Forbidden World is the directorial debut of editor & documentary filmmaker Allan Holzman. Holzman is best known for his famous stutter, two Emmys and a Peabody award for the holocaust documentary Survivors of the Holocaust (1996). But long before Steven Spielberg hired Holzman for that project, the young editor was being groomed by budget filmmaker Roger Corman. After working on several projects with Corman, Holzman eventually requested the task of directing a movie under the New World banner and Corman granted the request after some convincing. And thus, Forbidden World was officially green-lit. Holzman also edited the film and only had 20 days to shoot it. No pressure, right?
A Science Fiction Horror Adventure That’ll Blow You Away!
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Holzman’s career in film-making is very diverse. He’s had experience in almost every genre imaginable: drama, horror, sci-fi, adventure, action and comedy. As such, he obviously enjoys blending the genres together or blurring the lines between in his ‘original’ work. In Forbidden World, Holzman attempted to infuse comedy into his sci-fi horror film. The film’s tone created a rift between Allen Holzman and Roger Corman. The producer rarely allows comedy into his films, but Holzman’s style relies heavily on it (right?). So the two often argued over the use of jokes or comedic deliveries in the cuts of the film. Though Corman vetoed most of the funny scenes that made the editor’s cut, some eventually slipped through. During the screening of the film, Corman struck a member of the audience in the back of his head because he was laughing during the film. Afterwards, Corman left the theater and was subsequently showered by a soda tossed down from the balcony. Corman got the last laugh, he had six-minutes of comedic scenes removed from the final cut in retribution.
As for the set design, the McDonald’s to-go box laden sets may look familiar to those of you paying close attention. That’s because they were recycled/reused from Roger Corman’s other sci-fi films, specifically Galaxy of Terror (1981). That’s right, long before Joel Hodgson built the Mystery Science Theater 3000 set out of trash and discarded Styrofoam containers from local fast-food restaurants, James Cameron already went there. In fact, the only aspect of the production that wasn’t a hand-me-down were the female characters’ jumpsuits. Even the poster was recycled, it was rejected artwork from Galaxy of Terror.
Part Alien…Part Human…All Nightmare.
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Speaking of recycling, Allen Holzman originally pitched the idea of ‘Lawrence of Arabia in space’. Roger Corman loved the idea, until he realized how large the budget for such a concept would be… so the two settled on making another ‘Alien rip-off’, instead. Roger Corman, ladies and gentlemen…
The movie opens with some cool musical notes from Craig Huxley’s famous Blaster Beam and a brief title screen. On a ship traveling through space, a robot named SAM-104 springs into action. Sam awakens the ship’s pilot, space mercenary Mike Colby, from his hibernation and informs him that they are being attacked by another ship. They fight off the aggressor and repair the minor damages that resulted from the dogfight. The action is… subpar, even for a Corman film.
Next, Sam gives Mike (Jesse Vint) the disappointing news that as he was sleeping they received a message from their superiors. Much to Mike’s dismay, the two are ordered to a new emergency assignment and will have to reschedule their space-vacation to space Disney. Sam & Mike arrive at a scientific research facility that is working to produce food for the overpopulated planet Earth. At this station an experiment went horribly wrong and Mike is tasked to help get the scientists back on track or millions of Earthlings will starve as result.
The scientist crew consists of two nerdy guys: Doctorscientist and the Head scientist. They have two security guards, a hunky lab tech dude and a couple space-babe researchers (one has her own doctorates degree). They inform Mike that the team created a ‘little monster’ called Subject 20 which is a metamorphic mutation. This creature changes it’s structure over and over until it matures into… basically the ultimate killing machine. But apparently it tastes great! Right? It’s potentially the answer to Earth’s hunger problem. Like how the Wuhan Virus was the answer to China’s elderly overpopulation ‘problem’.
