Rating: 
Summary: An Italian-made horror B-movie with visual STYLE to spare
Review: If you've seen Dario Argento's directorial work, you'll finally understand where he got his rich sense of ambient color-- he was influenced by guys like Mario Bava, who directed this. Don't be fooled by the ludicrous English title... the literal translation of the Italian title is DEMON PLANET, which the movie is also known as. Sure, the sci-fi plot can be silly, but it held my attention for all 86 minutes.
Rating: 
Summary: Top-notch Sci-Fi film......for 1965
Review: It amazes me how many supposedly "intelligent" reviewers forget that when this film was made, nobody had done anything like it, how scornfully the public at large viewed sci-fi movies, and how primitive the technology back then was compared to what we have now. This was an italian movie, so yes, the dubbed voices are going to cast a pall over the performances (which were quite competent if you are an italian, it is only us americans and brits who speak in monotones, the rest of the world emotes). The costumes were inspired, the atmosphere was creepy, the story was original (if the viewer has the imagination to understand that this came long before the imitations he or she had no doubt seen first) and yes, by 1965 standards, it WAS gory! Check out any US-made horror flick from that year, or the year after, that had that much gore. After seeing all the people who will sit through a pyrotechnic but boring romp like "Triple-X" with enjoyment, but frown and scratch their heads at truly unique fare such as "The Man Who Wasn't There", it amazes me how so many can spend so much time glued to their screens and develop so little.
Rating:
Summary: Flash Gordon Meets the Invasion of the Body Snatchers.
Review: Italian director Mario Bava took time off from gothic horror flicks and made a solid sci-fi movie that stresses atmosphere over special effects wizardry and comic book action. A spaceship encounters hostile aliens on a remote planet. The creatures seek to inhabit the bodies and minds of the space travelers. Hence, the sensational title. No space age Dracula to report. Barry Sullivan is the ship's captain. The rest of the crew are obscure European actors, including the obligatory beautiful women in tight fitting leather space suits. Sorry, it's not that kind of a story. I find it curious that female scientists on rocket ships in B movies rarely look as if they are academic types. The story unfolds with a brooding air of mystery. The color photography is dark and dreary, and enhances the grim mood. There is a great plot twist during the last few minutes that is a real treat for first time viewers. Bottom line, this European sci-fi flick from the '60s is good fare for genre fans. "Normal" viewers should go carefully into this dark night. The no frills Midnight Movies edition of the DVD includes the trailer, but no bonus extras. ;-)
Rating: 
Summary: Not for everyone, but...
Review: Normally when someone says that a horror film is "not for everyone," what they mean is that there's something about it that's just a little too intense for most viewers. That is definitely NOT the case here. "Planet of the Vampires" is not a particularly gory film, nor is it really very graphic, nor is it even really all that fast-paced. Actually, it's slow. Really slow. But...Basically, it's a good movie for one of three audiences: 1. Nostalgists who remember this movie and others like it from Saturday matinees on TV. 2. People who like to watch movies to make fun of them...you know, old movies, made when movies were bad. I hate these people and like the idea of them throwing money at the folks who put out the Midnight Movies series. Better than that blowing all their excess income on WWF memorabilia. 3. Students of film, i.e., movie geeks. The open-minded viewer will be able to see through the awful dialogue, not-so-hot acting and general lack of action, and just bask in the lurid atmosphere that Bava creates for the alien world of his film. The color (bloody reds and luminous greens, primarily)is amazing to just look at, and the sets are worthy of much perusal. Not to mention an opening theme that really is creepy as hell, and somehow manages to make the first scenes -- which appear to depict a Go-Bot floating against a black curtain with holes poked through it to allow a flashlight beam to dimly shine out -- slightly unsettling. Mind you, "Planet of the Vampires" is rarely more than slightly unsettling, and frequently much, much less. There is little plot, not much happens, and there aren't any vampires. I'll be honest and say I was kinda hoping for some whacked-out Italian vampire space goddess to appear, some kinky approximation of Barbara Steele in full cosmic vampire regalia, exposing much skin and gnawing at the necks of hapless spacemen with her wicked fangs, but no. Sadly, no. It was not to be. My hopes were dashed. No slinky vampire women, no Barbara Steele, just some reanimated dead fellas who stumble around and cause trouble. But... I don't know, there are a few scenes that are genuinely cool. The emergence of the zombies from their graves is great. The climax of the film is -- amazingly -- rather suspenseful, almost shocking in that nothing else in the movie is. And the ending, while a science fiction cliche, works here because you never see it coming. Further, film geeks of varying degrees will be stunned at first how Ridley Scott (blatantly!) swiped from "Planet of the Vampires" for the (so much better it goes without saying) "Alien;" how John Carpenter swiped the setting and the general plot of intangible aliens possessing human bodies for his (superior) "Ghosts of Mars;" and how...okay, maybe this one is just me, but it seems plausible...Lucio Fulci appears to have stolen the last scenes of "The Gates of Hell" (little kid emerges from Bava-ish mists to come into view and be revealed as a zombie) from a scene about two-thirds of the way through "Planet of the Vampires!" Can so much genius have been mined from one film that is (most charitably) more style than substance, and (least charitably) not really that great a flick on its own terms? Well, it sure looks like it. Unbelievably, "Planet of the Vampires" has evidently been influential on a lot of moviemakers; if nothing else, it should be seen for that reason.
