n archaeological expedition to a mysterious planet, dubbed Project Xeno, has proven incredibly valuable. Over the course of two months of survey and research, a previously unexplored, vast, tomblike complex has been discovered, which could provide information on the extinct species that used to inhabit the forbidding world – which remains at 89 degrees below zero during the day, despite its two suns. When one particular investigatory outing into the subterraneous tunnels results in a minor cave-in, burying scientist Dean (Dominic Jephcott) and injuring photographer Ricky (David Baxt), exhaustive tests are conducted. But many members of the team, comprised of a dozen specialists, are conflicted, believing that they’re not properly trained to handle the contingencies that have arisen.

And, indeed, those unanticipated complications – ranging from inscriptions in the caves to odd crystals to uncontrollable behaviors exhibited by exposure to infectious materials – are well beyond their expertise. When Ricky’s figure begins to deteriorate, revealing lesions on his face, he suddenly departs the crew quarters in a frenzy, returning to the underground labyrinth, as if possessed. And it’s just the beginning of the explorers’ woes as they steadily succumb to bodily horrors. “He was out of his mind!”

The setting, utilizing some sort of mine or natural cavern, is spectacular. It’s essentially a character of its own, providing countless, convincing, claustrophobic battlegrounds for sci-fi thrills. The look of the various passageways is almost inherently otherworldly. Visually, “Inseminoid” is rather impressive for its low budget and lack of stars. Unfortunately, other elements tend to drag down this lone, notable boon – such as the music, which is expectedly generic and full of synthesizer sounds, yet altogether hokey. And the dialogue is simply poor; the script doesn’t seem capable of mustering unique or even sensible conversations for this overly large cast to recite.

Pretty quickly, however, monstrous figures turn up, tearing apart Mitch (Trevor Thomas) and sexually assaulting Sandy (Judy Geeson); a flash of violence and nudity make this picture both exploitative and effective as a futuristic thriller. And makeup effects featuring gruesome wounds nicely augment the scares. Yet the alien beings are almost comically rubbery and badly designed, inspiring laughs rather than fear; they should have been far uglier, creepier, and gooier. Other interesting conflicts turn up, including Gail (Rosalind Lloyd) sawing off her own foot to free herself from a collapsed walkway, and Sandy becoming homicidal with a pair of scissors and with explosives.

To its credit, all of the actors take the premise seriously, even if they’re not all capable of emoting with authenticity (Geeson is clearly the best here, managing plenty of agonizing screaming). Death scenes may be unbelievable too, thanks to the subpar acting chops, but many sequences work because of their designs; this is an admirably sincere attempt at extraterrestrial shocks (even with some derivative concepts). And it’s further aided by a fast pace and brief runtime. It could have benefitted considerably from greater resources and better special effects (and costuming), but it’s actually rather impressive that it doesn’t resort to cheap comic relief; the terror is consistent and relentless, with some genuinely grisly imagery.

As for the overstuffed cast, Commander Holly (Jennifer Ashley, perhaps the least skilled of the cast) barks the orders; Mark (Robin Clarke) regularly takes charge but remains stupidly skeptical (as people often are in horror films), despite having witnessed bizarre things firsthand; and the doctor, Karl (Barry Houghton), is professional and compassionate. But most of the other supporting roles are pitifully helpless (a couple of them trip and fall without much cause) and not entirely necessary; several could have been combined so that each persona could be better fleshed-out and significant. In the end, the creatures don’t get to do nearly enough, while story continuity is blatantly shoddy (running back and forth through hallways is repetitive and uninspired); but it’s all so single-mindedly unyielding that while it may be difficult to call “Inseminoid” entertaining, it’s appropriately grave and bleak.

– Mike Massie