Contamination

Under the pseudonym “Lewis Coates”, director Luigi Cozzi, following the disappointing reception of “Starcrash” (a film that, to tell the truth, has been partially reevaluated over time), decides to stick with sci-fi to make his own personal version of “Alien” (1979).

Although the Ridley Scott masterpiece serves as a role model, “Contamination” (aka “Alien Contamination”) unabashedly plunders thirty years’ worth of sci-fi moviemaking (from 1950s milestones such as “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” to forgotten 1960s B movies such as “Queen of Blood“), before tossing in that pronounced predilection for splatter typical of the 1980s. But at the end of the day, it’s precisely that Grand Guignol aspect where this film puts its best foot forward. With chests swelling up and bodies exploding, genre fans will find numerous scenes to cheer about.

Beyond that, despite the modest budget ($225,000), the makeup and special effects display all the authenticity and efficacy of fine, old-school craftsmanship. The extraterrestrial creature looks like the evil step-brother of the visitors from “It Came from Outer Space” (1953), while the asthmatic eggs with an incomprehensible lifecycle merit direct induction into the annals of weird.

Turning our attention to other aspects, however, the film reveals pronounced artistic and structural limitations. Cozzi’s own screenplay turns out to be rather slapdash, the pacing drags for long stretches, the actors struggle (Ian McCulloch especially), the dialogue alternates between random banalities and embarrassing lines that were meant to be funny (like when the protagonist, visiting the coffee plant, blurts out this absurd comment: “You know, three tons of coffee can make a lot of people very nervous!“).