Reviews & Ratings for
Queen of Blood More at IMDbPro »

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15 out of 17 people found the following review useful:
Psychedelic Alien Fun, 22 July 2001
Author: BaronBl00d (baronbl00d@aol.com) from NC

Sometime in the 1990's I believe, the Earth has sent many ships to space and is awaiting the arrival of an alien to Earth after sending various stress signals. A crew of three astronauts(including a young Dennis Hopper and Judi Meredith)go to their planet when some kind of problem arises. It seems this race is dead or dying, and the scientists on Earth want to explore their culture and, unbeknownst to them, their anatomy. Another expedition is needed to go after the first with two more astronauts led by John Saxon. In control at home is Doctor Farraday, played with enthusiasm by Basil Rathbone. What the astronauts find on this dying planet(actually one of its moons) is a creature that is horrific yet strangely sexually hypnotic. The creature is in definite female form wearing what has to be one heck of a tight body suit that shows every...and I mean every curve, peak, and valley. Florence Marley plays this vision of beautiful horror. Her face is green and her hair rises up like some kind of testy beehive. She says nothing but acts with her face and facial movements. One side note about this alien presence. It feeds on blood. Well, you can guess what happens to sundry members of the crew as she/it vampirizes them. The innovative part of the script is that most of the people in charge are more concerned with saving the "beast" for the acquisition of knowledge rather than the, in many cases their own, preservation of life. This is definitely something laced throughout the Alien movies. Queen of Blood is a very innovative film that uses some insightful direction from Curtis Harrington with what looks like an obviously small budget. Harrington used clips from a Russian scinece fiction film to show the rockets and other large scale sets. But despite its small budget, Harrington manages to create a film that is haunting, eerie, and strangely beautiful, not to mention adding some good scares and some thought-provoking questions about science and its ends. He uses colors most inventively...blue, red, green hues all over. The acting is adequate. Its fun to see Mr. Rathbone, although he looks very tired and old. Mr. Sci-Fi himself, Forry Ackerman, has a bit part and oddly enough the best scene in the film at the end...a real unexpected climax. Be sure to give Queen of Blood a try...the first half or so is somewhat boring and slow, but it does pick up and I think is an excellent foray in the world of intelligent sci-fi.

12 out of 12 people found the following review useful:
Thumbing a ride to Earth., 30 September 2006

Author: lost-in-limbo from the Mad Hatter's tea party.

It's 1990 and earth has finally made its first contact with extraterrestrials on Mars. Which they have told earth through radio waves that they actually plan to visit earth. Although something goes wrong in their attempt and an expedition is sent to Mars to find any survivors. In which case they discover a green skinned lady. On their trip back the crew encounter that their new passenger has a deadly fixation for blood.

"Planet of Blood" is a cheap little hybrid picture by director / writer Curtis Harrington. He turns in one very solid Sci-fi / horror yarn which is held together by capable performances from John Saxon and Dennis Hopper and some strikingly eerie visuals that go a long way in plastering the film with an atmospherically moody embrace. The haunting story is quite languid, but keeps things rather firm and planted throughout the material are a few surprises and neat touches. The astute plot is quite original and has a variation that would go on to influence (with such others like "It! The Terror From Beyond Space" and Bava's "Planet of the Vampires") the masterpiece "Alien". Some might find the pacing quite slow going and a jargon packed script terribly chatty, but I found it more often interesting with the questions that are raised than boring. If action and mayhem is what you want, it doesn't really kick into gear until the final 30 minutes, where it ends on a surprising final note.

The production looks quite colourful with suited special effects (from a Russian sci-fi flick) that simply does the job. Visually, there are some wondrous lighting compositions and cardboard sets sprayed with a vibrant colour scheme. An otherworldly music score builds up some rustling tunes that rattle along. Harrington's direction is commendably focused and stylishly tailored. Performances are good with the likes of Basil Rathbone, Judi Merdith and Florence Marley as the mysteriously hypnotic and silent alien woman. Watch out for her "Look into my eyes" sequences. John Saxon chimes in with his usual impressive performance and a young Dennis Hopper is sound. Also Forrest J. Ackerman makes a minor mark in the last minute of the flick.

