Queen of Blood

Queen of Blood aka Planet of Blood, is a 1966 color science fiction-horror film, produced by George Edwards and Samuel Z. Arkoff, directed by Curtis Harrington, that stars John Saxon, Basil Rathbone, Dennis Hopper, and Judi Meredith. The film is based on the screenplay for the earlier Soviet feature film Mechte Navstrechu (A Dream Come True). Director Harrington also reused special effects footage from that film, as well as the Soviet science fiction film Nebo Zovyot (Battle Beyond the Sun). Queen of Blood was released by American International Pictures on a double bill with Blood Bath. Director Curtis Harrington felt that Ridley Scott's Alien (1979) must have received some inspiration from his feature, saying "Ridley's film is like a greatly enhanced, expensive and elaborate version of Queen of Blood". An alien species contacts Earth to say that they are coming across the galaxy to make formal contact. Their interstellar starship crashes on Mars and an Earthship is dispatched to attempt a rescue. On Mars, they locate the downed craft, but only a single dead alien humanoid is found aboard. They determine that an alien rescue shuttle left the Red Planet but crashed on nearby Phobos. A strange, green-skinned woman is found alive aboard the wreck. As they head back to Earth, the crew begins to die, drained of their blood.