Contamination (1980)

Director:

Luigi Cozzi

Writers:

Luigi Cozzi (screenplay) &
Erich Tomek (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

June 1982 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

You can feel them in your blood!

Plot:

A former astronaut helps a government agent and a police detective track the source of mysterious alien pod spores, filled with lethal flesh-dissolving acid, to a South American coffee plantation controlled by alien pod clones.

Plot Keywords:

Egg | Alien Pod | Alien | Acid | Police

Cast

Ian McCulloch	...	Cmdr. Ian Hubbard
Louise Marleau	...	Col. Stella Holmes
Marino Masé	...	NYPD Lt. Tony Aris
Siegfried Rauch	...	Hamilton
Gisela Hahn	...	Perla de la Cruz
Carlo De Mejo	...	Agent Young
Carlo Monni	...	Dr. Turner
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Nick Alexander	...	Harbor Authority (voice: English version) (uncredited)
Larry Dolgin	...	Lt. Tony Aris - NYPD (voice: English version) (uncredited)
Edward Mannix	...	Dr. Turner (voice: English version) (uncredited)
Mike Morris	...	Dr. Hilton (uncredited)
Angelo Ragusa	...	Warehouse Man (uncredited)
Martin Sorrentino	...	Black Warehouse Worker (uncredited)
Susan Spafford	...	Col. Stella Holmes (voice: English version) (uncredited)
Brigitte Wagner	...	Doctor (uncredited)

Directed by
Luigi Cozzi		(as Lewis Coates)

Writing credits
Luigi Cozzi		(screenplay) (as Lewis Coates) &
Erich Tomek		(screenplay)
Luigi Cozzi		(story) (as Lewis Coates)

Produced by
Claudio Mancini	....	producer (as Charles Mancini)
Ugo Valenti	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Goblin
Agostino Marangolo
Antonio Marangolo		(as Goblin)
Fabio Pignatelli

Cinematography by
Giuseppe Pinori		(as Joseph Pinori)

Film Editing by
Nino Baragli

Production Design by
Massimo Antonello Geleng

Costume Design by
Tiziana Mancini

Makeup Department
Corrado Cristofori	....	hair stylist
Pierantonio Mecacci	....	makeup artist
Mario Michisanti	....	assistant makeup artist

Production Management
Walter Siffert	....	unit manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Franco Coduti	....	assistant director

Art Department
Giacomo Calò Carducci	....	set dresser
Georgio Ferrari	....	constructor: alien cyclops
Gianni Fiumi	....	property master
Claudio Mazzoli	....	design: alien cyclops

Sound Department
Luciano Anzellotti	....	sound effects
Massimo Anzellotti	....	sound effects
Romano Checcacci	....	re-recording engineer
Gaetano Testa	....	sound recordist
Giuseppe Testa	....	boom operator

Special Effects by
Giovanni Corridori	....	special effects
Valerio Mazzoli	....	special effects (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Adolfo Bartoli	....	assistant camera
Augusto Diamanti	....	key grip
Romano Mancini	....	gaffer
Carlo Tafani	....	camera operator

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Orsola Liberati	....	seamstress

Editorial Department
Angela Bordi	....	first assistant editor
Gisela Haller	....	assistant editor
Olga Sarra	....	second assistant editor

Music Department
Maurizio Guarini	....	musician: keyboards (as Goblin)
Agostino Marangolo	....	musician (as Goblin)
Antonio Marangolo	....	musician: saxophone (as Goblin)
Fabio Pignatelli	....	musician (as Goblin)
Roberto Puleo	....	musician: guitars (as Goblin)

Other crew
Nick Alexander	....	dubbing director
Tullio Lullo	....	production assistant
Maurizio Mancini	....	production assistant
Walter Massi	....	production assistant
Hartmut Neugebauer	....	dialogue director
Daniela Tonti	....	continuity

