From The Vault: Galaxy of Terror Colin D Miller April 15, 2013 Editor's Choice, From The Vault 5211 Galaxy of Terror is an odd little beast. On the tin it looks like another one of those 80s flicks that is guilty of stealing ideas from superior films that have come before, yet it contains enough originality in places to set it apart from it’s Roger Corman produced peers. Galaxy of Terror Directed by Bruce D Clark, Galaxy of Terror is a science fiction horror that tells the story of the crew of the ill fated spaceship, Quest. On a hastily arranged trip to the planet Morganthus, the crew are mystically sent to investigate a crashed ship and rescue any survivors. As things progress it becomes clear that everything is not as it seems and after some pretty nasty business on an alien pyramid, the crew of Quest are offed in a variety of ways – flying ninja death stars thrown by a cut off arm and death by orgasm brought on from a 7ft tall humping worm (quite an infamous and somewhat questionable scene featuring Taaffe O’Connell). The film initially makes out that the villain of the piece is an organic alien race, but ultimately the antagonist proves to be more than that as each crew member encounters their own deepest fears on this dark and gothic world. An example of some of the gothic art design in Galaxy of Terror Upon first inspection, Galaxy of Terror seems like any other rubbish 80s b-movie, but the set design has a certain gothic charm about it – think HR Giger’s work on Alien but no so grandiose, and while the creature’s look a bit rubbery and are a bit stilted, the overall design is quite imaginative. The Production Designer and 2nd Unit Director is none other than James Cameron Remarkably, the Production Designer and 2nd Unit Director is none other than James Cameron, a man who at the time of writing is responsible for the two biggest grossing films of all time – proof that we all have to start our careers somewhere I guess. The film is quite short, so we don’t get much time to relate to the various cast of characters and as a result the only thing you care about is if, how and when they will be killed. Nevertheless, it’s fun to see the likes of Robert Englund, Erin Moran and Bernard Behrens meet their grisly and imaginative ends. While Galaxy of Terror is nothing special, there are worse ways you can spend 80 odd minutes of your life. And for James Cameron fans, it certainly is a testament to how far the filmmaker has come. It’s gory, violent and utterly ridiculous. So well worth a watch then.
