Planet of the Vampires

(1965) Directed by Mario Bava; Written by Ib Melchior, Alberto Bevilacqua, Callisto Cosulich, Mario Bava, Antonio Roman, Rafael J. Salvia, and Louis M. Heyward (English version); Screen Story by Ib Melchior Based on the short story “One Night of 21 Hours”: by Renato Pestriniero; Starring: Barry Sullivan, Norma Bengell, Ángel Aranda, Evi Marandi, Franco Andrei and Federico Boiso; Available on Blu-ray and DVD Rating: ***½ “Do you know what that mysterious planet in Terrore nello Spazio was made of? … A couple of plastic rocks – and I mean ‘two’: one and one! – that were left over from some mythological picture made at Cinecittà. To assist the illusion, I had to fill the set with fog!” – Mario Bava “I'll tell you this, if there are any intelligent creatures on this planet... they're our enemies.” – Captain Mark Markary (Barry Sullivan) Mario Bava had a knack for making low-budget movies look much more expensive than they really were. Undoubtedly, his prior experience as a cinematographer…