Given that Italian exploitation cinema of the 70s and 80s is among the oddest in the world, it seems quite the feat to find an Italian movie of that era which is a bit odd even by the nation’s standards. The principle claim to fame of Luigi Cozzi’s Contamination in the UK is the fact that it made the Video Nasties longlist back in 1984, giving British actor Ian McCulloch the rare distinction of a nasties hat-trick, with Zombie Flesh-Eaters and Zombi Holocaust (itself set for a Blu-ray release shortly from 88 Films) also getting banned. Still, if there is such a thing as a typical video nasty, Contamination certainly isn’t it.
In theory it’s one of your standard spaghetti knock-offs; much as how the Zombie movies clearly riffed on Romero, and the likes of the Bronx Warriors movies borrowed liberally from Mad Max, The Warriors and Escape from New York, Contamination is pitched as a similar take on Alien. And yet, given it’s set on Earth, opening in New York before moving the action to South America, with a ragtag bunch of mismatched truth-seekers trying to unravel some bizarre mystery, it feels in many respects like a direct retread of Zombie Flesh Eaters. While there’s barely an original idea in it, and the story gives the impression they were just making it up as they went along, somehow its haphazard approach results in something which feels unlike any other movie. If you like them strange and silly, Contamination is most definitely one you don’t want to miss.
Opening with a seemingly unmanned ship drifting into the harbour of New York (told you it was like Zombie Flesh Eaters), it transpires this particular boat carries not a bloodthirsty ghoul but a slew of large, slimy green eggs. Just what these things are or where they have come from is unknown, but they have this habit of glowing, throbbing and emanating a weird whale-song type music when they’re about to hatch. And when they do hatch, the stuff that sprays out has the curious effect of making people’s stomachs explode (there’s one of your key nods to Alien; but whereas Ridley Scott only gave John Hurt that treatment, Cozzi dishes it out left right and centre).
New York cop Marino Masé witnesses the first gruesome gut-busting scene, and finds himself locked up in a high tech (sort of) secret science lab, where military scientist Louise Marleau suspects a link between these mysterious eggs and a recent manned mission to Mars, based on the hysterical testimony of Ian McCulloch’s traumatised astronaut who claimed to have witnessed such eggs on the red planet’s polar ice cap. Somehow deemed the most suitable people to stage an investigation into the bizarre phenomenon, the trio trace the eggs back to their point of (earthly) origin at a Colombian coffee plant – where they discover a bit more than they bargained for. Gunfights, cheesy dialogue, an old school alien monster and yet more exploding chests ensue, all set to a groovy Goblin soundtrack.
Prior to last November, I was largely unaware of Contamination, before I had the good fortune of seeing it on the big screen at Abertoir Horror Festival 2014, with Cozzi and McCulloch in attendance. It’s nice to see that the post screening Q&A with director and actor has been included on this Blu-ray, detailing behind the scenes stories almost as compelling and bizarre as the film itself – including the fact that the production was at least partially funded by drug traffickers, and that the crew may have brought back more than just the camera and lighting equipment from Colombia. Cozzi himself comes off as a very amiable chap, and he certainly isn’t under any illusions about the type of movie he made in Contamination – though it isn’t necessarily as ridiculous as his more family-friendly cult favourites Starcrash and Hercules. The Blu-ray also includes a vintage Italian TV featurette on the making of the film, a more recent interview with the director, a brief academic featurette on the Italian rip-off market (not that that’s quite how they describe it), and a fan commentary from Fangoria’s Chris Alexander.
In short – to repeat perhaps the most commonly used phrase in BAH history, it’s another great package from Arrow Video. If you’re already a fan of Contamination, you shouldn’t need any further persausion to track this down; if you’re not already a fan of Contamination, you might find yourself becoming one sooner than you’d think.
Contamination is out now on Blu-ray from Arrow Video.