a distress signal from Aura, an unexplored planet. As the ship attempts to land, members of the crew inexplicably begin to attack one another. This is the start of a terrifying expedition into the unknown, one plagued by paranoia, possession and violent mayhem wrought upon the unsuspecting explorers by the planet’s mysterious inhabitants." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5 (Both Versions)

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "Planet of the Vampires was scanned in 4K resolution at Fotocinema in Rome in collaboration with CSC Cineteca Nazionale, Titanus and RAICOM. The film was restored in 2K resolution and supplied to Radiance Films as a 2K digital file. The restoration was supervised by Lamberto Bava and supported by Nicolas Winding Refn."

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

Disc Size: 39.1 GB

Feature: 25.5 GB

This release uses seamless branching for the two versions. The source is in excellent shape; this is easily the best The Planet of the Vampires has ever looked on Blu-ray. This is another solid encode from Fidelity in Motion that looks phenomenal. Colors look vivid, image clarity, contrast, black levels, and compression are solid, and the image always looks organic.

Audio: 4.5/5 (LPCM Mono Italian), 4.25/5 (LPCM Mono English - Gino Marinuzzi Jr.’s Original Score), 4/5 (LPCM Mono English - Kendall Schmidt's Alternate Score)

The Italian version comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in Italian with removable English subtitles. This audio track sounds excellent; dialog comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced and robust when it should.

The English version comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in English with removable English SDH. For this version, there is an option to watch with Gino Marinuzzi Jr.’s original score or a Kendall Schmidt alternate score created for the English language version. Both of these audio options sound clear, balanced, and robust when they should. That said, there is a faint background hiss on the audio track with Kendall Schmidt’s alternate score.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an image gallery (48 images - stills/home video art/posters/other promotional materials), a theatrical trailer (2 minutes 15 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), Trailers from Hell with filmmaker Josh Olsen (2 minutes 30 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), Trailers from Hell with filmmaker Joe Dante (3 minutes 49 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a reconstruction of the German cut-down Super 8 version; Italian version (17 minutes 10 seconds, 1.85:1 aspect ratio, LPCM mono Italian with removable English subtitles) and English version (17 minutes 10 seconds, 1.85:1 aspect ratio, LPCM mono English, no subtitles), an archival interview with Lamberto Bava (13 minutes 9 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), a critical appraisal of Mario Bava and Planet of the Vampires titled Transmissions from a Haunted World (41 minutes, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival audio commentary by Tim Lucas, author of Mario Bava: All the Colors of the Dark, reversible cover art, a collection of six exclusive postcards featuring promotional material, removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings, a 20-page booklet featuring a new translation of Renato Pestriniero’s original short story and an 80-page booklet with cast & crew information, an essay titled Gazing Into the Abyss of Deep Space and the Realms of Horror written by Jerome Reuter, an essay titled A World of Endless Night: The Artistry of Planet of the Vampires written by Martyn Conterio, an essay titled The Birth of Alien: Visiting Planet of the Vampires written by Barry Forshaw, an essay titled Planet of the Vampires: Utopian Possibilities written by George Daniel Lea, an essay titled Terror from Space: Lovecraft and Cosmic Horror in Planet of the Vampires written by Kyle Anderson, and information about the transfer.

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 an exceptional release from Radiance Films; the film has never looked or sounded better, and it comes with a wealth of insightful extras, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer