Space: 1999 (TV Series) The Troubled Spirit (1976) User Reviews

Decent but boringly underused sci-fi premise

[bgaiv · 6/10 · 7 August 2020]

A spirit returns to haunt and avenge his death, inadvertently causing it.

That is a valid sci-fi premise, but they can't manage a full story out of it. The plot tie in with the crops and Mateo's adversarial relation with the older scientist just don't feel satisfying.

Seems like they could have gone a lot deeper into the spirit blaming Bergman and the others for his death. Also they could have actually tried preventing the death once they learned what happened.

They strap Mateo to a chair in Medical and surround him by deadly force fields--- why exactly? I don't think their reasoning is adequately explained at all, and why didn't they see what was obviously coming?

Also, as usual with 1999, they fall asleep with the science. In particular, at the beginning there is the mysterious wind blowing through the station. This might be creepy in your house, but in a SPACE STATION every single person would immediately suspect the station integrity had been breached and they were leaking atmosphere.

Eerie music with great opening shot

[trashgang · 6/10 · 1 September 2014]

This is a strange entry into the space 1999 franchise. The music used comes from a sitar and people do get in trance by this kind of music. Although not that strong it do has a great opening and that by the full use of the possibilities of the camera. Steadycam wasn't available back then so this is done with a dolly. But once a seance goes wrong this episode doesn't offer that much except that eerie music.

There aren't really that much off effects used and the story itself is rather weird as said before. Only for the real geeks of space 1999 because the acting somehow didn't work out too.

Gore 0/5 Nudity 0/5 Effects 1/5 Story 2/5 Comedy 0/5

Plodding

[Rrrobert · 6/10 · 6 May 2019]

This has an intriguing start with the well-shot recital sequence. Guest star Giancarlo Prete has great screen presence and the ghostly apparitions are effectively scary.

Unfortunately the story seems to plod. The mystical pronouncements ("Hmmm I know! Let's try an exorcism!") and resulting disputes seem to have been awkwardly grafted on to pad things out and give the proceedings some sort of reason for being told, but feel a bit like filler.

Too painful to watch..

[planktonrules · 1/10 · 8 May 2010]

While I love sci-fi and watched this series faithfully when I was a kid, I have to admit that the episodes are hit or miss--some very good ones and some horrible one as well as a lot in between. This particular show clearly belongs in the category of horrible! There is very little to recommend it and it's simply too painful to watch. How I got all the way through it is a testament to my masochism.

The show begins with LOTS of sitar music playing--loudly and frantically. While I love Indian food and movies, I have never developed much of a taste for this type of music--at least when it is played very, very fast and intensely. It is certainly not soothing or enjoyable--and I assume this is the same reaction most will have--especially since the music seems to go on and on and on throughout the episode! This certainly sure didn't help in my enjoyment of this particular show.

As the music is droning, you see a small circle of Moonbase personnel having some sort of a séance-like gathering. And, as they are channeling the spirits of plants in an effort to communicate with them (I am NOT kidding--this really is the plot), one of them starts writhing as if he's having a seizure! Oddly, at the same time there is a rush of freezing cold air that whooshes through the base. Yet, when he's taken for medical help, he is crazed and insists he'd okay--even though he clearly isn't.

A bit later, more weird things start happening--such as the deaths of anyone who opposes the Italian guy in his experiments. You see, even though he nearly died the last time the knucklehead insisted on continuing with his work. The results are pretty bad- I'm talking bad 1960s sci-fi film bad! There's a double for this guy who looks like half his face was melted and you aren't sure if he's a giant killer veggie that looks human or some sort of killer alter-ego. All I know is that this melty face started killing people and the only thing that could stop him was an exorcism---yes, an exorcism!t! Talk about bad! This type of episode is exactly the reason "Space: 1999" was not a successful series. When it was good, it could be very good--but when it was bad it was phenomenally bad!