Bruce D Clark Popular Books

Bruce D Clark Biography & Facts

Galaxy of Terror is a 1981 American science fiction horror film produced by Roger Corman through New World Pictures and directed by Bruce D. Clark. It stars Edward Albert, Erin Moran, Ray Walston and Taaffe O'Connell. Set in a dystopian future where humanity is a spacefaring race ruled by a sole person called "The Master," the film features a space crew confronting primal fears after they are marooned on a distant planet. The film has many of the hallmarks associated with the "B-movie" style Roger Corman became known for: low budget, clever set designs, talented, up-and-coming production personnel, and lots of exploitive material, including a notorious scene in which a worm sexually assaults Taaffe O'Connell. Plot On the planet Morganthus, the last survivor of a crashed spaceship is killed by a monster. On the world of Xerxes, the Planet Master, a man whose face is obscured by an aura, instructs one of his military commanders to take a spaceship called Quest to Morganthus. The Planet Master is seen playing a sort of chess-like game with an old woman who advises him that his actions are dangerous and will lead to ruin. The Planet Master responds by saying that it (his actions) is necessary. The Quest is piloted by Captain Trantor, a survivor of a space disaster that has left her psychologically scarred. While approaching Morganthus' atmosphere, the ship veers out of control, with Trantor barely able to make the landing. The rescue team then leaves the Quest in search of survivors. The team reaches the other vessel and finds several victims, making them think that a massacre has taken place. They take one body back for analysis and dispose of the rest. Cos, a young crewmember, becomes increasingly terrified of being on the ship. He is later killed by something that vanishes before anyone finds his remains. The crew later discovers a force emanating from a large pyramidal structure that pulled the Quest down and keeps it from lifting off. Leaving their ship, they approach the structure, which the psi-sensitive, Alluma, describes it as "empty" and "dead". Splitting up, one team led by Commander Ilvar discovers an opening along the side of the pyramid. Ilvar insists, over the objections of his two younger counterparts, on going in first. While being lowered, Ilvar is attacked by tentacles within the chamber that drain his body of blood, killing him. The other two continue on to the surface, linking up with the other group, and find another entrance. Leaving crewmember Quuhod to guard the entrance, the remaining four search inside the pyramid. Quuhod, who has a religious affinity for the crystal stars he uses as weapons, later sees one form in front of his eyes. When he picks it up, a piece breaks off and begins sliding through his skin, forcing him to sever his arm to keep it from entering the remainder of his body. The dismembered arm becomes animated and throws another crystal star at Quuhod, killing him. Alluma starts sensing something strange, so technical chief Dameia is sent back to the entrance. Dameia discovers Quuhod's severed arm being swarmed by maggots. She blasts the arm and staggers off. One surviving maggot grows to giant size and, when Dameia comes back into the chamber, proceeds to rape and kill her. Back on the ship, crewman Ranger sees Captain Trantor running as if being attacked. Trantor spontaneously combusts as she fires a weapon in an airlock. The remaining rescue team members find Dameia's naked remains, and return to the ship. All surviving Quest crewmembers return to the pyramid, where Baelon elects to stay behind and is torn apart by a monster. Inside the pyramid, Alluma, Ranger and Cabren are separated by moving walls. Ranger begins to feel a rush of terror and is soon attacked by a double. Regaining control of himself, he manages to fend off the double, which fades away. Alluma is attacked by tentacles which crush her head. Crewman Ranger and Specialist Cabren later discover that the planet creates monsters to attack people based upon their individual fears. Inside the pyramid, the two meet Kore, the ship's cook. Cabren discovers that Kore is really the Master, who has been masquerading as the cook on board the Quest. The pyramid is actually an ancient toy for the children of a long-extinct race, built in order to test their ability to control fear. Cabren is forced to confront the creatures which attacked the crew and also zombified versions of the victims, all of which he kills. After defeating his final challenge, Cabren has "won the game." Kore starts dying, and the energy that had engulfed his face engulfs Cabren. Stating that he will not play the game, Cabren decides to leave the planet. Kore's dying words express doubt that Cabren will manage to change his fate. Angered, Cabren kills Kore, but as the Master himself cannot die, he becomes the new Planet Master. Cast Edward Albert as Cabren, an experienced and cool-headed space veteran who is the film's main protagonist Erin Moran as Alluma, the ship's empath Ray Walston as Kore, the ship's cook Taaffe O'Connell as Dameia, the ship's technical officer Bernard Behrens as Commander Ilvar, the overall commander of the mission Zalman King as Baelon, the rescue unit's team leader Robert Englund as Ranger, the ship's second technical officer Sid Haig as Quuhod, crewman and crystal shuriken thrower Grace Zabriskie as Captain Trantor, the ship's troubled captain Jack Blessing as Cos, an inexperienced, frightened crewman Production James Cameron While known as a "B movie king", Roger Corman has started the careers of many prominent Hollywood people with his films. Galaxy of Terror was one of the earliest films to feature the work of James Cameron, who served as Production Designer and Second Unit Director on the film. It was the second Corman film on which Cameron worked as a crewman, the first being Battle Beyond the Stars (1980). Working on a tight budget, Cameron's innovative filmmaking techniques came to the forefront. In one scene, Cameron was able to figure out a way to get maggots to wiggle on cue by developing a metal plate onto which the maggots were placed, then ran an electric current through the plate whenever filming began, causing the maggots to move energetically about. His ability to find low-tech solutions to such problems reportedly made him a favorite of Corman and eventually allowed him to pursue more ambitious projects. Ridley Scott's Alien (1979) was an important inspiration for Galaxy of Terror and Cameron would later direct the sequel, Aliens (1986). Optical FX Supervisor Tony Randel, who worked with Cameron on Galaxy of Terror, commented on the Shout! Factory DVD release that Aliens looks like Galaxy of Terror in many ways. Taaffe O'Connell and "the worm scene" The commentary on the 2010 Shout! Factory DVD release includes R.J. Kizer, one of three editors of the film. Kizer reveals that the originally scripted version of O'Connell's "Dameia" character would see her .... Discover the Bruce D Clark popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Bruce D Clark books.