Turns out the space vampire dress code is pretty lax.
“Everything in the world is sex. Except sex, which is power.” – Oscar Wilde
You could write volumes about the complicated relationship that horror cinema has with sex. Scary movies in the 70’s and 80’s typically peddled the idea that pre-marital sex was a transgression worthy of death, while simultaneously showing as much of the act as they could get a way with in order to titillate the audience. That hypocrisy is probably tied to America’s inverted views of what is acceptable regarding sex and violence in its media, but despite Lifeforce being a British production, it pushes the concept to its apex. The antagonist is a stunningly beautiful space vampire, mostly seen completely in the buff, that lures men into sexual activity (or at least some heavy petting) in order to suck out their lifeforce. The moral is, plainly, lust will kill you.
I enjoyed Lifeforce quite a bit, although I did find it pretty silly. It definitely has a fun, low budget sci-fi vibe, especially in the beginning. The film’s first act involves a British/American coalition of astronauts and scientists discovering an alien spacecraft while on a research mission to explore Halley’s comet. Tobe Hooper’s direction in this section is like a poor man’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, which I really appreciated. No matter how kitschy the material, it’s always nice when the filmmaker treats their craft seriously. I also thought the acting was above par for mid-80’s horror, although Mathilda May wasn’t given much to do in her lead role other than set aside her modesty. The vampires (there are two men in addition to May, although they are treated far more modestly in terms of screen time and exposed body parts) turn their victims into zombie-like ghouls who have the same hunger for life energy, which makes the latter part of the movie into a cross between The Thing and a typical zombie flick. It also takes some of the focus off of the vampires themselves, which is needed to give the film balance and relieve some strain on the admittedly shallow main theme of the movie.
So, Lifeforce is a light recommend, something that can pass the time without requiring intense focus or providing much fuel for your nightmares. It’s also an interesting representation of the slasher philosophy on sex, depicting the female form in an almost absurdly lascivious way yet making very plain the idea that sex will kill you. (Trailer below is accordingly NSFW, by the way.)
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