Mario Bava's Planet of the Vampires (1965)

Title: Planet of the Vampires (1965)

Director: Mario Bava

Cast: Barry Sullivan, Norma Bengell

Review:

In the world of filmmaking, there are directors out there who choose a certain type of genre and make it their specialty, making only films from that particular genre. Others like to venture out of the box and do all sorts of genres. For example, Terry Gilliam is a director who has never ventured far from the fantasy genre; he has decided that fantasy is his specialty, and his quite good at it, if not one of the best. On the other hand, a director who constantly shifts genres and rarely makes the same film twice is Ridley Scott. The guy goes from sci-fi, to fantasy, to sword and sandal films, to gangster films. You name it, he’s done it, or on his way to doing it. He does seem to love the sci-fi genre though since amongst all the genres he has worked on, it’s the sci-fi genre he’s most worked with, in fact, he is currently working on his third science fiction film tentatively entitled Prometheus. The thing about directors such as these is that they always try and make the quintessential good film for whatever genre they happen to be working on. If Ridley Scott’s going to make a sci-fi, he will make sure it will be the best damn sci-fi you have ever seen. By they way, Ridley Scott’s Alien (1979) was very influenced by the film I will be reviewing today, Mario Bava’s campy science fiction/horror film, Planet of the Vampires. But more on that later! Italian maestro Mario Bava was a director who was primarily known for his classic contributions to horror but in reality, Bava made films from many different genres. Planet of the Vampires was his venture into sci-fi territory. How was it?

Well, story goes something like this: the crew of spaceship Argos is forced to land on an alien planet known as Aura when their sister spaceship The Galliot crash lands there. There should be no major problem with this operation since the planet has an atmosphere, and it appears there are no dangerous life forms on the planet. Yet, upon landing on the planet something strange happens to the crew of The Argos! Everyone suddenly tries to kill each other! What has overcome them? Why has everyone suddenly turned so murderous and violent? Thankfully, this fit of anger passes, and they all go back to normal. But the question remains: what just happened? The crew decides to continue with their rescue mission. Once they reach The Galliot, they discover that most of the crew is either dead or violent and crazy! What’s going on in this strange planet?

‘Planet of the Vampires’ is actually a very misleading title for this film since there are no vampires to be seen on this flick. At all! A more appropriate title would have been Planet of the Zombies; since what happens on this film is that the crew members die and come back to life as zombies, not vampires. But whatever, I guess that was just a clever marketing scheme used to capitalize on the popularity of Hammers vampire films, which were quite popular during the time of this films release. Even The Haunted Planet, one of the films many alternate titles suits this film better.

So basically, what we have is a planet in which the buried don’t stay buried, they come back as zombies, and you can’t trust anybody. It’s the kind of story where you have a bunch of people locked up in an isolated environment, and you don’t know who is going to turn against whom. It has a similar vibe to John Carpenter’s The Thing (1982). This comparison makes sense; since Carpenter has stated on more then one occasion that Bava was a major influence on his films. But then again, Bava was a major influence on many filmmakers, for example, the similarities between Ridley Scott’s Alien and Bava’s Planet of the Vampires are many. Let’s see; we have a spaceship that is forced to land on an alien planet. The crew decides to venture out into the planet and explore it since it has an atmosphere. While exploring the planet, they encounter an abandoned spaceship from another alien race that also crash landed on the planet, but died; what’s left of them are their giant carcasses. Sounds pretty much like the first half hour of Ridley Scott’s Alien don’t it? But it aint, its Bava’s Planet of the Vampires!

