New World Pictures released Galaxy of Terror on 1 October 1981 in the United States. It only ever got a limited release.
I’ll be honest. This film is a rip-off of Alien. Yet it’s really good. Of course, “critics” generally hate it. Of course they would! Can’t appreciate a low-budget version of a beloved earlier film!
But it’s more than just Alien. It influenced Aliens. This is not surprising. James Cameron was second unit director and co-production designer.
What I most like are the practical special effects. Alien gets by without much because the whole thing is so dark. (Obviously, John Hurt’s chest explosion is the exception.)
But I understand why many don’t like this film. A lot of it is less realistic than Alien. But it ain’t like this earlier film couldn’t use a bit more color!
Strangely, director Bruce D Clark never directed again. And he never directed horror or science fiction. It goes to show: a film is a film is a film. I assume he just got tired of working on these films. But he did come back to produce a couple of direct-to-video films in the 1990s. Both were filmed in Washington state so I assume he retired up there. I hope he’s well!
Anyway, enough talk! Let’s watch this underappreciated gem:
Galaxy of Terror poster via Wikipedia under Fair Use.
