This week ECHG writer Adam Holtzapfel takes a look at Tobe Hooper’s classic Lifeforce.
In 1985 before the release of fan favorite Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, filmmaker Tobe Hooper released the sci fi/horror masterpiece Lifeforce.
Starring Steve Railsback, Lifeforce shows what happens when a space mission goes awry and a race of space vampires invade London. Needing to feed every 2 hours this film has everything from plot twists to exploding bodies.
Often overlooked this film is a great mix of The Omega Man (made with Vincent Price as Last Man On Earth and Will Smith as I Am Legend) and Alien. This is one of Hooper’s better films that fans not willing to step away from his 1974 masterpiece are doing themselves a disservice by skipping Lifeforce.
If you’ve seen Lifeforce then you’re familiar with this iconic scene.
While it may not have truly stood the test of time, the revival helmed by the Blu Ray release from Scream Factory is getting it into the hands of genre fans. Based on the novel by Colin Wilson, Dan O’Bannon and Don Jakoby turn in a great screenplay that allows Hooper’s vision to flourish. With a score by Henry Mancini and insane make up and FX work make this one not to miss. The cast is rounded out by Patrick Stewart, Mathilda May, Michael Gothard, and more show off a strong cast that sales the story.