Aesthetically both films are similar as well. The alien planet is shrouded by eternal darkness, never ending fog and the landscape is filled with jagged mountains. The only difference between the two films is that Bava made his film with a mere 100,000 dollars, while Ridley Scott made Alien with 11 million. Of course you can achieve a whole other level of believability with 11 million clames, but still, it goes to show just how much Bava could do with a small budget. Plus the level of influence Planet of the Vampires has had on science fiction films over the years goes a long way considering the films meager budget showing once again that its not how much money a production has, but the talent that’s behind the camera that matters. A relatively small film like this one has influenced so many others that have come after it! That’s how influence goes, one filmmaker influences the next, and the next, and the next, each film taking things one step further. Each film trying to improve on the previous one that influenced it. The chain could go something like this: Planet of the Vampires influenced Alien, which in turn influenced Galaxy of Terror (1981), which in turn influenced Aliens (1986), which in turn influenced an innumerable amount of films, like David Twohy’s Pitch Black (2000). But they can all be traced back to Bava’s Planet of the Vampires! It just goes to show how important Bava was as a filmmaker; a real trend setter.

Above, Ridley Scott's Alien (1979), below, Mario Bava's Planet of the Vampires (1965)

Planet of the Vampires is a real Bava film, it has all his trademarks. One of the legendary filmmakers’ trademarks is making a film with an extremely low budget, yet making the end product seem beautiful beyond its budgetary limitations. Bava was famous for saving his producers money on his productions; as a result they were always willing to finance his films because they would always make their money back. On Planet of the Vampires, the budget limitations are visible at times, mainly when it comes to showing the spaceships flying in space. I have to admit, this is one of the few set backs that the film has, the effects aren’t convincing when it comes to the spaceships, which are obvious miniatures that scratch on looking like something out of an Ed Wood film. Some might hate this aspect of the film, others will find it adds to the films b-movie charm. The effects on this film where achieved old school style, with miniatures, smoke and mirrors. And they were all achieved on camera! The small budget they had pushed the filmmakers creativity in order to achieve the visuals they needed to tell their story.

But what really makes this one special is Bava’s trademark use of colors and style. The planet itself is lit with Bava’s wonderful use of primarily colors, lots of reds and blues. The use of these primary colors gives the whole film a pulpy, comic book feel. Planet of the Vampires isn’t the deepest film in the world, its story is extremely simplistic, almost childlike in its innocence, but visually it pulls you in. Some of the most visually striking moments come when the crew stumbles upon the giant skeletons of the long dead alien species. That scene is awesome! Spookiest part is when they play a machine that lets us hear how these creatures sounded when they talked in their alien language. You can definitely see where the ‘Space Jockey’ in Alien came from when you see these scenes. Another eerie scene is when the crew members who have died come back to life as zombies, this scene reminds us that we are also watching a horror film! Bava successfully mixed both genres with this film.

Giant alien skeletons!

My only problem with Planet of the Vampires is that it drags in certain areas. Visually its amazing, love the colors and the marriage of sci-fi and horror, but I found it lacking in terms of excitement and thrills. The film starts out with a real interesting premise, and the alien planet is eerie enough, unfortunately the film manages to fall into a rut as far as excitement goes in its third half. Things could have turned out so interesting had we gotten a glimpse at those giant aliens! But no, they never show up. Same as in Ridley Scott’s Alien, we never get to see where the giant aliens come from. I guess that’s just another way in which Planet of the Vampires influenced Scott’s film. But still, Planet of the Vampires is a beautiful marriage of science fiction and horror, it might not be the most exciting film ever made, but is sure is a great film to look at!

Rating: 3 1/2 out of 5

The films original Italian title translates to: Terror in Space

Danger: Diabolik (1968)

Title: Danger: Diabolik (1968)

Director: Mario Bava

Cast: John Phillip Law, Marisa Mell

Review:

Mario Bava mostly worked on suspense and horror films. He is best known for having directed such horror classics as Black Sabbath (1963), Black Sunday (1960) and Kill Baby Kill! (1966).  Yet every now and then, Bava took a detour into different genres. Such was the case with Danger: Diabolik a film that was based on an Italian comic book of the same name. The comic was about Diabolik, an anti-hero that fought evil with evil. In the comics, Diabolik’s way of punishing villains was usually with death. The comic book - or “fumetti” as comics are known in Italy- is the longest running and most successful comic book in that country. So of course since the comic book being was so popular, a good adaptation was expected. Those expectations were met by Bava’s film. Many critics agree that Danger: Diabolik was one of the most faithful comic book adaptations of its time.