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Summary: Very Unique Sci-Fi Film
Review: Outstanding story which was fairly original in it's time. Great Bava film with lush colors, horror and mystery. Suprise twist at the end.
Rating: 
Summary: Laughably Bad
Review: Sometimes truly bad movies can be good for a laugh, which is the best I can say about this one. The budget must have been all of $1.69, with no more than one take per scene. Rent it before you buy it.
Rating:
Summary: Surprisingly great
Review: Such atmosphere, such texture, great costumes, fluid camerawork, and a fog-machine that's stuck on setting #9.... it all adds-up to one great curio.
As a fan of Bava's other films, I was apprehensive about this one, but now realize how class (and very influential) it is.
The picture is sharp,the colours are vivid, the sound is very good---- Recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: Too Slow
Review: The coolest thing about this is the ending, but it takes 88 minutes to get there and you will see NO vampires along the way. The planet is kinda cool, but the movie could have been so much better. this isn't one of the better movies in the midnight movies series.
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Summary: Influential science fiction/horror/suspense film
Review: The dialog borders on the absurd; the optical effects aren't up to par even for a 60's science fiction film; the actors frequently give zombies a good name. Yet, despite its major drawbacks, Planet of the Vampires stands as an influential film. When making Alien Ridley Scott took his cue from this imaginative but low budget film. The alien planet, spacecraft and many of the more atmospheric sequences clearly were an influence on Scott's highly praised horror film (it's stretching it to call Alien a science fiction film). It's also clear that POTV had impact on director Tobe Hooper's Lifeforce. So will you enjoy this movie? That depends on how forgiving you are. Mario Bava's direction and the cinematography are quite imaginative and the atmospheric production design make this a triumph of style over substance. Because this was shot in Rome (with a mixture of American and Italian actors), the acting and dubbing adds an odd quality to the film. Barry Sullivan's frequently detached performance isn't one of his best but given that his director and almost all the crew didn't speak English, It's understandable. Bava's direction and the inspired production design make this a very influential minor film classic. It's clear seeing the film again after some years, that Bava was trying to create an atmospheric Forbidden Planet and he suceeds for the most part. While Planet of the Vampires lacks the intelligent script and lively performances from that classic film, its imaginative cinematography engage the viewer in a way that FP couldn't. Again, if you can forgive the movie's shortcomings and the minimalist screenplay, you'll enjoy this film. A couple bits of trivia about the film: the story is basically an atmospheric variation on Invasion of the Body Snatchers; Planet of the Vampires had at least three or four different titles (some of them within the United States itself); Star Trek: The Next Generation borrowed (or it was just one of those ideas in the air)the concept of POTV for an episode entitled Power Play from season 5. The transfer is crisp and the colors vivid. I haven't seen a print this good since College. The widescreen presentation doesn't provide a huge advantage over the pan & scan version that's floated around for quite some time. This film wasn't shot in an anamorphic format and the aspect ratio is only slightly different than the traditional t.v. aspect ratio. The mono soundtrack sounds fine although a bit flat (even for a mono soundtrack). It wouldn't have hurt to offer a track that reprocessed it for surround sound or, at least, to have tried to open up the sound a little bit. You won't be listening to the frequently clunky dialog but the soundtrack is interesting. It's clearly inspired by the atonal "effects" music track used for Forbidden Planet. This Midnite Classic includes the original over-the-top American International Pictures trailer. Curiously, the dialog is only available in English and the subtitles in Spanish and French. Given that it's an Italian production, it would have been interesting to hear the film in its native tongue. There is a problem worth noting--the default setting for subtitles causes the film to automatically show the Spanish subtitles for the film everytime you start the flick. This problem has cropped up with one or two other Midnite releases from MGM. It's not a major problem just annoying. It's a pity that this bare bones presentation doesn't include an overview by a film historian. It's important to understand the influence that Bava's film had on the 70's and early 80's. Perhaps someone else will license the film (doubtful) and do the job. Planet of the Vampires has a lot of positives and a few negatives as well. While it's not quite as good as it was to an 11 year old 20 plus years later, it's still an inspired bit of film making.
Rating:
Summary: Richness of Color and Sound!
Review: The DVD exceeded my expectations by including some brief moments never seen before, the Terrore Nello Spazio master perhaps?, as well as a richness of color that I have never seen in any print of the film. I highly recommend this to all fans of the film, but to all newcomers as well. This is a great piece of Mario Bava work for your collection!
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