Space Vampire

QUEEN OF BLOOD-1966-In 1990 the world prepares for the human exploration of Mars and Venus. The whole project is overseen by Dr. Farraday (Basil Rathbone). Space transmissions say that an ambassador from Mars is going to pay a visit but later it's found out the transmission is actually an SOS. The Space Institute decides to help and they send Laura James (Judi Meridith), Paul Grant (Dennis Hopper)) and Anders Brockman (Robert Boon). They run into trouble with a sunburst on the way. Laura figures they need better equipment to local the aliens, so two Earth bound astronauts Tony Baratta (Don Eithner) and Allan Brenner (John Saxon who passed away on July 25 of this year)) convince Farrady to send another ship that can land a Phobos, a moon of the red planet. It works and the duo hook up with others. They also find a creepy green faced female alien (Florence Marly). The next day Paul is found dead after an encounter with “their guest” who it turns out lives on blood. She kills Brockman next then goes after Allan. Laura stops her and in the process scratches the alien who bleeds to death. On their way back the surviving duo learn that the alien was a “queen bee” who laid eggs on the ship! Laura convinces Allan not to destroy them and instead bring them back to Earth where they can be studied. Forrest J. Ackerman (as a minor lab technician) has the honor of holding them for the final scene. 

This color science fiction outer space adventure from AIP isn't bad but a little shoddy at times due to the extreme low budget. Director Curtis Harrington (who made NIGHT TIDE with Hopper earlier) does a decent job with most of the special effects incorporated from two Soviet Union features. The year before QUEEN Rathbone had done new scenes for AIP's VOYAGE TO THE PREHISTORIC PLANET and was in the beach party ghost movie THE GHOST IN THE INVISIBLE BIKINI.

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