The film is based on the longest running Italian comic book of the same name

Danger: Diabolik is about a super-criminal who goes around stealing from and making fun of the government. Basically, he works as a Robin Hood of sorts, only instead of stealing from the rich and giving to the poor; he steals from the government and keeps it to himself. Actually, he steals for himself and his smoking hot girlfriend Eva Kemp, who seems to have nothing better to do then to worship and adore Diabolik. Well, besides adoring him, she also helps him in his criminal escapades. The whole movie consists of Diabolik stealing things from the government. 10 million dollars, 7 priceless jewels and a giant gold ingot.

I have to admit, I immediately tool a liking to Diabolik and his attitude. As is the case in many parts of the world, Diabolik figures that the government is dirty and that they unjustly take too much from their people, so he takes justice into his own hands and steals from them. The character is kind of like a hero to the people in that sense. He might not steal from the government to give to the poor, but in a way, he takes from those who unjustly take too much from those who have very little. From those who have put their trust in them. I love how every time he steals something and gets away with it, he laughs this evil laugh. It’s an overpowering laugh, a powerful laugh, almost as if he was getting back at the government for us. His laugh in a way says “we got away with it! And there is nothing they can do about it! Ha Ha Haaaaa!” Many times, when a country is under the rule of a despotic government, its people feel powerless. What can one individual do against the powerful government machine, with its guns, tear gas and unrelenting police force? Nothing. The efforts of the subversive are usually met with violence and death. But in the fantasy of Diabolik’s world, the rebellious side wins! And in this way Diabolik is a hero of sorts. An anti-hero to be more precise.

Looking cool and taking names!

Since Diabolik is a character that is 100% against the system, Bava ‘s film connected with the anarchy that Italian youths were going through in those days. In a way, Danger: Diabolik is a love letter to anarchy. In the film, the government is taught a lesson by having their precious money taken from them. Diabolik manages to steal 10 million dollars from under their noses! And what does Diabolik steal their money for? So that he can make love on top of it with Eva on his gigantic rotating circular bed! That’s what he steals it for! By the way, that is one of the most memorable visuals in the film. Diabolik and Eva making out on top of ten million dollars. The bad guys on this movie are cops and government officials, and anything that Diabolik does is to hurt their finances or their pride. One scene manages to transmit that air of complete disrespect for authority. It’s the scene in which the head of police is giving a speech, and Diabolik releases a laughing gas (called “exhilarating gas”) amongst the crowd. In seconds, the crowd is laughing at every word that the head of police is saying! The head of police joins them in exhilarating laughter while Diabolik and Eva sit back and enjoy the mayhem. They themselves don’t get affected by the gas because they took their “anti-exhilarating” gas capsules.

There is a genuine desire with this movie to demonstrate that the government is simply doing a terrible job at administering the peoples taxes. One scene has Diabolik declare that they are putting the peoples money to such bad use that they don’t deserve to have it. So what does he do? He blows up all of the banks and governments tax buildings! I got flashbacks of Tyler Durden blowing up the credit card buildings in Fight Club (1999) while watching those scenes.

Dandger: Diabolik is very much a comic book movie and Bava’s usual play with colors serves this film perfectly. Bava frames images on this film as if they were comic book panels, but he does it in a way that you would not expect. It’s certainly not as obvious as what Ang Lee did in Hulk (2003), where he literally framed things within a comic book panel. Nope, Bava framed things, but he used objects in the scenery to do this. He used elements in the foreground and background of the frame to achieve that comic book look and feel. On the other hand, this feels a lot like a James Bond film as well. We have secret underground lairs, car chases, helicopter chases, we get submarines, and lots and lots of sexual innuendoes.

