Responding to a distress signal, the crews of two interplanetary spaceships on an expedition into uncharted space touch down on a mysterious world full of eerie fog and pulsing disco rocks only to find the mummified remains of an alien crew and the realization that the signal wasn't a distress call, it was a warning to stay away.
Yes, if this sounds suspiciously like how Ridley Scott's Alien (1979) begins there is a good reason since the script writer, Dan O'Bannon, freely admits that he stole the idea from Mario Bava's 1965 science fiction horror movie.
There are two noticeable differences between the films, however. Scott had 11 million dollars to play with, allowing him to build huge gorgeous sets and the titular xenomorph. Bava, on the other hand, was working on a pauper's budget and had to reuse the same two foam rocks in every scene that he shot outside (the fact that this isn't immediately apparent is due to mirrors, dry ice and his skill as a film maker).
The other is that, while Scott dressed the crew of the Nostromo in jumpsuits and civilian clothing, everyone in Planet of the Vampires looks like this:
Tight leather space suits that double as bondage gear; because it's Italy in the 1960s and the future is going to be sexy.
Planet of the Vampires’ original motion picture soundtrack is available on vinyl for the first time via Death Waltz Recording Co. Priced at $35, the score is composed by Gino Marinuzzi Jr.
The album is pressed on "Aura Splatter" colored vinyl, limited to 2,000. It's housed in a gatefold jacket featuring artwork by Graham Humphreys. Shipping is expected to begin in June.
AKA Planet of the Vampires, The Demon Planet, The Planet of the Damned, The Planet of Terror, The Haunted World, The Haunted Planet, The Outlawed Planet, Terror in Space, Space Mutants, Planet of Blood