Planet of the Vampires (1965) US Press Stills

Eight key press stills for Mario Bava's incredibly stylish Planet of the Vampires. Alongside It! The Terror from Beyond Space (1958) and Dan O'Bannon's dry run with Dark Star (1974), these films are the main influence for Ridley Scott's Alien (1979).

This was Antonio Rinaldi's first film as cinematographer, and he took the opportunity to impress Bava - for whom he went on to film everything from Kill, Baby... Kill! (1966) and Danger: Diabolik (1968) to Baron Blood (1972). Special credit must go to costume designer Gabriele Mayer, whose extraordinary spacesuits were completed in only twenty days.