There was no information on this movie before watching - none of us had really heard of it - except a vague notion that it was a knock off of Alien. It starts harmless enough and exactly as advertised: a space crew take off to an unknown planet where they seek out a distress signal and to rescue another crew. The similarities are high: they land, disembark in their space suits and explore the seemingly abandoned ship, only to run into trouble, as one of the crew is mangled by a comically terrifying space monster. But something is off: none of the other crew seem concerned.
That is, they don't seem to acknowledge the monster, as the crewman's cause of death remains mysterious. The crew discover a mysterious pyramid and decide to go take a look, disregarding all signs of danger. The efficiency at which this crew moves into action is amazing, as they all seem pretty incompetent. The pace is appreciated if for nothing else than it differentiates itself from other movies. It doesn't waste time developing character: let the actions speak for themselves. Surprisingly, it works, and we get a pretty clear (well, mostly) picture of each of our crew, although their motivations will always remain a mystery.
This is b-movie gold. The sets are clever and the effects are practical. We bumble along with these misfits and put reason aside. I let myself go and became lost in the fantasy. We've barely spoken a word as we're all entranced with the movie. Then the infamous scene hit us:
Giant alien worm rape scene.
It began innocently enough: one of our crew, a bosomy blonde, is being attacked by some kind of giant maggot (of which is pretty decent quality, all things considered). We think it's just going to eat her, as she becomes covered in slime and her clothes disappear in a scream of agony. It seems to end as abruptly as it begins, and we turn to one another with the same dumbfounded look. What just happened?
You can read various articles on the history of this scene and how it came to be. It seems to be a case of appeasing the audience and giving them what they want: in order to obtain funding for the film, Roger Corman agreed to a certain amount of nudity to appear on screen. Which puts movie making into another light, and firmly concretes the fact that sex sells. It's the only reason this movie exists, really. But if you came for the nudity then you got a whole lot more, as the movie ramps up into big ideas that are just big enough that this film can't quite contain them. This element of grand design adds to the other variables, including: kooky characters, thin plot and comical special effects - to name just a few - to create a cult film and a must watch for its genre.
As our crew delves further into the pyramid mountain, we are fully entranced with the mystery of what is killing everyone as they continue their hunt to determine the exact same thing. Spoiler alert for those that care! We quickly discover (the movie is short, after all) that all the horrors our bumbling crew encounter are manifestations of their worst fears. This leads us to some great moments where crew members are killed in most spectacular fashion, even having to fight oneself. The pyramid is explained as a toy for a greater or long extinct race. I like to believe that our crew is being observed, just as we are observing the film. It's an experiment or form of entertainment and perhaps a bit of both: we can analyse the actions of the victims or just revel in the entertainment alone. The pyramid could also explain the origin of the titular sphere in the Michael Crichton's novel, Sphere. It may be worth rewatching Galaxy just to catch a glimpse of the sphere itself in a background somewhere. In the movie Sphere - one of my favourites - we don't learn where the sphere comes from or what its purpose was save for the notion that it comes from another time and is extra-planetary. Galaxy could give a bit of background on it and join the movies together, which delves entirely too much into the world of "fan theories" that are fun to explore, especially in the science fiction realm. It's also a reminder of what great sci-fi can do: borrow from one another and while not necessarily make a better a product but create a different interpretation. The cult following for Galaxy of Terror is well deserved and worth a watch for for any fan of the genre, be it science fiction or campy b movies.
Recommended Reading: TCM Article