The magic of a good title can't be ignored. Too many great action, horror, and science-fiction movies pick generic words or phrases and wind up at the bottom of a bargain bin. Dead Space is originally a medical term. It refers to the small percentage of air that enters the lungs without reaching the bloodstream. In 1991, producer Mike Elliot slapped it on the low-budget remake of a no-budget classic, and Visceral Games picked it up 17 years later.
The Dead Space franchise is something of a permanent hot topic in gaming spaces. Its first two classic titles were perfect arguments against the industry's turn toward exclusively producing always-online multiplayer shooters. The same corporate myopia ruined its third entry. Years later, a remake would reintroduce its glory to a new audience. They remain a story about the games industry failing to learn lessons or show restraint and an example of what good can come of the medium.
What is Dead Space (1991) about?
Dead Space is a loose remake of the Roger Corman-produced classic Forbidden World, shot in three weeks with an even smaller budget than the original. Forbidden World itself was one of several Alien knock-offs produced by Corman, featuring special effects recycled from one of his earlier works. This cannibalistic chain of ownership continues as Dead Space also reuses shots from the same old Corman film. Bizarrely, Dead Space's working title was Biohazard. That would've been a less original choice, notably because Biohazard is the original Japanese title of Resident Evil. Producer Mike Elliot would've picked the title of a beloved horror game either way. It makes one wonder what other titles he might have tried. Did he consider The Evil Within? Bloodborne? Did it ever cross his mind to call the film Prey?
Title and bizarre pedigree aside, Dead Space follows Commander Steve Krieger and his robot sidekick Tinpan as they respond to a distress signal on the planet Phablos. Scientists have unintentionally created a deadly virus in a research facility on Phablos. Victims transform into terrible monsters who go on to attack whoever happens to be nearby. Fans and critics celebrated the film's monster design. The special effects team set out to create something different from other movie monsters, as opposed to the endless Xenomorph knock-offs. The horrific monster resists Krieger and Tinpan's weapons. The scientists devise a solution, but it may be more dangerous than the problem. It's a schlocky action/horror film with a strange sense of humor and plenty of pointless sex and violence. Of all the fascinating details in Dead Space, fans are typically most interested to learn that it contains Bryan Cranston's fourth-ever live-action film role.
Eerie similarities to the Dead Space game
No, Dead Space is not based on the 1991 film that shares its name. The two works have some similarities, but their comparable elements are incidental. Dead Space follows an armed space traveler as he's summoned to a facility overrun with monsters. The antagonists are human corpses twisted and broken into horrific new forms by a viral infection. They both use a ton of gratuitous gore as their central design aesthetic. The monsters can only be killed through non-traditional means. The heroes are way over their heads. There are several decent points of comparison. The 1991 film plied its audience with sex scenes to go along with its gore. The game featured a deeper story, fleshing out its details over its much longer runtime. Looking at both works, it's easy to explain their similarities.
Dead Space isn't based on Dead Space. Both works are borrowing from the same handful of beloved sci-fi horror films. The 1991 film is indisputably a rip-off of Ridley Scott's Alien. Corman produced at least one Alien knock-off per year throughout the late '80s and early '90s. The game borrows heavily from the atmosphere and iconic presentation of Alien. Both works also enjoy a healthy helping of John Carpenter's The Thing. These sources of inspiration ensured that both Dead Space s had a lot in common. The game enjoyed 17 years of advancement in sci-fi horror cinema, taking notes from Event Horizon and Sunshine. They're similar because they're riffs on similar material.
Dead Space isn't a very good film. It's got a good monster and a few strong scenes, but the plot is utterly perfunctory, and none of the characters matter. It's an excellent game. It's one of the defining moments in modern horror gaming. Fans of Dead Space might like the 1991 film, but they should set their standards of quality much lower than they might be used to. The era of Roger Corman's never-ending cavalcade of low-cost garbage is long over, but there's a lot of fun to be had in those schlocky old messes. Dead Space might only be notable because it happened to pick the same title as a team of game designers, but going back to watch it suggests even that spotlight was a bit generous.