For it's budget, it's a well-presented and exceedingly slow burn premise with a sterling cast.

10 out of 11 people found the following review useful:
"That's one bad thing about space trips - no banana splits!". 'Planet Of Blood' is lots of fun for fans of 1960s SF, Roger Corman, John Saxon and/or Dennis Hopper., 24 May 2004
Author: Infofreak from Perth, Australia

Is 'Planet Of Blood' a good movie or a good bad one? I've watched it three times this week and I'm still not sure. The print on the DVD I bought was lousy, yet there looked like there were some impressive visual images for a 1960s b-grade sci fi movie. The acting was variable to say the least, ranging from inept to quite good. The script has some silly moments and the whole movie is incredibly dated, yet there was a few genuinely creepy moments. Good, bad, camp, forgotten gem, however you describe this movie there's one thing for sure, it's entertaining! It's certainly an improvement on AIP's goofy 'Voyage To The Prehistoric Planet', released the previous year, which was also directed by Curtis Harrington, produced by Roger Corman, and included stock footage recycled from a Russian SF movie. Both movies also featured Basil Rathbone in small supporting roles. The main reason most people (myself included) will hunt this one down is to see cult favourites John Saxon ('Enter The Dragon', 'Cannibal Apocalypse') and Dennis Hopper ('Easy Rider', 'Blue Velvet') co-star as astronauts. Saxon ("That's one bad thing about space trips - no banana splits!"), Hopper, Judi Meredith, and Don Eitner are sent on a mission to Mars to retrieve a crashed alien space ship. The year is 1990(!) and man has unsuccessfully searched for life on other planets. Unexpectedly alien transmissions are received, but the alien ship crashes before it can reach Earth. Saxon and co. eventually find a survivor, a mysterious green skinned female (Florence Marley), who they rush back to Earth. That's when the trouble starts... 'Planet Of Blood' is lots of fun for fans of 1960s SF, Roger Corman, John Saxon and/or Dennis Hopper. p.s. Keep an eye out for Forrie Ackerman!

6 out of 6 people found the following review useful:
Sensational special effects, 5 July 2002
Author: julian bristow (julianbristow@sbcglobal.net) from San Jose, California

"Queen of Blood" is also known as "Planet of Blood". It was released by American International around 1966.Reguardless of it's low budget,it is a combination of science fiction and horror, with more attention being paid to it's sci-fi side.Cult movie fans should notice that it is actually a foreign movie bought by American International and reworked for american audiences.Curtis Harrington(writer and director)did a fine job on the film. John Saxon would later star in "Planet Earth", a film that closely resembles this movie.I wouldn't be surprized if Gene Roddenberry saw this thriller and hired John Saxon to star in "Planet Earth".If you get the chance, watch this movie, it's pretty good.

4 out of 4 people found the following review useful:
Yankee "Planet of the Vampires" Trip Movie With Class, 7 October 2005

Author: Steve Nyland (Squonkamatic) from New York, USA

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

Excellent ALIEN precursor is yet another take on the PLANET OF THE VAMPIRES school of post Eisenhower sci-fi that always tells the tale of a humanoid space crew who follows an eerie, alien signal to a mysterious world shrouded in storms where they encounter an Alien life form that invariably tags along for a ride home. IT! TERROR FROM BEYOND SPACE is the earliest example of the story I can think of, Antonio Margheriti had a go at the idea in his GAMMA ONE QUADROLIGY films (all of them have hintings of the story cycle in one form or another), then Mario Bava made his stunning 1965 film, a movie so ahead of it's time that even now it doesn't suffer from age.

