Inseminoid (titled Horror Planet in the United States) is a 1981 British independent science-fiction horror film directed by Norman J. Warren. It stars Judy Geeson, Robin Clarke and Stephanie Beacham with an early film appearance by Victoria Tennant. The plot concerns a group of archaeologists and scientists who are excavating the ruins of an ancient civilisation on a distant planet. After one of the women in the team, Sandy (Geeson), is raped and impregnated by a monstrous alien creature, she becomes psychotic and starts killing her colleagues one by one and eating their flesh.
Inseminoid was written by Nick and Gloria Maley, a married couple who had been members of the special effects team for Warren's earlier film Satan's Slave. Filmed between May and June 1980 on a budget of £1 million, half of which was supplied by the Shaw Brothers, it was shot largely on location at Chislehurst Caves in Kent and on the island of Gozo in Malta, with a week's studio filming at Lee International Studios in London. Composer John Scott completed the film's electronic musical score over hours-long recording sessions.
Despite a positive box office response in the UK and overseas, Inseminoid failed to impress most critics, who reacted negatively to the film's production design and special effects. The acting in general was also poorly received, though Geeson's performance was praised. Inseminoid's reputation suffered from its premise of an extraterrestrial insemination, which led critics to regard the film as a weak copy of Alien (1979). However, both Warren and Alien distributors 20th Century Fox rejected claims that the script for Inseminoid was influenced by the earlier film.
Academic criticism of Inseminoid has concentrated on the film's presentation of the female sex and female sexualities in the context of corruption by an alien source. Commentators have noted that as well as portraying Sandy as an abject Other, the film depicts a battle of the sexes as the character eliminates her former friends. The film was released on VHS to strong sales and novelised by Larry Miller.
Storyline[]
On a freezing planet, a team of 12 Xeno Project archaeologists and scientists are excavating the ruins of an ancient civilisation. They discover a cave system containing wall markings and crystals of unknown origin. During a survey, a mysterious explosion cripples photographer Dean White and injures Ricky Williams. Deciphering the wall markings, exolinguist Mitch theorises that the civilisation was built on a concept of dualism: the planet orbits a binary star and seems to have been ruled by twins. Medical assistant Sharon discovers that the crystals are surrounded by an energy field and suggests that the civilisation was controlled by a form of chemical intelligence.
A crystal sample begins to pulsate, causing the intelligence to take control of Ricky through a wound on his arm. In his delusional state, he is compelled to leave the team's base and go back into the caves. He throws Gail into a pile of twisted metal, damaging her environmental suit and trapping her foot. Desperate to free herself, Gail removes her helmet and tries to amputate her foot with a chainsaw, but instead freezes to death in the planet's toxic atmosphere. Documentation officer Kate Carson shoots Ricky with a harpoon gun before he opens the airlock and evacuates all of the base's air.
Ricky and Gail are buried outside the base. Later, Mitch and Sandy return to the caves to collect more crystals. A monstrous alien creature appears and dismembers Mitch, then rapes Sandy with a transparent tubular phallus pumping green liquid. Sandy is taken back to base and treated by the team's doctor, Karl, who discovers that the attack has triggered an accelerated pregnancy. When further underground explosions block off the caves, the survivors are left with nothing to do but wait for Xeno to pick them up.
The intelligence takes over Sandy, giving her superhuman strength. She stabs Barbra to death with a pair of scissors and mutilates Dean and the remains of Mitch, drinking their blood. The rest of the team take refuge in the control room as Sandy uses explosives to blow up the base transmitter. After Sandy appears to return to her normal self, Karl, Sharon and Commander Holly McKay try to sedate her. However, Sandy reverts to her violent state, killing Karl and Holly and disembowelling their corpses.
Mark radios Sandy from the control room to distract her while Kate and Gary arm themselves with chainsaws from a storage room. Sandy uncovers the ruse and harpoons Gary outside the airlock, breathing the atmosphere to no ill effect as she feeds on his flesh. She then re-enters the base and gives birth to hybrid twins. Mark stumbles across the newborns and leaves them with Sharon as Sandy blows up the door to the control room and smashes the equipment inside. Sandy uses another explosive charge to wound Kate, then kills her. Finally, Mark overpowers Sandy and strangles her to death with a length of cable. He returns to Sharon to find one of the twins drinking from her torn-out throat, then comes face to face with its sibling.
Twenty-eight days later, a Xeno shuttle lands on the planet to investigate the loss of contact with the team. With the base in ruins and its occupants either dead or missing, commandos Corin and Roy abandon the search for survivors and shuttle pilot Jeff radios Xeno for clearance to return. The final shots reveal that the twins have stowed away inside a storage compartment on board the shuttle.
Sound Effects Used[]
- FNAF Jumpscare Sound (Debut)