Galaxy of Terror (1981) - Clark and Corman's delightful space-set gore-fest

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Incredible monsters with sharp fangs and teeth are closing in on a buxom, almost nude blonde on this amazing drawn and colored poster for Bruce D. Clark's Galaxy of Terror

A spaceship full of astronauts hole up on a mysterious planet, where an alien, homicidal life form has its home.

Galaxy of Terror is written by Marc Siegler (The Ski Bum (1971)) and co-writer/director Bruce D. Clark (Naked Angels (1969)).

Cinephiles such as myself will answer "yes, please!" to any Roger Corman (The Fantastic Four (1994)) production from this period, which even has Robert Englund (Hunter (1985, TV-series)) and Grace Zabriski (Dante's View (1998)) onboard, but what is Galaxy of Terror exactly?

It is an Alien (1979) rip-off with paper-thin, distinctive characters. It has romance, a notorious rape by monster worm (!), lots of gore and shouting and petty quarrels, and an ending that is out of sync sound-wise. It is an entertaining mess. The ending shows the fear-based, shape-shifting monster now confusingly shaped as an older character... Galaxy of Terror is awkward and (for the right audience) so much fun.

Watch a 'crossover' (?) trailer for the film here

Cost: 1.8 mil. $

Box office: Reportedly 4 mil. $

= Some uncertainty but seemingly a flop (returned 2.22 times its cost)

[Galaxy of Terror was released in October (USA) and runs 81 minutes. Shooting took place in March 1981 - ? in California, including Los Angeles. Later master filmmaker James Cameron impressed Corman as the film's production designer and second unit director with ingenious solutions such as electrocuting maggots for the wiggling effect! Corman himself directed the controversial worm sex scene with Taafe O'Connell and a body double. Short shots of the scene of worm rape (resulting in an orgasm so strong that it kills the character!) were cut out to appease the US censors and avoid an X rating. In other countries the scene was cut entirely. Whether the 4 mil. $ listed gross only covers North America or the entire world is uncertain. Clark never wrote or directed films again, but turned to a short producing career, beginning with Journey to Spirit Island (1988). Edward Albert (Invasion America (1998, TV series short)) returned in The Littlest Hobo (1981, TV-series)), Today's F.B.I. (1982, TV-series and theatrically in A Time to Die (1982); Erin Moran (Bearcats! (1971, TV-series)) in 7 TV-series prior to her theatrical return in Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star (2003) as herself; and Ray Walston (The Sting (1973)) in 4 TV credits prior to his theatrical return in O'Hara's Wife (1984). Galaxy of Terror is rotten at 31 % with a 4.50/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Galaxy of Terror?