QUEEN OF BLOOD does, but in a good old nostalgic kind of way, rather than just being klunky and old fashioned like IT! Like Margheriti's neato flicks with their model space ships and Captain Video space corps, QUEEN OF BLOOD has a visual appeal to it that is decidedly different than Bava's arty, swirling hallucination. John Saxon and Dennis Hopper play two of the crew of a human ship sent in the year 1990 (yep! just 24 years ahead of when it was made, an optimistic idea if ever) to look for survivors of an Alien mission to Earth which crashed on Mars. Basil Rathbone is sharp and enunciates with his usual flair as the lead scientist of the Earth Space Corps Interplanetary division, or whatever, who directs the mission from a control panel on an auxiliary stage. He also lends credibility and class to what is really a cobbled together production combining footage from at least TWO Russian made sci fi epics from the early 1960's with some low budget but strikingly effective film shot on real world locations or soundstages that re-define the Russian footage to tell this story.

And while it may sound confusing the end result is almost seamless, not so much padding out the American film so much as serving as the framework upon which the story is woven. The film has a very rich feel for color and texture, especially with how the planet side footage works during the big rescue scenes. It is ten times more effective than the modern day budgeted recent efforts like RED PLANET and MISSION TO MARS in making the viewer feel like they are on a different world and not just watching actors in suits in front of a blue screen. The crew find a survivor, it's a she, she has an amazing bod & interesting lips, and eventually she starts draining the blood of the crew during their trip home for reasons that are never really explained. By the time they get home though, she has died after apparently spawning a Jello Egg Mould Delight complete with gross, giggly little somethings that are promptly scooped up by the military scientists upon landing on Earth. Dan O'Bannon has never cited this film as one of his influences, but he must have seen it and drew upon what he saw for his ALIEN script, eventually.

The film also sets or reinforces some important story conventions that became staples of the ALIEN litany: The mixed gender crew, the importance of mealtimes (as always to be consumed off modular looking trays with oddly shaped utensils that look like dentistry tools), and the inhospitable nature of space as the crew don their pressure suits to conserve resources or suffocate. There is a burial at space, an emergency landing, a sequence involving a ship's log, specialized medical technology and a space ship that becomes a haunted house. Saxon and Hopper are excellent, Richard Boone comes off well as the captain of the ill fated mission, but the real star of the film is probably the combination of the Russian and American footage -- a bizarre sort of social accommodation for 1966 to say the least. It's also relatively short (83 minutes or so) and half over before you know it.

One curious link to later films involving the ALIEN litany are the green giggly Jello eggs -- Luigi Cozzi must have been thinking about them when he made his splatter extravaganza ALIEN CONTAMINATION, which also has nasty, viscous spewing green pod things that spit death. It's sort of nice to imagine one as the evolution of the other, though fans of model and costume 1960s sci-fi might find Cozzi's zest for slime a bit heady. You can find that QUEEN OF BLOOD DVD through amazon.co.uk, look for a seller who will ship to the US but make sure you have a machine that will run their DVDs. It's worth it, and you won't wear out the VHS wheels on a precious old rental tape by playing it over and over and over again.

7/10. Excellent, actually!!

5 out of 6 people found the following review useful:
Terrific Visuals, 19 April 2003

Author: Space_Mafune from Newfoundland, Canada

The thing that really stands out in this film is the visual style which was largely borrowed from a Russian Science Fiction classic. I'd really love to see that film.

Of course the rest remains a lot of fun to watch as a young John Saxon and Dennis Hopper take flight to Mars and although it's paced a little too slowly, I still get a kick out of this movie especially the scene where the Alien Queen first sees Laura James. A likely inspiration for LIFEFORCE and possibly even ALIEN (although NIGHT OF THE BLOOD BEAST , IT! THE TERROR FROM BEYOND SPACE and PLANET OF THE VAMPIRES are other contenders).

I get the feeling at the end of this that a further ending was originally planned given all the hints Saxon was dropping about the Earth's light on his face.

