Planet of the Vampires
A vivid Italian space-horror nightmare follows a starship crew into a foggy alien world where invisible predators turn exploration into a struggle for bodily survival.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Moderate
- eerie
- surreal
- foreboding
- late night horror marathon
- classic science fiction double feature
What critics said
Critics broadly regard the film as a visually inventive and atmospheric achievement that overcomes its limited budget and awkward dialogue with striking color, effects, and cosmic menace.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The alien planet, fog-shrouded sets, eerie music, corpses, and bodiless invading entities merge gothic horror with cosmic exploration.
Mario Bava uses pastel fog, intense color, moving camerawork, and deliberately synthetic sets to make Aura feel uncanny and dreamlike.
The bodiless inhabitants of the dying planet seek escape, turning human bodies and crew identity into contested vessels.
Flying saucers, ray guns, zombies, alien ruins, and a mysterious planet organize the film around comic-strip science fiction imagery.
Films like Planet of the Vampires, and why
It! The Terror from Beyond Space
stylized space horror, extraterrestrial menace, and vivid practical production design
The Forbidden Planet
retro science fiction adventure, alien worlds, and pulpy cosmic danger
Alien
atmospheric body horror, claustrophobic spaceship tension, and unknowable alien life
The City of the Dead
Italian genre filmmaking, surreal visual design, and supernatural threats rendered through expressive color
Movie Details
- Director
- Mario Bava
- Release Date
- 1965-09-15
- Runtime
- 88 min
- Rating
- 6.4 / 10 (264)
Cast
- Barry Sullivan
- Norma Bengell
- Ángel Aranda
- Evi Marandi
- Stelio Candelli
- Franco Andrei
- Fernando Villena
- Mario Morales
- Ivan Rassimov
- Federico Boido
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, MGM Plus, ScreenPix Apple TV channel, ScreenPix Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home, FlixFling
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home, FlixFling
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Planet of the Vampires about?
- A vivid Italian space-horror nightmare follows a starship crew into a foggy alien world where invisible predators turn exploration into a struggle for bodily survival.
- What is Planet of the Vampires like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Planet of the Vampires as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Planet of the Vampires violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Planet of the Vampires as moderate.
- What did critics think of Planet of the Vampires?
- Critics broadly regard the film as a visually inventive and atmospheric achievement that overcomes its limited budget and awkward dialogue with striking color, effects, and cosmic menace.
- Which films are like Planet of the Vampires?
- Films with a similar feel include It! The Terror from Beyond Space, The Forbidden Planet, Alien, and The City of the Dead.
- How long is Planet of the Vampires?
- Planet of the Vampires runs 88 minutes.
- Where can I watch Planet of the Vampires?
- In United States, Planet of the Vampires streams on fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, MGM Plus, ScreenPix Apple TV channel, ScreenPix Amazon Channel .
