Lifeforce (1985)

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Directed by Tobe Hooper.

Starring Frank Finlay, Peter Firth, Mathilda May, Patrick Stewart, Steve Railsback.

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Director Tobe Hooper adapts Colin Wilson's edgy novel The Space Vampires in this in this horror/sci-fi epic with a cult following. The story concerns a joint British-American space probe of Hailey's Comet. Inside the comet, the astronauts, headed by Carlsen (Steve Railsback), find a spaceship that contains the dead bodies of several aliens, along with the naked bodies of three human-like creatures in suspended animation. They bring the aliens aboard the ship for examination, but the specimens are sloppily guarded and soon the trio spread contagion among the population of the ship. Returning to earth, the beautiful space vampire (Mathilda May) escapes into London and begins to feed of the bodies of the unwary Britons, turning the city into a zombie-populated wasteland. It is now left for Carlsen to stop the vampire invaders. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

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Reviews and discussions

Re:Sci-Fi Movies, A-Z
by yojimbo73 in Movie Games

hasn't rated it.

"Lifeforce " [More]

Re:Top 31 Horror films of the p ...
by Puhnner in HORROR MOVIES 101

loved it.

"Revised List of 31 from 76 through07Mommie Dearest and Red Dawn co-winners of No. 1and wished I could have included:1988 Blood Orgy of the Leather Girls ( have not seen it, but the title is terrific and I cannot find it here ) 1976 Man on the Roof1976 The Sentinel1977 Suspiria 1978 I spit on your Grave 1987 Near Dark 1988 Rabid Grannies ( have not seen )1988 Brain Damage 31. 1988 The Blob 30. 1978 Halloween 29. 1986 Henry Portrait of a Serial Killer 28. 1986 Vamp 27. 1976 The Omen 26. 1979 The Brood 25. 1985 Lifeforce 24. 2001 Frailty 23. 2002 28 Days Later 22. 1990 Jacob’s Ladder 21. 1995 Se7en 20. 1986 Manhunter 19. 1987 Angel Heart 18. 1995 The Addiction17. 1997 Office Killer 16. ... " [More]

Space vampires — gotta love ‘em!
by vhsparrow in vhsparrow Blog

loved it.

Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]
"Genre screenwriter of the ’80’s, Dan O’Bannon wrote ‘Lifeforce’ in 1984. A USC classmate of John Carpenter, he assisted the director by writing both their Masters’ Theses and the theatrical expansion of the film ‘Dark Star‘ (1974). By 1985, O’Bannon’s previous big deal was the groundbreaking ‘Alien‘ of 1979. Because it and ‘Star Wars’ introduced the stylistic approach of ‘Used’ or ‘Dirty Space’ in art-direction for these kinds of features doesn’t mean that this was the only way to produce them. Rather than dismiss ‘Lifeforce‘ out-of-hand as a sort of schlock and primitive exploitation feature, it’s important to recognize that the film draws upon the ‘esteemed’ traditions of British horror and science-fiction - specifically Hammer and American International features like Quatermass (specifically ‘Quatermass and the Pit‘, 1967), ... " [More]

the evolution or should I say d ...
by Puhnner in HORROR MOVIES 101

loved it.

"I am putting some thoughts together for a blogpost on the 1964 The Last Man on Earth, with Vincent Price, Franca Bettoia, Emma Danieli, Giacomo Rossi-Stuart, among others. I got to thinking of the evolution (or is it the devolution ??? ) of the 'Zombie' in film and thought who better to ask that question of than you two, Dr_Gor and Phantasma-gore-ia with your encyclopedic knowledge of both the form and genre.I am curious about your views of how Zombies have changed ( evolved/devolved ) over the course of cinematic history; going from the lumbering lummoxes in this film and others of the time frame to the more and more progressively dangerous ( and faster ), seemingly self-aware walking dead in films such as George Romero's 'Day of the Dead' and 'Land of the Dead' and what you think that this overall improvement in awareness, speed, and changes might mean, even in terms of the change in what now constitutes horror and terror...I always thought the me ... " [More]

Review by All Movie Guide

All Movie Guide

is neutral about it.

A weird homage to British science fiction from Quatermass and Dr. Who through Alien, the Tobe Hooper-directed Lifeforce may be one of the strangest films ever to receive a wide theatrical release. Equating its strangeness with artistic merit, however, is more of a stretch. Playing like a lot of silly movies folded into one, it features a nude vampire (Mathilda May), space exploration, and a plague of zombies. Played with a straight face, it never appears to recognize its own absurdity, which should be no difficulty for viewers. Never all that successful, as horror or as satire, it's also never dull, making ideal, undemanding late-night viewing fodder. ~ Keith Phipps, All Movie Guide

Tags: nudity , vampire , Guilty-Pleasure , space-vampires , zombie
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