3 out of 3 people found the following review useful:
Director Curtis Harrington; prolific, resourceful filmmaker, 28 January 2007

Author: Sebastian1966 from United States

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

As a child of the 60s/70s, I realized (in hindsight, of course) how many of the wonderfully effective B-movies I remember were made by one man; Curtis Harrington. Films like THE DEAD DON'T DIE (scary, zombie/noir TV movie), WHO SLEW AUNTIE ROO? (psychotic HANSEL & GRETEL-like movie) and many others. This film has plenty for modern audiences to laugh at, granted; but, in many ways it is the precursor to ALIEN. As much, if not more so than Mario Bava's PLANET OF VAMPIRES. The film uses Russian special effects footage from NIEBO ZOWIET(c.1960) as a way to inject production value into a very low budget frame. And what the hell, it works! The actors, especially Basil Rathbone(yes, Sherlock Holmes himself) are pretty stiff (although a very young Dennis Hopper tries to be more 'natural'). However, Florence Marley as the Vampire Queen is (to this day) an utter show stopper. With her deliberately unnatural smile and balletic body language, she truly seems alien. She makes this movie work! Forry Ackerman's cameo at the end with the 'eggs' is also very effective. Like the Weyland/Yutani Corporation of the ALIEN movies, one realizes Ackerman's inviting disaster on a planetary scale. Nice, nihilistic ending (I miss those once in awhile!). When I was younger, this movie really got to me. As I watch it now, I'm still impressed with Ms. Marley's work. And Harrington's efficient storytelling. Yes, the 'Space Institute' sequences are a little too 'Johnny Astro-Rocket Boy' for even my taste (and I can forgive a lot if a movie works), but once the movie gets into space, it starts to gel. Some details (the continuity between the Russian footage space suits with the American made suits, the interactive lighting during the rocket launches, etc.) are nicely handled. It's gratifying to see care applied to even the lowest budget films. This is no Ed Wood, "see-what-I-made-in-my-backyard-for-six-bucks -and-a-pint-of-scotch?"effort(although those films are hypnotic in their own hideous way). One of the lessons gleaned from movies like this is that a low budget need not be a show killer. This is a simple, effective, ALIEN prototype with a few decent scares and a very effective antagonist/monster. A nice little lesson in getting some good bang for your buck, from Curtis Harrington.

2 out of 2 people found the following review useful:
Surprisingly Cohesive Outer Space Classic, 12 September 2010

Author: Rabh17 from United States

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

Remember-- this was 1966! No Computers. No CGI. EVERYTHING done by hand.

And for those of you who were old enough to see this on TV-- I say watch it again-- WHY? Because you very likely saw it in Black & White. And you saw it in the old square ratio TV-tube ratio. And probably worse-- you may have seen a video store VHStape repro with all the washed out colors, scratchy, jittery juddering that came with a haphazard transfer.

This movie was a true Screen production. And I recently streamed a clean video reproduction of this gem via Netflix to my Flatscreen and I was amazed at the quality of the entire show and taken in by the Movie itself.

One-- it's an ironic chuckle to see a movie purporting to be 30 years into the future- 1990! on my Flatscreen via the Internet.

Two- It's a Monster Movie. What Movie from the Age of Outer Space doesn't have One? And like all Monsters we know and love-- this one likes and prefers Blood. . .But Doesn't like unattached girlfriends.

The setup and the story is very cohesive. The science isn't too wild and doesn't have too much hand-wavium. This movies was intended as a SERIOUS SCIENTIFIC outer space entre to the screen. So excuse the fact that they travel to Mars inside of a few days instead of MONTHS, or the fact that they've intercepted a signal ". . .within our Galaxy, but from outside our solar system. . ."

The scenes from the alien planet are cool and definitely otherworldly. And the depiction of Mars is actually pretty realistic, considering what they knew back then.

And the 'Monster'. She's worth watching. She's acting totally and only with her glowing white eyes, Her writhing red lips and her white, white teeth. And she is enjoying herself! When I first saw this when I was kid, I thought I heard a scary bee-like buzzing whenever they focused on her lips-- but I guess that was a vacuum tube inside the TV Set and not the movie (Yes, That's how OLD I am!)

