Galaxy of Terror (1981) Gives You the Pyramid You Don’t Get from Alien (1979)
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Ati
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Galaxy of Terror is a 1981 science fiction horror film produced by Roger Corman and directed by Bruce D. Clark. It stars Edward Albert, Erin Moran, Ray Walston and Taaffe O’Connell.
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While known as being 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 for director 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).
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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.
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Cameron would later direct Aliens (1986), the sequel to Ridley Scott's Alien (1979), an important inspiration for Galaxy of Terror. Optical FX Supervisor Tony Randel, who worked with Cameron on Galaxy of Terror, notes on the Shout! Factory DVD release that Aliens, which Cameron helmed, looks a lot like Galaxy of Terror in many ways.
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On a desolate, storm-lashed planet called Morganthus, the last survivor of a crashed spaceship is attacked and killed by an unseen force. On another planet a very long distance away, two figures are seen playing a strange game. One, an old woman named Mitri, is identified as the controller of the game while the other, whose head is obscured by a glowing ball of red light, turns out to be an all-powerful mystic called the Planet Master. The two speak cryptically of things being put into motion, and the Master instructs one of his military commanders to send a ship to Morganthus.
Without delay, the spaceship Quest blasts off to Morganthus. Piloting the ship is Captain Trantor, a survivor from a famous space disaster that has left her psychologically scarred and unstable. As the Quest approaches the planet’s atmosphere, it suddenly veers out of control and plunges toward the surface, crash-landing there. After recovering from the landing, the crew prepare to leave the Quest and search for survivors. The team has a psi-sensitive woman among their number named Alluma (Erin Moran). Both she and the surface team have significant problems with team leader Baelon (Zalman King), who is pushy and arrogant and totally unimpressed by Alluma's inability to detect any lifesigns whatsoever.
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Making their way across the landscape of the planet, they eventually reach the other vessel. Entering, they find evidence of a massacre that took place. The rescue teams split into two and explore the craft. They find further evidence of something catastrophic having happened and, after disposing of the rest, take one victim back for analysis. Cos, the highly-strung youngest member of the team, despite being reassured by his seniors, becomes increasingly terrified by being on the ship and, a short time later, he is killed by a grotesque creature.
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The crew discover that something from the planet pulled them down, and in order to escape, they must investigate. After some exploration, they discover a massive pyramid-shaped structure, which Alluma describes as "empty" and "dead". Their explorations of the pyramid lead to a series of exceedingly violent and deadly encounters in which a malevolent force causes several crew members to be dismembered, burned, consumed, raped or crushed to death by monsters created out of each person's unique set of fears.
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/Spoiler:/
Eventually, only two members of the team, Ranger (Robert Englund) and Cabren (Edward Albert), remain alive. Deep inside the pyramid, Cabren encounters the Master (Ray Walston), who has been masquerading as the cook on board the Quest. The Master explains that 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 kills the Master for allowing his crew to die, but becomes the new Master in his place.
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Text taken from:
https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Galaxy_of_Terror
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My pleasure, Ingeniero, I'm happy you find it interesting.
I wouldn't like to claim anything about the storyline, but the production design is outstanding. The pyramid looks awesome:
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daliens - 'We need to know who made the xenomorph. We need to know who the SJ was. I think most of the fans are now waiting for these answers rather than for another Ripley story or just some meaningless adventures in the alien universe.'
I agree with you.
'I don't know about pyramids in alien films.'
You should know because it is important. Look at this:
'Alien Pyramid:
The search party from the Nostromo originally find a triangle that the Space Jockey had carved into its “dashboard,” apparently as its last act, when they investigate the Derelict Ship. After the planetoid’s endless dust storm has briefly settled, the crew can see a huge pyramid on the horizon. Another crew is sent to explore. They scale it, find an opening on top, and a volunteer lowers himself down the hatch. He finds a giant chamber that seems like a tomb, or maybe a place of worship. There are weird statues and some sort of hieroglyphics which are representative of Alien reproductive cycles.'
'The explorer then finds the Alien spores that had been waiting. This summary was taken from The Book of Alien which goes on to quote Ridley Scott who said, “The pyramid and the derelict-two different elements-were still the subject of a seesaw debate when I came on the project. I would love to have shot it, but the more I thought about it the more I realized it would have been wonderful in a three-hour version. What finally cracked it was the budget. We just had to get rid of it. And you know, sometimes financial practicalities force you to do a certain amount of editorial work, and I’m glad we simplified it.” The image is a piece of conceptual artwork done by Chris Foss.'
Source: https://www.avpgalaxy.net/alien-movies/alien/deleted-scenes/
"Hell Has Just Been Relocated!"
I will soon perform my analysis.
Ati - thanks again.
I knew about the pyramid from the O'Bannon script, I just don't see how it could be introduced at this stage in the Alien universe. The was no pyramid in Prometheus or in Alien Covenant. Unless they find one on Origae 6 I don't think David will get the colonists to work to build one for the eggs. And in the original script the xenomorph was an extinct alien species so the pyramid kind of made sense in their own world.
Probably Ridley Scott considered the gigeresque domes (similar to Giger’s work for Dune) we see in Prometheus as a better version of the pyramid he could not do for the first film.
You know, Ridley Scott said he made the prequels to answer who the SJ was and who made the xenomorph. After 2 films we still don't know those answers, on the contrary we have more mistery and endless debates.
"He survived, he’s now in Disneyland in Orlando, and no way am I going back there. How did he end up in Disneyland? I saw him in Disneyland, Jesus Christ!"
