INSEMINOID. A Disgusting Rip-Off of “Alien”

Inseminoid is a more brazen rip-off of Alien than Contamination (1980) by Luigi Cozzi, and that is not the only problem with this disgusting film. Humanity discovers a planet orbiting two suns, showing traces of an alien civilization. Twelve scientists (six women and six men) from the Xeno project conduct archaeological work in caves hidden beneath the planet’s surface, uncovering strange wall paintings and fluorescent crystals of unknown origin. The researchers have different theories about the seemingly extinct alien civilization: some say it was based on the concept of dualism, while others believe it was formed by intelligent biochemical entities.

During a subsequent expedition, a mysterious explosion injures two scientists. One of them falls into a murderous frenzy, and the crew must kill him in self-defense. Meanwhile, a monster lurking in the caves attacks a researcher named Sandy; medical tests reveal that the woman is pregnant. To make matters worse, an inexplicable force takes control of her mind and turns her against the other scientists. The idea for Inseminoid was conceived by Nick and Gloria Maley, a married couple working in makeup effects [Nick was responsible for the appearance of Yoda in the Star Wars series, and also worked on The Shining (1980) by Stanley Kubrick, Britannia Hospital (1982) by Lindsay Anderson, and Highlander (1986) by Russell Mulcahy]. The screenplay they wrote caught the attention of director Norman J. Warren, who had collaborated with the Maleys on Satan’s Slave (1976), and of producer Run Run Shaw, who covered half the production costs. Filming took place from May to June 1980 in the Chislehurst Caves on the outskirts of London, at the Lee International studios in London, and on the island of Gozo near Malta.

The special effects were, of course, handled by the Maleys, for whom Inseminoid was intended as both a distillation of their favorite science fiction motifs and a sort of showcase – a demonstration of the technical skills of the makeup artist couple. Inseminoid was a box-office success in the United Kingdom and continental Europe, the Maleys received a special effects award at the Fantafestival, and Warren received congratulations for his film from Roger Corman himself, who even briefly considered collaborating with the British director.

Critics, however, tore the film apart, pointing out the flimsy plot, poor acting, lack of tension, and above all, the borderline plagiaristic similarities to Alien (1979) by Ridley Scott. Warren strongly rejected the latter accusation: he insisted that the screenplay had been written before Scott’s film premiered, although he admitted that there were some uncanny analogies. He also recalled that after completing Inseminoid, he sent a film reel to the producers of Alien at 20th Century Fox. They decided it was not a knock-off of Alien, and the head of Fox sent us a very nice letter saying how much he liked our film, Warren recounted. If we are to believe the director, then this is truly a case of an extraordinary coincidence, because Inseminoid is strikingly similar to Alien – only it is Alien stripped of expensive special effects, excellent set design, believable characters, and suspense, and instead furnished with paper-thin characters, a ludicrous plot, cheap decorations, and boring action lacking even a shred of horror. The film’s main weakness is the antagonist: not a monster, but a cherub-faced blonde with blue eyes who cannot frighten anyone. Instead of inducing fear, the creators tried to provoke shock and disgust, showing a rape by an alien and a pregnant woman being kicked directly in the belly.

That alone should disqualify Inseminoid as anything worth attention – unless as an example of the worst kind of bizarre exploitation cinema. There truly are no words to describe how bad, repulsive, and tedious a film Inseminoid is. P.S. The best film inspired by Alien remains Creature (1985) by William Malone.