Speaking of the sexual references in this film, they are many! To start things off, Diabolik and Eva are really crazy about each other! Right from the get go, when the film begins, we see Diabolik returning to Eva with the ten million dollars, the immediately end up making out on top of the money. I always thought it was a cool thing about Diabolik that was fuels him to do all these things is his love for Eva, to make her happy. They both live in this luxurious underground lair that even includes a Jacuzzi! All through out the film there are many phallic symbols, one scene stands out in which Diabolik is holding a laser gun (while he is shirtless by the way) and she looks on devouring him with her eyes. He then grabs a hose so that he can transport melted gold onto a mold, and she bites her lips as the gold splurts out! It doesn’t get any more obvious then that my friends. In this way, Bava makes fun of the sexual elements in James Bond films as well. It doesn’t hurt that Bava chose really beautiful looking people for this film either. John Phillip Law and Marisa Mell ooze sexy hotness on screen. It helps that they were both romantically involved while filming Danger: Diabolik.

Is that a toy gun in between your legs, or are you just happy to see me?

In closing, I’d like to say that this is a really beautiful looking film, something that one can come to expect from a Mario Bava film. There are moments when Bava simply focuses on his sets (something he also did in Black Sunday) just so you, the audience can truly appreciate them. The characters and story hold very true to their comic book roots and simply put, this is a very sexy picture. A homage to anarchy, and spy films. Interesting how one of Bava’s best films ends up not being a horror film.

Rating: 5 out of 5

Lisa and The Devil (1974)

Title: Lisa and the Devil (1974)

Director: Mario Bava

Starring: Elke Sommer, Telly Savalas, Alessio Orano

Review:

I’ve only recently discovered Mario Bava movies by watching two of his best and earliest efforts. Black Sabbath (1963) and Black Sunday (1960) both of which I immediately fell in love with. Two great gothic Italian horror mastepieces that I urge everyone out there who hasn’t had the pleasure of seeing to do so as soon as possible. Your missing out on some spooky good fun! So here I am, on my journey to see all of Mario Bava’s films. Lisa and the Devil caught my attention because of its premise. A girl being harassed by Satan, Telly Savalas playing the devil, a spooky mansion in the middle of nowhere, intrigue, murder, suspense, all the proper ingredients for a night of spooky fun. So how was Lisa and the Devil?

The story for this film is about Lisa, a tourist visiting Italy. Her tour guide takes her to see a fresco of The Devil. A painting depicting Satan carrying a dead guy off to the afterlife. She seems transfixed by the painting. Suddenly, she decides to abandon her tour group and starts to wonder off through the city. Her wandering leads her to an antique shop of sorts where she encounters a man. A strange man dressed in black who carries around a very life like mannequin. Is it a mannequin? Or could this possibly be the devil carrying off the dead to the afterlife? Suddenly, Lisa finds herself lost in the middle of the labyrinthine city streets! She cant find her way back to her tourist group! Day turns to night and she’s still wondering through the city streets, so she decides to hitch a ride with some strangers, who’s car unfortunately breaks down in the middle of nowhere! Now Lisa is forced to spend the night in a spooky old mansion, with the mansions Contessa and her son. Will they survive the night? Will Lisa ever get back to her normal life?

Right from the get go, you get the vibe that this movie isn’t going to be your regular run of the mill Bava movie. There’s just something off about the movie, something strange about it. Once you start seeing Lisa and the Devil, you kind of notice right away that Bava was purposely going for something different. I tried to pin point exactly what it was that was making this movie such a strange and challenging experience to watch and I came to a couple of conclusions. Number one, Bava was trying to tell this story in a very off kilter fashion, he was shooting for something different. The angles and the takes are never what you might expect; you really have to focus on this movie to stick to its story line. At times, it feels like Bava is deliberately trying to confuse you or catch you off guard. If you don’t pay attention, you might get lost during Lisa and the Devil. This is one of those movies were you have to try and notice and remember certain key visual references in order to keep up with the story. The movie does not spell things out for you.

Dream sequences get extremely trippy on Lisa and the Devil

Another thing I noticed was that Bava was aiming to make a film that felt very much like a dream. Once Lisa gets lost in that maze of Italian streets and ends up in the spooky old mansion, it’s all weirdsville from there on in. You are never really sure of anything that you are watching. At times I wasn’t sure if a certain character was a ghost, or not. If a certain character was evil or not. This movie had that strange uncertainty to it, and ambiguity to it that I must admit I enjoyed. Kind of felt like an episode of The Twilight Zone in that way.

