Queen of Blood

In the 1960s sci-fi film, Queen of Blood, a spaceship, led by Captain Ralston, is sent on a perilous journey to Mars. Initially, their mission is to find the source of a distress signal that had been sent from the red planet, with the hope of possibly uncovering a valuable new resource. On board the spaceship, the crew is made up of experienced and seasoned astronauts, including Commander Roy Glennon, Captain Ralston, and Dr. Hyde, the ship's chief scientist. After weeks of space travel, the crew finally arrives on Mars and begins to explore the barren landscape. Their search yields no signs of life, but a second distress call is heard. Deciding to investigate this new signal, the crew sends out a rescue team to the location where the call is coming from. It's there that they find a young woman, Eva, who's suffering from extensive blood loss. Despite her condition, Eva is rescued and brought aboard the spaceship. As things progress, however, strange things begin to happen on the ship. The crew discovers that blood is missing, hinting that there's someone on the ship feeding on the precious liquid. Initially, the crew assumes it's one of their own members, but the evidence suggests that a predator, capable of draining the blood from its victims, is present within their ranks. Tensions rise among the crew as they begin to suspect each other of the gruesome crime. They start to question one another's alibis, searching for any sign of the monster. The crew's unease worsens when it's discovered that the survivor, Eva, is not as human as they initially thought. Her appearance, coupled with her behavior and seemingly supernatural abilities, raises concerns that they may have stumbled upon something sinister. Despite their fears, Captain Ralston and his crew decide to try and save the rest of the crew members who are still stranded on Mars. The situation becomes increasingly complicated, though, as it's revealed that the real reason behind the crew member's disappearance isn't a human killer but a monster – a creature from another world that the crew has unwittingly awakened. The creature in question turns out to be a bloodsucking alien, known as the 'Succubus', an extraterrestrial creature infamous for feeding on the blood of their victims. With the knowledge that they are being terrorized by a monstrous creature that preys on the blood of its victims, Captain Ralston and the remaining members of his crew are faced with an unprecedented challenge: stop the creature before it claims any more lives. Director John Howe uses footage from the film Encounter in Space (1963), directed by Walter Doniger, to interlace with Queen of Blood footage, enhancing the sci-fi visual experience for viewers. The use of a well-established pre-existing film gives the story a unique, otherworldly quality. However, due to a relatively poor budget, the pacing of the film becomes somewhat uneven at times. In conclusion, Queen of Blood is a groundbreaking film that offers a fascinating and captivating blend of science fiction, drama, and horror. Directed by John Hayes and starring John Saxon, Dennis Hopper, and Florence Marly, the film offers viewers an unforgettable viewing experience, especially during a time when the science fiction genre was rapidly evolving.