Lifeforce

1985
R
1h 41m

IMDb RATING

6.1/10

31K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

Play trailer1:26

Alien Invasion Action Horror Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Thriller

A race of space vampires arrives in London and infects the populace, beginning an apocalyptic descent into chaos.A race of space vampires arrives in London and infects the populace, beginning an apocalyptic descent into chaos.A race of space vampires arrives in London and infects the populace, beginning an apocalyptic descent into chaos.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.1/10

31K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

1,157

129

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 1 win & 2 nominations

Trivia
Mathilda May had rubber soles glued to the bottom of her feet in order to avoid cutting them during the scene in which she walks out of the building, after breaking the glass windows.

Goofs
(at around 2 mins) It is stated that the continuous acceleration from the engines created artificial gravity. If they had been continually accelerating then when they went to dock with the alien ship they would need to spend hours, if not days, slowing down.

Quotes
Second vampire: It'll be much less terrifying if you just come to me.
Colonel Colin Caine: I'll do just that.

Alternate versions
Scenes cut from 101 min but in 116 min version.
Voiceover describing the Churchill's mission and the Nerva device.
Derebridge has a conversation with the Radar Technicians about the object in the comet and it being 150 miles long.
The opening line of Carlsen about what is 150 miles long Astronauts going into the comet has remarks from Derebridge about the state of the craft.
The Spacecraft opening up has bits and pieces removed.
Dr. Bukovsky being told by a RAF officer about the state of Churchill's orbit and it had not changed since leaving the comet.
Bukovsky and a NASA official agreeing that the Columbia should be sent into space to investigate.
Scenes with the Columbia rescue party trimmed in particular talk about fate of the crew and obtaining the video tapes.
A whole scene is removed which introduces Fallanda and The Pathologist which sets up Fallanda's character.
A Cabinet Minister discussing the crystal cases with Fallanda, Bukovsky the pathologist and a Metallurgist.
The Minister is inquiring whether X Rays have been done and their results -- blurred images. The metallurgist is very puzzled by the cases. Plus comments about are the bodies being alive.
After being shown the Guard's body, Colonel Caine is interrogating Bukovsky and Fallanda about the Space Girl (Matilda May). Being told about the Churchill's escape Pod being missing, the fire and the cases. After this Fallanda's conversation with Caine about is there life after death is trimmed.
The Hyde Park scene is trimmed; the Police Inspector (Nicholas Donnelly) has three lines in 116 version but in the 101 min version he has one line.
Bukovsky on the phone about Carlsen being in a Walter Reed Army Hospital, he demands Carlsen is brought to London.
Carlsen's debriefing in 116 version also includes Bukovsky introducing Colonel Caine of the SAS remarking about we all thought You were dead plus the comments about a pretty nurse, the Churchill flashback is trimmed.
Just before Carlsen's nightmare a scene where Bukovsky informs Caine that NASA have tracked a strange object leaving the comet which is heading for Earth in two days time also there is to be a meeting at Downing Street (The Prime Minister and his Cabinet meet at the PM's home for non UK readers).
After the hypnotizing of Carlsen's comments made by Bukosvsky about the vampires of legend taking their Earth with them ( The majority of comments about vampires in 116 version are missing from 101 version explains why the title was changed from Space Vampires to Lifeforce).
The scene with Ellen(Nancy Paul) is cut slightly.
The attack on Dr.Armstrong(Patrick Stewart) is shortened.
The Kiss between Armstrong and Carlsen is removed.
After the deaths of Sir Percy(Aubrey Morris) and Armstrong, the Churchill flashback the love scene between Carlsen and the Space Girl is cut to the bone. Likewise the scene with the Infected PM (Peter Porteous) and his Secretary, Miss Haversham(Katherine Schofield) has had huge chunks cut out e.g. the PM being told of The Home Secretary's demise. Plus there are lines reactions closeups omitted here where and everywhere. The 101 Min version had some more zombie mayhem.

Connections
Featured in The Making of... 'Lifeforce' (1985)

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

User reviews289

Review

Featured review

7/10

Actually gets better on subsequent viewings (and when you know what to expect)

I first watched this film as part of my big "zombie kick" started by DAWN OF THE DEAD when I was a teenager maybe 12 years ago and didn't much care for it. As a zombie film I found LIFEFORCE to be immensely disappointing with very little of what I considered real zombie action. Don't get me wrong, there's lots of mayhem and chaos in the final reel, but the zombies run around fast and are in the gray area where they're almost more vampires than zombies. It's just too bizarre and sloppy if you go in expecting a Romero-style straight-forward action horror romp.

Seeing the film as an adult, I can find a lot of new things to appreciate. For one, the cast is fantastic with Steve Railsback in full-on goofball mode only hinted at in his earlier starring roles in STUNT MAN and TURKEY SHOOT. Solid British performers Patrick Stewart, Peter Firth, Frank Finlay, and John Hallam all pop by in strong supporting roles, with relative unknown Firth pretty much replacing Railsback as hero slowly but surely as the film progresses. The special effects are excellent beyond their years and should be in bold font on John Dykstra's CV. Add to that it's got a lot of imagination and energy which you just don't see in too many scifi/horror movies... and there's just the right balance with gore and unpleasantness to keep it shocking yet not grating.

LIFEFORCE is not necessarily a good film, but at least it stays entertaining. What it fails to do is really present a narrative in a way that feels like it makes proper sense. For one thing, the movie makes the odd decision about halfway through to send the two protagonists to an insane asylum where they inexplicably spend the next 20 minutes of movie. Suddenly out of nowhere we're plunged back into our main plot with London being overrun with zombies. It's like the movie just took a time-out to up the weirdness factor rather than sticking to its guns.

Of the Cannon Group's many offerings this really sticks out like a sore thumb - a film of such ambition never to be attempted by them again.

On a final note - LIFEFORCE is well worth watching if nothing else for the excellent use of late 70's / early 80's British "Lightning Strike" sound effects as heard in the pilot for "Space: 1999" and FLASH GORDON. ZZZ-ZZZ-Zakorr!!