Unfortunately, the creature got out of it’s containment unit and managed to slaughter all animal research subjects in the lab… and worse of all, it scared all the hot nerdy-babes. No doubt they will all have ‘headaches’ until the viscous beast is dealt with. Afterwards, the mutant cocooned itself and lays dormant, safely secured in a laboratory containment cell. Mike says their problem is easily solved, kill the mutant creature now that it’s vulnerable and be done with it. But… the scientists like science and stuff, they want to try to salvage their research and let the creature do what it’s gonna do. Mike insists: kill it, so I can get the Hell out of here and enjoy my space-vacation. Doctor Sexy-Lips (June Chadwick) tells Mike to sleep-it-over, or something along those lines and wait until morning to make a decision on how to handle their problem… She’s… persuasive. Her doctorates degree is in seduction.
Following that scene, space-janitor lab tech boy comes in to clean up the dozens of dead animals that litter the laboratory. These are real cadavers, dead cats and dogs from a local pound. The cast and crew constantly complained about the smell of these decomposing critters, which lingered long after they were removed. To keep them as fresh as possible, the crew tried to freeze the little corpses or refrigerate them when not in camera. They had varying degrees of success. Isn’t that nice? So far this movie is pretty gross.
A Science Fiction Horror in Deep Space
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OK, we are about to finally get some horror in deep space… Studmuffin janitor boy flexes his super-brain and decides to open the containment cell so he can get a closer look at the mutant’s cocoon. Real smart, dude… just stick your whole head in there. Ugh… He leaves the cell open and goes to talk to the head scientist via a communications unit. As his back is turned the creature falls out of it’s cocoon and latches itself onto the young beefcake. He spasms around the lab in pain as some eerie blaster beam licks rattle the speakers. The scientist sends his researcher-babe Tracy to check on the resident space-stud and report the status of Subject 20.
“I couldn’t tell you the difference between a gene and a jelly-bean.”
Mike Colby
Meanwhile, the rest of the crew are enjoying strawberry shortcake without whipped topping and discussing their predicament. Why strawberry shortcake? The Head Scientist talks some mumbo-jumbo science-talk, then berates Mike for not knowing anything about molecular genetics. Pfft… what a moron. Apparently, there is a gene that is local to that planet and when it is introduced to an organism it makes the organism mutate and grow rapidly. Obviously, this gene can be utilized to generate food at an acceptable rate to solve the hunger problems. So, it’s kind of a miracle.
Mike begins to evaluate their situation and gather information on the potential threat that they face. He asks the obvious question… What’s the base organism of Subject 20? Dr. Sexy-Lips tells the curious merc to inquire about someone named Annie. Suddenly, a rift opens between the scientists at the mention of her name. Despite the constant interruptions from the head scientist, Dr. Sexy-Lips explains that Annie was her research-partner and she died. After that under-developed and almost useless explanation, an alarm rings through the station and the crew rush to the laboratory where a traumatized Tracy has found Beefcake unconscious on the floor. The scientists notice that the cocoon is empty and question where the mutated creature is… but immediately shift their attention on the injured Studmuffin. Doctorscientist notices that Studs brain is half gone, but his body is still alive. As the security team searches the lab for the escaped creature, super-genius Doctorscientist decides to get Studdly’s brain-dead body out of the room immediately… why? I don’t know. Because plot I guess. Obviously, the creature is IN Studdly McNobrain and you just took it out of quarantine, Doctorscientist. Congratulations, you’re an idiot.