Pluses:

Woman are portrayed as Levelheaded and intelligent, though seems that the world of the future was only populated by Platinum Blondes.

It's a story about meeting an alien culture, albeit a bloodthirsty one. So it makes sense that after you find that your alien guest sleeping peacefully in her bunk with a delightful dab of blood on the corner of her lip after gorging on one of your crewmembers-- the scientist of the group talks about donating blood in shifts to keep her satisfied. And of course, you know that HE will be Next!

For the Nerds in us, they actually gave a nod to interplanetary travel restrictions on Time and Fuel. (despite the fact that the alien rocket crossed interstellar space in a matter of days-- but hey, they were a race of advanced Plant Vampires with Laser heat Vision! They're allowed to break the laws of physics)

Bring your friends over and watch this one after Midnight with chips and dip.

3 out of 4 people found the following review useful:
Surprisingly eerie little grade-b space exploration film, 19 April 2007

Author: TimothyFarrell from Worcester, MA

While there are several grade-b horror films of the period that manage to be quite eerie and dreamlike ("Carnival of Souls" being the most prominent example), the low budget sci-fi films of the period often didn't manage this. "Queen of Blood" is an exception. For its admitted shoddiness, "Queen of Blood" manages to be quite unnerving at moments and the resolution is downright bizarre. If a film is to be judged solely on its original intentions, that "Queen of Blood" is some kind of success.

The direction by Curtis Harrington may be the reason for the quality. He knows how to conjure an atmosphere. The film at times reminds me of Mario Bava's "Planet of the Vampires", but I actually enjoy "Queen of Blood" more. This is because in addition to being eerie, its a terrifically entertaining drive-in movie. The cast seems like a psychotronic dream (John Saxon, Basil Rathbone, and Dennis Hopper, quite restrained at this period in his career). The film has some campy moments, but they're quite enjoyable in their own right. This is a definite improvement over AIP's previous pastiche of a Russian sci-fi film, "Voyage to the Prehistoric Planet". Drive-in fans are suggested to track this rare gem down. (6/10)

7 out of 13 people found the following review useful:
The green woman sucks Dennis Hopper dry, 23 September 2003

Author: macabro357 from U.S.

(aka: PLANET OF BLOOD)

Wow, I remember this from late night TV back in the 70s, only it was with a grainy print that was continually interrupted by commercials. This is strictly a low budget AIP affair using lots of stock footage from Russian science fiction films from the early 1960s.

An alien ship that has crash landed on Mars sends out an SOS to earth for help. Two rocket ships take off from the Earth's moon and head there only to find one dead alien body and a female alien with green skin and silver pointed hair that makes her look like something out of the old Star Trek TV show. She doesn't speak. Not one word. However she does feast on human blood.

The first one she kills is a young clean-cut Dennis Hopper. She sucks him bone dry of all his blood. The rocket ship team then feed her blood plasma in order to keep her satisfied from killing any of the others, even though the head pilot (John Saxon) objects and wants her destroyed. When they run out of plasma before they get back to Earth, she kills the commander by hypnotizing him and then draining his blood.

After Judith Meredith again talks Saxon out of killing her, he ties her up but she burns through the rope with those hypnotic eyes of hers and almost kills Saxon in his sleep. Meredith walks in on this and in the ensuing fight, scratches the alien woman thereby killing her. She drips green blood all over the floor. It seems this alien race are a bunch of hemophiliacs and can die from the slightest of injuries.

But that's not all. She also laid green eggs all throughout the ship that look like pink balloons covered in green jell-o. (laughs)

After they land back on Earth, Saxon wants them destroyed because they're dangerous, but head scientist Basil Rathbone refuses and wants them kept for study. It's amusing watching Forrest Ackerman carrying them on a silver tray when they take them off the ship. It looks like he's carrying dinner. (laughs)

The rocket ship interior is low budget enough and so long as you don't take it too seriously. It's a good way to pass the time if you want to check out the more obscure, cheesy sci-fi from the 60s.

4 out of 10

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