H3 doesn’t often recommend horror or horror-adjacent movies, so when he suggested Lifeforce, I figured I was in for something very special. When the words, “Based on the novel ‘The Space Vampires’” flashed on the screen, I knew my trust in him would be rewarded, one way or another. Who am I to resist the allure of space vampires?
- Directed By Tobe Hooper
- Written By : Colin Wilson. Dan O’Bannon. Don Jakoby
- Starring: Steve Railsback. Mathilda May. Peter Firth
Alien But Like, Not.
The first thing to acknowledge is Dan O’Bannon worked on the screenplay for this. He is the screenwriter for Alien. I don’t know how much his involvement influenced the look of the abandoned spaceship the humans find in the opening sequence, but it’s definitely giving some light Geiger bio-mech vibes.
There are other surface similarities as well. Both movies could be lightly described as: “astronauts uncover a female led alien race that they bring back and unintentionally doom civilization”. Where Alien works in subtle themes, Lifeforce is…well, there is nothing subtle about Lifeforce.
What’s it About?
Starting with the unintentionally hilarious dialogue upon finding the naked space vampires. There are two men and a woman; after the exploring astronauts report back about the naked woman, the ship is very quick to point out that they have no picture. Since movies like this are based on bad decisions, the astronauts bring the naked space people back to their ship.
Thirty days later, the spaceship is adrift and everyone on board is dead. Long story short, that’s how space vampires came to earth. Once there, the female vampire’s casual disregard for clothing and social norms quickly moves Lifeforce into bat-shit-crazy territory.
Is It Good?
Let me be 100% clear: other than a couple quibbles with some directing choices, I enjoyed watching Lifeforce. It’s logically inconsistent, unintentionally hilarious, and just has so much naked lady. Among all those things, it’s not boring. And believe it or not, it carries some interesting themes.
The fear of the unknown, wrapped in a dangerous female-presenting package, has long been inspiration for horror and sci/fi. Lifeforce touches on this theme and tries to go for others: death, life, and how they intersect. Which makes sense; at its heart, it’s a vampire movie. Just a different kind of vampire movie.
There are so many interesting ideas in Lifeforce. Since I’ve never read “The Space Vampires”, I’m not sure what comes from the source material and what was created for the screenplay. For example: as the only survivor of the doomed ship, the Churchill, Carlsen’s retelling of the events onboard could have been an entire film on its own, a modern-day “Voyage of the Demeter”.
Too Many Men
The screenplay goes to great lengths to assure the audience that Space Girl is not human. This does mean that there are effectively no women in this movie. Or if we want to count here, then it means the only female-presenting character is destructive. I won’t call her evil, since as an alien entity, she’s a bit beyond human morals. This lack of female representation is a bit strange even for a mid-80s film. I wouldn’t expect a strong female lead, but at least a competing love interest or plucky scientist.
There is one other female character that gets some screen time: Ellen the nurse, who Space Girl body-hops into. Ellen is a plot device and not a character. She’s not meant to be real, just another way to throw in some of the more salacious aspects of the Hammer influence.
Influence in Hammer
In an interview, director Tobe Hooper remarked that he wanted to make an old-fashioned Hammer film. This influence is apparent in the overt sexual tone, but also in so many of the visuals. One particular dream sequence has all the vivid colors and gothic imagery that one would expect. If there is any real issue with Lifeforce, it’s that in blending so many influences and sources—a Lovecraftian sci-fi horror novel, ‘60s and ‘70s Hammer horror—the result is a deeply uneven but fascinating film.
By modern standards, it’s not great, but I kinda dug it. There are moments of extreme absurdity, but also fantastic visuals. I wish tonally the movie had stuck to the Lovecraftian insanity over the dark gothic. The script seems to favor it, and the lead actor leans into crazy more than cursed.
There are talented actors in Lifeforce. Patrick Stewart has a small role as a doctor in an insane asylum. Four-time BAFTA nominee Frank Finlay is the Dr. Helsing analogue, and one of the more logical parts of the movie.
Which isn’t saying much, since by the time Lifeforce reaches the third act, logic is out the window as the script falls over itself trying to explain things that don’t need explanation. Also somehow, it’s a zombie movie now. I have never been more fascinated by a sci-fi movie made in 1985.
Final Thoughts
If you can’t tell if I’m recommending Lifeforce, that’s fair. Neither can I. It’s a unique mix of genres and influences held together with a weak script and serious overacting. There are moments of greatness and thematic relevance, as the characters deal with the dangers they brought to Earth with careless exploration. It’s probably a touch too long and could have used a more refined editing eye. In the end though, I’ve seen much worse.
Lifeforce is available on streaming.
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