Inseminoid (1981) Review
Inseminoid (1981) Review
A crew of interplanetary archaeologists is threatened when an alien creature impregnates one of their members, causing her to turn homicidal and murder them one by one.
Directed by Norman J. Warren and written by Nick and Gloria Maley, INSEMINOID (entitled HORROR PLANET in the US) did surprisingly well at the UK box-office and went on to do great retail business upon its VHS release. Starring Judy Geeson, Stephanie Beacham and Victoria Tennant, in one of her first onscreen appearances, the film was conceived as an amalgamation of the writers’ sci-fi ideas with an eye to further showcase their effects work, previously seen in Warren’s SATAN’S SLAVE.
Film critics were unfavourable with their reviews comparing it to Ridley Scott’s 1979 classic ALIEN. However both 20th Century Fox and INSEMINOID’s director have stated otherwise as the script was finalised and ready to roll months before Ripley and the xenomorph opened in UK cinemas.
I haven’t been this confused by a slice of sci-fi since Seventies TV’s SPACE 1999, but at least that had better acting. On every level this is a spectacular fail. For the most part it’s people pushing each other over a lot escalating into having the very same people end up doing something stupid that leads to a bloody death.
It’s everything that you’ve seen before but done in a very nonsensical needlessly frenzied pace. It’s not even saved by the kills, because the chances are that you’ve become so irritated beyond belief that you’re contemplating switching the damn thing off. Even the clunky Kirk Douglas sci-fi drama SATURN 3 from the same period makes for a better viewing experience than this, and that’s really saying something.
Currently available on Arrow Player
