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, Mathilda May, Peter Firth

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

The space shuttle Churchill is assigned to observe the Halley's Comet under the command of Col. Tom Carlsen. They see a strange form attached to the comet and Carlsen goes with a team to investigate. They find three humanoid life forms in caskets and they bring them to the Churchill. However, Earth loses contact with the shuttle and the Space Research Center sends another spacecraft to search the Churchill. They find the crew dead and the shuttle burnt and one rescue pod missing. They bring the humanoids to Earth and soon Dr. Hans Fallada and his team discover that the Space Girl is a sort of vampire and drains the life force from people transforming them into zombies. When the authorities find that Col. Tom Carlsen has survived, they summon him to explain what happened in the Churchill. Carlsen tells an incredible story about the three aliens and he teams up with Col. Colin Caine trying to save mankind from the evil vampires from the space.

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Plot Keywords:

vampire | alien | halleys comet | space vampire | life force | 

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Taglines:

In outer space they unleashed a force more evil than the world had ever imagined!.. [UK Theatrical]

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Genres:

Action | 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

Although Dan O'Bannon and Don Jakoby are credited with the screenplay it has been alleged that their script was ditched before production and the filmed script was written by Olaf Pooley and Michael Armstrong.

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Goofs

It is stated that the continuous acceleration from the engines created artificial gravity. If they had been continually accelerating then when they went do dock with the alien ship they would need to spend hours, if not days, slowing down.

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Quotes

Dr. Hans Fallada: She's totally dangerous.

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Connections

References Female Vampire (1975)

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Soundtracks

The Lifeforce Theme
Written by Michael Kamen and Henry Mancini
Performed by Henry Mancini

User Reviews

Calm down,people!

Holy mackerel! From the comments I've read so far,you would think Tobe Hooper and Cannon were trying to remake "The Magnificent Ambersons"or some other "classic of the cinema"!I personally believe they set out to provide an entertaining picture for public consumption,and as far as I'm concerned ,that's exactly what they accomplished.After wearing out my VHS copy,I had to buy the DVD,which is even better in WIDESCREEN....plus I can hit the ZOOM and see Mathilda May much better! Exciting story,great cast(Railsback always one of my faves,PLUS Firth,Stewart,Gothard,etc.).Someone commented about "cheesy effects"...are you kiddin'?The special effects in this picture are much better than the overdone computer junk you see nowadays.Of course,this is an 80's picture...no one has enough imagination to make a movie like this today!