Production Companies

• Alex Cinematografica
• Barthonia Film
• Lisa-Film

Distributors

• Residenz Film (1980) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Cannon Group, The (1981) (USA) (theatrical) (dubbed)
• Citadel Films (1981) (Canada) (theatrical) (dubbed)
• Video Independent Productions (VIP) (1981) (UK) (video)
• Paragon Video Productions (1982) (USA) (VHS)
• CMV Laservision (2001) (Germany) (DVD)
• Astro Distribution (2002) (Germany) (DVD)
• Blue Underground (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• DMEG (2004) (Sweden) (video)
• Stomp Visual (2005) (Australia) (DVD)
• Mill Creek Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• European Creative Films (198?) (UK) (VHS)
• Lettuce Entertain You (USA) (VHS) (as "Toxic Spawn")

Also Known As:

"Alien Contamination" - USA (cut version)
"Toxic Spawn" - USA (video title (cut version))

Runtime:

95 min | USA:84 min (R-rated version)

Country:

Italy | West Germany

Language:

Italian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

West Germany:18 (nf) | UK:18 (original 1980s video release) | Portugal:M/18 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:R (Ontario) | France:-12 | Iceland:(Banned) | Norway:(Banned) (video rating) (1984) | UK:(Banned) (1984-2004) (original rating) | UK:15 (video rating) (2004) | USA:R | Australia:R

Filming Locations:

Colombia

Company:

Alex Cinematografica

Trivia:

Writer/director Luigi Cozzi originally wanted Caroline Munro to play Colonel Stella Holmes.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: pipe used to propel fake guts out seen.

Quotes:

Colonel Stella Holmes:Help! Let me out! There's an egg!

Movie Connections:

Featured in Alien Arrives on Earth (2003) (V)

Green eggs that go SPLAT!

A crewless ship that's supposedly carrying coffee sails into New York, but when a police officer and some scientists board the ship they discover the gruesome bodies of the crew and plenty of boxes filled with large green eggs. Which explode when the egg warms up and anyone who gets in contact with the substance that shoots out of the egg, explodes as well. So now the government gets involved and the surviving officer, a colonel and an astronaut discover that these eggs may be linked with the disastrous mission to Mars. The more they look into it they discover a conspiracy that threatens the world and leads them to a coffee plantation in Columbia.

Coming straight off the back of the success of "Alien" is an ultra-gooey and clunky delight of a low-budgeted Italian knock-off. And there's no shame about it stealing ideas, but it still does delivers it's own variation to the premise with a modest quota of adventurous aspects and developments that occur on earth. There's even a touch of James Bond about it in the villain and motivation side of things. Actually, the film probably leans more towards that later statement than a fully blooded Sci-fi caper. The ticking time bomb of a story is pretty much pure hokum and there's very little in the way of sense, but it's the dominating grotesque visuals and the intense gallery of cheap thrills that certainly makes this outing lively. That especially goes to the powerhouse opening half involving the first encounter of the very bright green / yellow eggs that go kaboom. A dour note would be that it got a bit too talky in spots with its thick and rather stretch out script, which constantly repeats itself. There's even a shortage of real action, but what made it a little easy to swallow was the sharp sense of irony that found it's way into the dialogues and when it does go for it's gory schlock - it does so in an over-the-top and bravura manner that you couldn't help but find it fun. The cult band Goblin lends a helping hand by providing an out-of-this-world soundtrack that pump along very strongly. While, its budget restraints might show - like the tacky looking alien, but technically it mostly comes off with decently gross make-up effects, eerie sound effects and smoothly displayed photography. The direction by Luigi Cozzi is rather low-key, but he stages some really suspenseful and boot-kicking moments. But the pacing can be quite uneven with some predictable developments. The juicy performances by Ian McCulloch, Louise Marleau and Marino Masé are less than desirable, but they don't overtly hurt the film with their simple and quite daggy characters.

"Contamination" is mostly a bloody, mindless fare that equals a fine if quite nasty romp.