Queen Of Blood/Queen Of Schlock

Wish the cover art for the copy I have was this kool. Love the rocket!

                      
                                      Queen Of Blood/Queen Of Schlock

                                                                by

                                                                   Jay Agan
     
      Take ..... a smaller studio specializing in low budget coolness (American International), an aging but still well known actor (Basil "Sherlock Holmes" Rathbone), some relative unknowns to be "names" later (John Saxon, Dennis Hopper), the editor (Forrest J Ackerman) of every kids' favorite monster movie magazine (Famous Monsters of Filmland) in a semiprominent non-speaking role, SPFX & mood shots/clips from 2+ east European sci-fi films. Cobble this mess together & whaddayagot? A Roger Corman flick called Queen of Blood!

     The technocratic govt. of future Earth (1990!) recieves a message from a distant world: They're willing to share their advancements & an ambassador is on the way (Oh, goody!). The alien ship crashlands on Mars & scientist Rathbone gets a rush program going for a rescue mission.

      One of the rescue crews only finds a dead occupant, while the backup on Phobos inadvertantly runs across the ambassador (Florence Marley). Transferring her to the main ship (And leaving an astronaut behind.) the expedition heads back to Earth.

      The green being turns out to have an appetite for human blood (She chews out the wrist.). Through her powers of mesmerism, two of the crew (Dennis Hopper, Robert Boon) buy the farm. It's almost curtains for John Saxon, but is saved by the intervention of Judi Meredith.

      In the ensuing quick struggle, the alien is merely scratched & bleeds to death. Seems she may been some kind of overly inbred "royalty" thus hemophiliac.

      On arrival to Earth, it's found the ship is "infested" with "eggs". Turns out the "ambassador" was actually an "advance guard" to colonize our planet for her vampiric kind. A still ecstatic Rathbone & science team gather the eggs for study. The film ends with a smiling Forrest Ackerman looking down at a tray of pulsating ova he's holding.

"Uncle Forry" (Forrest J Ackerman) looking quite pleased with himself as
he examines a tray of alien eggs at the end of Queen of Blood. Credit: AIP

     
      Queen of Blood/Planet of Blood was a flick Channel 10 (WBNS, Wolfe Boots News n' Shoes, Columbus, OH) would trot out (Seemingly every two months.) often for Chillers' late nite double feature on Fridays. For some odd reason(s) I actually loved this bit of cheez. Maybe it was the upbeat moodiness of the first half coupled with the claustrophobic eiriness/oppressiveness of the second. I do know I always liked Basil Rathbone. Don't think I would have bothered to watch if he wasn't in it (Kind of like Battle of the Worlds.  For me, Claude Rains "made" that picture.).

Article copyright © 9-22-2011 Jay Agan

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