As mentioned in my review of Alien, B-movie producer Roger Corman was originally set to produce before Fox stepped up. After the film became a massive hit, Corman decided to capitalize on its success by making his own knock-off. He hired director Bruce Clark and writer Marc Siegler, who he worked with in the past on 1969’s Naked Angels. The two decided that rather than copy the Ridley Scott film wholesale, they’d make their film more psychological. Much of the crew that was hired had worked on Corman’s Star Wars knock-off, Battle Beyond the Stars. Among them was a then 26-year-old James Cameron, who quickly rose through the ranks to be Head of Production Design. What resulted was perhaps one of the most infamously sleazy Alien knock-offs ever made thanks to one particular scene. The subsequent film was released in October 1981 as Galaxy of Terror.
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Synopsis
After receiving a distress signal from the planet Morganthus, the spaceship Quest is sent out to investigate. Piloted by Captain Trantor (Grace Zabriskie), the ship ends up crash landing, thought thankfully the crew survives. Led by Baelon (Zalman King), the crew is sent out to investigate the source of the signal and find bodies. Eventually, they find a giant pyramid-like structure, which empath Alluma (Erin Moran) describes as feeling “empty” and “dead”. Among the crew is Alluma’s lover Cabren (Edward Albert), tech officer Dameia (Taaffe O’Connell), and the mute Quuhod (Sid Haig). As they venture further into the pyramid, the crew are being picked off one by one in gruesome ways. The survivors discover that the pyramid is taking their greatest fears and bringing them to life to kill them off. Who is responsible for this, and what horrors await our heroes as they explore this galaxy of terror?
Review
Even for its low budget, Galaxy of Terror is one of the better-made knock-offs to come out of Roger Corman. Part of this is because of the amazing effects work by Cameron, the Skotak Brothers, and Alec Gillis among others. It’s easy to compare the work Cameron did on this to what he would later do with Aliens. From the look of the barren planet to the ominous pyramid’s design, they did a lot for very little. What also makes this stand out is how, while it’s clear what they’re knocking off, they still make it original. The idea of something manifesting a person’s worst fears into reality is unique, especially for the opportunities it offers. There are so many memorable creatures and monsters, as well as inventive death scenes, it’ll satiate any gore hound’s appetite. Even the sound effects make the film wonderfully gross and disgusting.
The film has probably one of the weirdest casts ever, including Ray Walston, Erin Moran, Zalman King, and Robert Englund. It’s so weird seeing Walston, Moran, and King in a film where people are torn apart and slashed by monsters. B-movie regulars Sid Haig and Taaffe O’Connell shine in their respective roles and easily have the most memorable death scenes. O’Connell’s is probably the most notorious, considering it involves her being, essentially, raped to death by a giant maggot. Admittedly, Clark and Siegler were ordered to include the scene, so they decided to make it as ridiculous as possible. To their credit, they succeeded, and it’s certainly a moment you won’t see in any film before or after. Admittedly, the story can get confusing, especially towards the end, but at 80 minutes, it flies by pretty quickly. Overall, Galaxy of Terror is an oddity worth tracking down for cult aficionados.
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