The Beast in Space (1980)
Review by Willy Greer
It’s an Italian science fiction film that happens to be a very, very unofficial sequel to a medieval period piece about a girl who kills a horny monster by fucking him to death.
Don’t start chuckling yet; I’m not finished.
It features sets and special effects that make Dark Star look like Star Wars, dubbing that appears to have been done by blind people (even though it’s presented in its original Italian with English subtitles), and costumes stolen from a high school production of The Pirates Of Penzance (did I mention the movie takes place in space?).
In short, this baby is pure manna from heaven.
A crew of astronauts land on a planet largely populated by stock footage of horses fucking, and quickly find that something in the air is making them horny and violent. They then plunge into a delirious, surprisingly ambitious sci-fi drama involving robots in shiny gold jumpsuits, a sexually insatiable man with the legs of a faun, and a supercomputer for whom Italian is a primary language. It reminded me more than once of the BBC Doctor Who, in which characters explain to the audience in great detail what the film can’t afford to convey with visuals. It’s so micro-budgeted that everything in the movie comes across as a symbolic representation of what it’s supposed to be. This is one of the best times I’ve had watching a piece o’ shit movie this year, and I simply can’t recommend it enough.
Special features on the disc are pretty skimpy, consisting solely of a trailer and an interview with the Chuck-Barris-looking guy who played the Han-Solo-rip-off character. But according to the press release, the disc was made from a print purchased at a bankruptcy auction, so I suppose we should be grateful that this thing was even released on DVD at all.
Bon appetite. Hope you like junk food.
Both the XXX version
Watch The Beast in Space trailer:
Popularity: 4% [?]
[ ‹‹ Cincinnati Horror Film Festival – June 14, 2008 Paura: Lucio Fulci Remembered Vol. 1 (2008) ›› ]
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