Lifeforce (1985)

Country of Origin: UK / USA
Year of Production: 1985
Running Times: 98 mins (Finland)     99 mins (Sweden)     105 mins (USA - cut version)     116 mins (UK; USA - uncut version)
Format: Eastmancolor
Ratio:
Sound: Dolby Stereo

SELECTED CREDITS

(Full Credits)

PRODUCTION
Production Companies: London Cannon / Tri-Star Pictures / Easedram Limited / Golan-Globus
Producers: Menahem Golan, Yoram Globus

SCRIPT
Script: Dan O'Bannon, Dan Jakoby
Novel: Space Vampires by Colin Wilson

DIRECTION
Director: Tobe Hooper

PHOTOGRAPHY
Director of Photography: Alan Hume

EDITING AND POST PRODUCTION
Editor: John Grover

MUSIC
Music: Henry Mancini
Additional Music: Michael Kamen, James Guthrie

SOUND
Sound Designer: Vernon Messenger
Sound Recording: George Stephenson

MAKE UP AND COSTUMES
Make Up: Dickie Mills, Michael Morris, Sandra Exelby
Hair: Pat Kirkman
Costume Designer: Carin Hooper

SPECIAL MAKE UP EFFECTS
Prosthetics and Make Up Effects: Nick Maley

SPECIAL EFFECTS
Special Visual Effects: John Dykstra, Apogee
Special Visual Effects Producer: Robert Sheperd
Miniatures Supervisor: Grant McCure
Special Effects: John Grant

DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Production Designer: John Graysmark
Art Directors: Alan Tompkins, Bob Cartwright, Tony Reading, Terry Knight

LOCATIONS
Locations: Thorn / EMI Studios, Borehamwood, Herts; London

STUNTS
Stunt Arranger: Peter Diamond

CAST
Frank Finlay (Fallada)
Peter Firth (Inspector Caine)
Steve Railsback (Commander Tom Carlsen)
Mathilda May (space girl)
Patrick Stewart (Dr Armstrong)
Michael Gothard (Bokovsky)
Nicholas Ball (Derebridge)
Aubrey Morris (Sir Percy)
Nancy Paul (Ellen)
John Hallam (Lamson)
John Keegan (guard)
Christopher Jagger (1st vampire)
Bill Malin (2nd vampire)
Jerome Willis (pathologist)
Derek Benfield (physician)
John Woodnutt (metallurgist)
James Forbes-Robertson (minister)
Peter Porteous (Prime Minister)
Katherine Schofield (Prime Minister's secretary)
Owen Holder (1st scientist)
Jamie Roberts (Rawlings)

The crew of the space shuttle Churchill discover a massive spacecraft in the tail of Halley's Comet and retrieve the three naked humanoids hey find there. They turn out to be space vampires who drain the lifeforce from their victims - all but one of them, a woman, are killed and she escapes, pursued by the authorities and by the only survivor if the Churchill crew who has become obsessed with her. Will they catch her before she decimates London?

Hugely entertaining if completely mad, this big budget reworking of Quatermass and the Pit (1967) is virtually incomprehensible but the outstandingly bad acting, ridiculous script and over-the-top scenes of carnage make it horribly compelling. None of it makes any real sense but it's huge fun in a warped sort of way - John Brosnan hit the nail on the head when he called it "Like watching H.P. Lovecraft on speed."

UK
Theatrical Distributor: Cannon Group
Video Distributor: The Video Collection

USA
Theatrical Distributor: Cannon Films / TriStar Pictures
Video Distributor: MGM; Vestron Video
Laserdisc Distributor: Image Entertainment Inc
DVD Distributor: MGM Home Entertainment (907017 - extended version, 1998); MGM Home Entertainment (DVD-15848 (1999))

Australia
Rating: M

Finland
Rating: K-16

France
Rating: -12

Sweden
Rating: 15

UK
Rating: 18

USA
Rating: R

West Germany
Rating: 16

1985
Catalonian International Film Festival, Sitges, Spain
Caixa de Catalunya: Best Special Effects (John Dykstra) - winner

1985
June
28: USA - theatrical release

August
23: Finland - theatrical release

September
18: France - theatrical release

November
7: West Germany - theatrical release

1986
February
28: Sweden - theatrical release

1998
May
26: USA - DVD release (MGM Home Entertainment (907017))

Space Vampires - working title
Vampires from Outer Space - working title

SEE ALSO
Quatermass and the Pit (1967)

MAGAZINES

Fantasynopsis no.4 pp.9-13 (UK)
credits, synopsis, review

Films April 1984 p.14 (UK)
review

Flesh and Blood no.10 pp.26-27 (UK)
credits, review

BOOKS

The Illustrated Vampire Movie Guide p.108
credits, review

OTHER SOURCES

screen
credits

aliens, comets, space shuttles, astronauts, helicopters, vampires, london, zombies, space travel