Dead Space (film)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the 1991 film. For the 2008 animated film, see Dead Space: Downfall. For the 2011 animated film, see Dead Space: Aftermath. For the video game, see Dead Space (series). For the media franchise, see Dead Space (franchise).
Dead Space
Dead Space.jpg
VHS cover
Directed byFred Gallo
Written byCatherine Cyran
Produced byMike Elliott
Roger Corman (executive producer)
(associate producer)
StarringMarc Singer

Judith Chapman
Bryan Cranston
Randy Reinholz
Lori Lively
CinematographyMark Parry
Edited byLawrence Jordan
Music byDaniel May
Distributed byConcorde Pictures
Release date
  • January 21, 1991 (1991-01-21)
Running time
72 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Dead Space (Also known as Cosmic Virus Starsship Lab) is a 1991 American Science-Fiction horror film directed by Fred Gallo and produced by Roger Corman.[1]

Plot[]

In the research facility on the planet Phablos, a virus is created in a botched experiment which turns those infected into monster. An emergency distress call is sent from the lab. A spacecraft crewed by Commander Steve Krieger and robot sidekick Tinpan respond to the emergency call from the planet, but their craft is attacked and damaged on the way to Phablos.

Upon their arrival at Phablos, those in charge of the laboratory explain that they have managed to contain the virus. Krieger accepts the lab's claims and begins repairs on his ship. The scientist had not been entirely honest with Krieger, and had been attempting to study the virus rather than contain it.

Unfortunately, the virus escapes and infects a lab worker, leaving the lab to face a killer virus that turns them into alien monsters.

Krieger and Tinpan attempt to stop the monster, but their weapons prove ineffective. One of the lab workers develops a bioweapon that proves effective in stopping the monster.

Production[]

The movie is a remake of the 1982, Roger Corman-produced horror film Subject 20 and while there are minor differences, it still retains the original new main storyline and new character set-up. Singer said that he had fun shooting the movie, and felt that it was an "unpretentious, rip-roaring space adventure."[2] The film had a working title of Biohazard.[3] Some of the space battle effects were reused from Battle Beyond the Stars.

The effects team wanted a monster different from anything that had been seen before, a tasks made more complicatied as the movie was shot in three weeks. An inner harness was developed which allowed for rapid mobility of the actor in the monster suit. GM foam and hair inserts were used to show the transformation of human into monster.[4]

Home Release[]

In 2010, Shout! Factory released the film on DVD, packaged as a double feature with The Terror Within as part of the Roger Corman's Cult Classics collection.[5]

As of January 2022, the movie is available to stream for free on many sites, including Tubi, Plex and the Shout streaming app [6]

Cast[]

Reception[]

Tv Guide found the movie a weak entry into the man versus monster genre. It felt it borrowed heavily from Alien and Star Wars and had many plot holes.[7] While Gorezone liked the technical aspects of the monster effect, it preferred the original Forbidden World to this remake. It also stated that the monster seemed more of a mutant dinosaur than mutated human.[8] IGN found the movie to be a typical Corman movie, but that the movie was notable for Bryan Cranston in one of his earliest roles.[9]

References[]

  1. ^ "Dead Space (1991)".
  2. ^ Jankiewicz, P. King of the Beast. Starlog 271. p. 65 Feb. 2000
  3. ^ "Dead Space (1991)".
  4. ^ Gorezone #18
  5. ^ "Shout! Factory website". Shout! Factory. Archived from the original on 11 April 2010. Retrieved 6 October 2010.
  6. ^ https://www.roku.com/whats-on/movies/dead-space?id=996f2c477df85113a898c35b6d6a9c72
  7. ^ "Dead Space".
  8. ^ Gorezone 118
  9. ^ "Corman's Terrifying Dead Space". September 2010.

External links[]

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