The seed is planted… the nightmare grows
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Doctorscientist leaves Space-stud unsupervised in the medical bay and the creature makes it’s exit from the body, free to pursue a life of religious fulfillment. Poor Tracy goes to her personal quarters to get some rest and lament the passing of her Studmuffin boy-toy (apparently they were a thing)… while Dr. Sexy-Lips sees the opportunity to gain a boy-toy of her own and makes her move on Mike. She invites him to inject his genes into her yielding Petri dish, and he gladly accepts. Earl, one of the two facility security guards sits alone in his monitoring station and watches Sexy-Lips & Mike make whoopie. No privacy here… The man grows more and more jealous of Mike and the scientific experiment with Sexy-Lips until Earl’s rage-filled act of voyeurism is interrupted by an alarm set off by the free-roaming creature. As he explores the halls, Earl enters the crew’s locker room and moves an item from one locker to another before being attacked and presumably killed by Subject 20. *I don’t know what it was and it never comes up again*
Several times in the movie they play classical music in the soundtrack, because it’s free and because… 2001: A Space Odyssey. Beethoven’s music doesn’t fit in this Alien rip-off movie. Hell, it wouldn’t fit in the actual Alien movie. And I’m sorry, Allan Holzman, but this is NOT 2001: A Space Odyssey and you are no Stanley Kubrick.
Doctorscientist smokes cigarettes, coughs a lot and monitors the space beefcake’s condition as it worsens. The poor hunk has been genetically deteriorating like a popsicle in the sun. He’s gone full-Steve – the Incredible Melting Stud.
The next morning, Mike finds Tracy steaming herself in a make-shift sauna and she invites him to join her. Man, Welcome to Easyville, population: Mike. He accepts… because Duh! then shortly after Subject 20 falls into the room from the ceiling. Naked Mike leaps into action and begins shooting at the creature with his sidearm. They manage to retreat to the locker room and seal the creature inside, but it escapes the same why it got in. Mike once again confronts the head scientist and demands to know what amalgamation of genes Subject 20 is. But instead of getting an answer to a very relevant and important question, one that may determine if this man, who is there to save everyone from certain doom if provided the ample information necessary to kill the predator stalking their facility… instead of finally giving him needed information that may help him defeat their nemesis they question what he and Tracy were doing naked in the sauna. Well… it’s a sauna… so… what do you think? The living security guard guy and Sexy-Lips get jealous and suddenly forget all about the blood-thirsty creature that is killing people.
‘Yeah, we may die at any given moment and if you had this relevant information you could save all of our lives… but that’s not important right now. I want to know what you two adults were doing in that sauna when our viscous genetic experiment attacked you. You have some explaining to do!’
Mike forms a plan with the morons and gives them all assignments. He, Sam and the living security guard will go out and try to catch or kill the creature outside the facility while the rest monitor their actions and report what they see. Head scientist super-genius says
“I sure hope you know what you’re doing.”
Head Scientist
Well maybe he would if you gave him all the information on what he’s fighting, you dick.
In the med-bay, Doctor Sexy-Lips finds Doctorscientist and what’s left of their incredible melting stud… only now he’s more like the Mighty Morphing Power Hotpocket. Doctorscientist figures out that the young man’s body has changed into a new mutation and is reproducing itself.
Outside on the planet’s surface, Mike and… I don’t know this guy’s name… Brian? Mike & Brian find Earl’s body and another one of Subject 20’s cocoons. So, they send Sam the robot over to destroy it. Head Scientist doesn’t like that they want to kill the creature, so he shoots Sam and runs away. Mike & Brian discover that the cocoon is empty, check on Sam then follow Head Scientist to the research facility. There waiting is Subject 20 in it’s latest form. Mike takes an aggressive stance and again, Head Scientist keeps him from killing the creature. It’s his last mistake – the genetic mutant pops up and grabs the deranged man in it’s mouth then pulls him down into a ventilation shaft and a horrible yet somewhat deserved death.
Next, the creature corrals all the living people into the central control room. It seals off their exits but gives them the needed life-support systems to survive. Afterward, Subject 20 deposits a somewhat-mutated Head Scientist into the control room then goes to the med-bay and begins feasting on Studdly McHotpocket, burning the roof of it’s mouth on his molten gooey insides, no doubt. Doctorscientist suddenly puts all the pieces together: the creature is using the humans as a source of food, but it can’t eat them as they are, it needs to break them down into a more consumable product… which is what happened to Beefcake, the creature changed his genetics and turned him into a literal beefcake.
