Lifeforce (1985)

A race of space vampires arrive in London and infect the populace.

Director:

Tobe Hooper

Writers:

Colin Wilson (novel), Dan O'Bannon (screenplay),

Stars:

Steve Railsback, Peter Firth, Frank Finlay

1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Steve Railsback	...	Col. Tom Carlsen
Peter Firth	...	Col. Colin Caine
Frank Finlay	...	Dr. Hans Fallada
Mathilda May	...	Space Girl
Patrick Stewart	...	Dr. Armstrong
Michael Gothard	...	Dr. Bukovsky
Nicholas Ball	...	Roger Derebridge
Aubrey Morris	...	Sir Percy Heseltine
Nancy Paul	...	Ellen Donaldson
John Hallam	...	Lamson
John Keegan	...	Guard
Chris Jagger	...	First Vampire (as Christopher Jagger)
Bill Malin	...	Second Vampire
Jerome Willis	...	Pathologist
Derek Benfield	...	Physician

Storyline

A space shuttle mission investigating Halley's Comet brings back a malevolent race of space vampires who transform most of London's population into zombies. The only survivor of the expedition and British authorities attempt to capture a mysterious but beautiful alien woman who appears responsible.

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Plot Keywords:

comet | space vampire | halleys comet | alien | vampire | 

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Taglines:

In the blink of an eye, the terror begins.

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Genres:

Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 June 1985 (USA)

Also Known As:

Space Intruders

Filming Locations:

Christchurch, Hampshire, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$25,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Golan-Globus Productions, Easedram Limited, London-Cannon Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

116 min 101 min (edited)

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) Dolby (35 mm prints)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The role of Kelly, played by Chris Sullivan, was actually 6 roles joined together by Tobe Hooper after he met Sullivan who was initially offered the role of a crew member before they decided that the role should be played by a female.

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Goofs

Dr Fallada says that the Space Girl is in the Cathedral in London, in "the crypt of kings and queens". The cathedral in question is presumably intended to be St Paul's (though in appearance it does not accurately match the real St Paul's). However, no king or queen of England has ever been buried in St Paul's, except for Ethelred (1016). There are two other cathedrals in London: Southwark and Westminster. No king or queen of England has ever been buried in either of them. Many kings and queens of England have been buried in the entirely separate Westminster Abbey, and others at Windsor. This could be regarded as an error made by the Fallada character rather than by the film makers.

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Quotes

Derebridge: [Derebridge and Carlsen are observing the spaceship] What you gonna do?
Colonel Tom Carlsen: We want in. We only gonna get one chance, Derebridge. That thing won't be back for another 76 years. We'll both be dead. We have to take a look now.

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Connections

References Female Vampire (1973)

User Reviews

Glorious, demented, insane, has to be seen to be believed. Humankind's greatest achievement?

Did director Tobe Hooper, writers Dan O'Bannon ("Alien", "Return of the Living Dead") and Don Jakoby ("Blue Thunder"), in addition to some uncredited writers who presumably did rewrites of the original script, or any of the cast actually think they were making a good movie during the production of "Lifeforce"? The movie gets progressively wackier, more disturbingly bizarre, hilarious, over-the-top, and greater by the minute. When you think that the movie couldn't possibly become more demented, that it was already as nutty as anything could possibly be it outdoes itself. I really don't know if this was at any point supposed to be tongue-in-cheek, if anybody involved thought it was genuinely creepy or effective, or if they were just too distracted by Mathilda May's exquisite breasts and rear end to care, but the end result is quite simply one of the greatest films ever made.

Here are some reasons why "Lifeforce" is perhaps humankind's greatest achievement to date (and probably impossible to surpass):

• Mathilda May is nude for the entirety of the film, and she is "the

most overwhelmingly feminine presence" you will ever see. Yes, that is a quote from the film.

• Steve Railsback gives one of the most gloriously, hilariously

over-the-top performances in the history of film.

• It is, to quote a fellow IMDb member, 'the greatest naked space

vampire zombies from Halley's Comet running amok in London end-of-the-world movie ever made'. Yes, that is actually the plot.

• Frank Finlay, Peter Firth, and Patrick Stewart embarrass themselves.



• Special effects and design that are actually good, adding to the

suggestion that someone somewhere actually took this thing seriously, which is quite a disturbing thought.

• Unbelievably stilted delivery of some of the finest dialogue known to

man, examples of which include:

"She looks perfect. I've been in space six months and she looks perfect to me."

""Don't worry, a naked woman is not going to get out of this complex."

"Despite appearances this woman is a masochist, an extreme masochist."

"He too needs feeding."

"She's totally alien to this planet and our life form... and totally dangerous."

"I'm Colonel Cane." "From the SAS?"

"It was two hours ago that the guard was attacked. I wouldn't be at all surprised if we're seeing a pattern here."

"Colonel, take it from the beginning. Assume we know nothing... which is understating the matter."

Colonel Cane looks at a shriveled corpse, then asks: "and this was murder, you say? "

"Lifeforce" is not merely another 'so bad it's good' movie. It is not an example of a film made by individuals with ambition far beyond their reach. No, it is quite simply THE most audacious, spectacular, hilarious, absurd, insane, riotous, crazy, deliriously demented science fiction film of all time. I cannot fully articulate why it is deserving of being one spot ahead of Samuel Fuller's "Pickup on South Street" on my list of favorite films, but I do know that it is. "Lifeforce" elevates craziness to an art form. Quite possibly the most entertaining film known to man, and perhaps our greatest achievement as a species.