After a while, I felt like Bava was trying to make a romanticized version of Alfred Hitchcocks Psycho (1960). Once Lisa arrives at the mansion, she meets Max, the one and only son of the Contessa, the owner of the mansion. The relationship between mother and son echoed that of the one seen in Hitchcock’s Psycho. You know, where the mother is the one in control over the son’s life. She’s very jealous of her son, even to the point where she doesn’t want him to fall in love with anyone. The fact that Mario Bava offered the role of Max to Anthony Perkins, who played Norman Bates in Hitchcock’s Psycho lets us know that this is partly what Bava was aiming for. But this movie wasn’t just going to be Bava’s version of Psycho. There is a lot more to Lisa and the Devil then that. It’s also about a family cursed with death, darkness and despair and in this sense the film also reminded me of those old Roger Corman movies like The Fall of the House of Usher (1960). That was a film about a cursed family with a dark past living in an isolated mansion, just like the one seen in Lisa and the Devil.

Bava had a two punch of success with Baron Blood and Twitch of the Death Nerve, both of which made money at the box office. So producer Alfred Leone gave Bava free reigns to do whatever the hell he wanted with Lisa and The Devil. The problem with this movie was that once it was finished, producers thought it was just too weird. No one wanted to buy and distribute the movie because it was deemed a hard sell. I get it. It’s true. The film is weird, and maybe its not a straight forward horror movie. But the film also has its attributes. It’s a beautiful film to look at. Its different, surreal, nightmarish, and it still remains its horror element. Maybe it didn’t really have enough horror to it. Producers were probably expecting some sort of blood bath they could sell, instead what they got was a horror film that focuses more on romance and melodrama. So be ready for that. Lisa and the Devil has a lot of romance for a horror film, which kind of brings the horror element down a couple of notches. But it never stops being weird and surreal. It certainly is a strange film to try and categorize, and I can see why it gave producers a hard time. Its slow paced, its weird, its horror elements are toned down a bit, and these are really not negative points in my book.

Bava was just trying to do something different. It felt to me like a very atmospheric, romantic, strange horror movie. But studios don’t care for strange and unusual, they want something that the masses can consume easily. Spoon feed them with stupidity. As a result, Alfred Leone, this films producer took the film, re-edited it, shot some new scenes with a new story involving Lisa possessed by the devil and released it under the new title The House of Exorcism. This version of the film changes the story completely, and makes it about Lisa getting possessed after she looks at the devils fresco in the streets of Italy. It has scenes of Lisa tied up to a hospital bed, being examined by doctors and priests. Ultimately, the film has an exorcism scene. It’s quite obvious from looking at this new version that they were just trying to cash in on the success of The Exorcist (1973) a film that as we all know also dealt with a girl possessed by the devil and which was met with incredible success at the box office.

The re-edit of the film made it into a cheap rip off of The Exorcist (1973)

House of Exorcism is not a film that I recommend watching. It takes everything that Bava tried to make with Lisa and the Devil and destroys it. Where Bava was trying to do something different, surreal and at the same time beautiful with Lisa and the Devil; The House of Exorcism went in the complete opposite direction and tried to make it into a cheap rip off of The Exorcist. Right down to having Lisa spewing all sorts of profanity at a priest after she vomits on him. I mean, honestly, House of Exorcism is a travesty in my book. I’m not gonna say that Lisa and the Devil is for everyone, because it isn’t. It’s a strange film with a strange vibe to it. Its kind of hard to follow, and becomes a bit convoluted at times. But I enjoyed it, its like a puzzle you have to try and figure out, and if you enjoy this kind of film, you will more then likely feel compelled to see it more then once. As for the films weirdness, what a boring world it would be if there were no daring filmmakers out there trying to do something different!

Rating: 3 ½ out of 5