Oh, and Subject 20 is working to turn inedible organic material (people) into consumable food (soylent green hotpockets)… The exact same mission as the scientists in the facility. Irony can be pretty ironic sometimes. But wait, there’s more to that than simple irony… Subject 20 is the genetic child of Head Scientist and Annie the dead scientist, who carried the creature in her womb (spoilers in the taglines gave it away). So is that idea part of her consciousness and ingrained into… her child? yuck
The two females take a shower together (really Holzman? really?) and discuss their situation. They don’t trust the men to handle the situation the right way, so they instead develop a plan to negotiate a treaty between the genetic mutant and the humans it wants to consume. Yes. You read that right… they think they can just go and talk to it… work out a deal. Because the nasty men just want to kill it and killing is wrong…
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So Dr. Sexy-Lips and Tracy go to the med-bay in nothing but their little silk robes and confront the beast. Using a computer console, Sexy-Lips communicates with the creature. I’m not sure how it can manifest it’s thoughts onto a computer screen, but that’s what it does. She talks to it and asks it if they can co-exist without any more death. Aaaaaand it kills her. Tenticle impalement from the ho-ha up and out her shoulder. That sucks… but that’s what you get. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes, Dr. Sexy-Lips. Didn’t they teach you that in doctor school?
As Brian & Mike discuss ineffective combat tactics on the creature that we all know wouldn’t work, Doctorscientist is developing a plan of his own, using a secret weapon far more powerful. Science, Baby!
Tracy runs from the med-bay and tells Mike & Brian that Sexy-Lips is being attacked. As Doctorscientist tests his latest theory on Head Scientist’s mutating body, the others go to save Dr. Sexy-Lips from Subject 20’s clutches. Tracy, Mike & Brian run into the room and find Subject 20 swallowing Sexy-Lips, whole. I didn’t think it could eat people that way… there goes half the plot, whatever. Doctorscientist has a eureka moment then follows the rest into the room, shooting all the Stud McHotpockets along the way. He was destroying the creatures food supply so that the humans would be it’s only option for sustenance. No no, it’s part of Doctorscientist’s plan… and it’s a good one.
Doctorscientist is injured in their raid on the med-bay and Brian is killed via electrocution. Once they realize that Brian and Sexy-Lips are goners, and that the survivors have no chance out in the open, Tracy, Mike and Doctorscientist flee back to the safe-room. There, Doctorscientist fills Mike in on his plan as Tracy goes to check on Head Scientist. Tracy slowly approaches Head Scientist as he struggles for breath on the operating table. And with his dying gasp the perverted scientist reaches out to cop one last feel. The screaming young girl runs down the corridors of the facility in terror, taking his severed hand with her, dangling from her silk robe. It’s almost funny.
Cancer… the way to killing Subject 20 is with cancerous tissue and luckily, Doctorscientist is loaded with it. Doctorscientist explains to Mike that he is dying from lung cancer (remember the cigarettes?) and his tumor is large enough to kill the creature… but Mike has to cut it out. He begins doing so as Tracy runs frantically through the halls, the creature in hot pursuit. Mike makes his incision into Doctorscientist, who is guiding him through the process step-by-step, struggling greatly to remain conscious. Mike reaches into the incision and finds the tumor just as Tracy returns. Doctorscientist dies on the table after several minutes of agonizing pain. Subject 20 storms into the room and Mike wastes no time shoving the mass of cancerous tissue down the creature’s throat. In a very disgusting display, the bioweapon causes Subject 20 to rapidly breakdown and liquefy. It vomits up buckets of puss and pink gore. Eventually the monstrosity dies. Only one word can appropriately describe the scene and the movie as a whole:
Y U C K.
Schlock & Awe...some 
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