Running a brisk 63 minutes long, this neat retrospective documentary covers a lot of interesting ground on the making of the 1981 sci-fi/horror cult classic "Galaxy of Terror." Producer Roger Corman talks about the origins of his company New World Pictures and how he conceived the film as a psychological sci-fi picture. All the cast auditions were done under the title "The Quest." Sid Haig came up with the idea for his character Quuhod to be a near mute because he thought the dialogue didn't fit the character. Everyone remembers that Zalman King was a super intense guy on the set while cast and crew alike were smitten with Grace Zabriskie.. Director Bruce D. Clark and screenwriter Marc Siegler were reluctant to do the infamous rape scene by giant maggot, so they decided to make this notorious set piece as over the top as possible. Actress Taaffe O'Connell reveals that the slime she was covered with was freezing cold and that she almost got crushed when the worm nearly fell on top of her. The whole movie was shot in a studio that used to be a lumberyard and some of the sets were built overnight for the next day's shooting. Editor R.J. Kizer discusses how he had to tone down the worm rape and soften sound effects of people's bones breaking in order to secure an R rating. Jim Cameron is remembered as brilliant and resourceful, but a real smug and cocky pain in the neck to work with. Robert Englund's closing remarks are absolutely priceless. Essential viewing for fans of this film.
User Reviews
Review this title2 Reviews
Nice Documentary on the Making of a B Picture
Michael_Elliott4 September 2010
Tales from the Lumber Yard: The Making of Galaxy of Terror (2010)
*** 1/2 (out of 4)
Extremely well-made documentary about the making of the cult film GALAXY OF TERROR. This documentary runs just over an hour and I'm sure even the most die-hard fans will be shocked at how many people they gathered up to be interviewed here. Not only do we get Roger Corman but also on hand are screenwriter Marc Siegler, director Bruce D. Clark, Robert Englund, Sid Haig, Taaffe O'Connell and Grace Zabriskie. Countless other make-up, special effect and other production members are also on hand. The film kicks off with Corman discussing how he started New World Pictures and explaining the type of pictures they wanted to make. When then turn to the production of this ALIEN clone and what the screenwriters originally wanted for the story and of course we have Corman giving his own ideas, which include the infamous maggot rape scene. All of the actors tell terrific stories about meeting Corman and how they were hired. We also get to hear about every detail of the production including the work done by future Oscar-winner James Cameron. Cameron actually gets his own segment and it's pretty clear that the majority of people who worked with him hate his guts. Towards the end of the doc we get to hear about the original cut of the film, the battle with the MPAA and eventually its cult status. Fans of the film are going to love seeing all of these people talking about the film and those unfamiliar with the movie will enjoy it as well.
*** 1/2 (out of 4)
Extremely well-made documentary about the making of the cult film GALAXY OF TERROR. This documentary runs just over an hour and I'm sure even the most die-hard fans will be shocked at how many people they gathered up to be interviewed here. Not only do we get Roger Corman but also on hand are screenwriter Marc Siegler, director Bruce D. Clark, Robert Englund, Sid Haig, Taaffe O'Connell and Grace Zabriskie. Countless other make-up, special effect and other production members are also on hand. The film kicks off with Corman discussing how he started New World Pictures and explaining the type of pictures they wanted to make. When then turn to the production of this ALIEN clone and what the screenwriters originally wanted for the story and of course we have Corman giving his own ideas, which include the infamous maggot rape scene. All of the actors tell terrific stories about meeting Corman and how they were hired. We also get to hear about every detail of the production including the work done by future Oscar-winner James Cameron. Cameron actually gets his own segment and it's pretty clear that the majority of people who worked with him hate his guts. Towards the end of the doc we get to hear about the original cut of the film, the battle with the MPAA and eventually its cult status. Fans of the film are going to love seeing all of these people talking about the film and those unfamiliar with the movie will enjoy it as well.
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