Contamination (1980)
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- Release Date: August 2, 1980
- Directed by: Luigi Cozzi
- Written by: Luigi Cozzi and Erich Tomek
- Runtime: 1 hour 35 minutes
While Alien 2: On Earth may be the most blatant Italian cash-in on Alien, it wasn't the only one, nor was it the best of them. Contamination released the very same year as Alien 2, and was directed by Luigi Cozzi, who had just directed the insanely entertaining Star Wars cash-in, Starcrash. Apparently its original script title was Alien Arrives on Earth, and all that makes me imagine is that the producers of this and Alien 2 were making a mad dash to see who could be the first one to cash in. Between the two films, I find Contamination to be way more well-made and entertaining. There's a lot to enjoy here!
The movie follows a few astronauts and scientists who are discovering alien eggs in various places on Earth not long after humanity made a successful mission to Mars. Much like the eggs in Alien, these eggs are also green, large, and leathery-looking. However, we don't get any Facehuggers or Alien 2's meat snakes that pop out of the eggs to impregnate people. Instead, these eggs make odd moaning sounds and explode. When they explode, they splash their victims with slime and alien spores that make their chests blow open. If you're a fan of gory Italian horror films of the time, there are a lot of effects here that are sure to please you. Unfortunately, these eggs are what make up most of the "alien" action in the film. That may seem disappointing at first, but along with the explosive death scenes, there is also a great little scene of a woman stuck in the bathroom with one as it's threatening to explode. For such a low-budget "alien", they get some good use out of them. There is one actual alien in the film, and while it looks nothing like a Xenomorph, it's a fun reveal that the movie takes its time to build up to. If you're on board with something as silly as explosive alien spores, I don't think you'll be disappointed with what the alien mastermind looks like here.
Aside from the lovingly-gooey special effects, my favorite part of this movie is the soundtrack by Goblin. This was a soundtrack from the later part of the band's post-Suspiria / Dawn of the Dead era, after founding members Claudio Simonetti and Massimo Morante had left the band. Maurizio Guarini had filled in on keyboards, and while his style is different from Simonetti's, I can still rock out to this soundtrack. The theme song, "Connexxion", features this synthesizer line that sounds like something out of a video game at the time, and is one of my favorite Goblin songs. It also recycles a song from their previous soundtrack to Joe D'Amato's Beyond the Darkness, "Quiet Drops", which is a beautiful piano song. Goblin's music is one of my favorite features in Italian horror / genre films, and this movie is another great showcase of their sound.
If you found yourself disappointed with Alien 2: On Earth, I promise that Contamination is the fun Italian Alien knock-off that you were looking for. Cheesy dubbing, gooey gore effects, an original alien design, and a great soundtrack all come together in this little gem. Even though it's a cash-in, it's a fun one that actually takes advantage of its premise of an alien threat on Earth. Take notes, Alien 2.