#80sGenreBlindspots

Finally getting back to knocking out the handful of Tobe Hooper films I haven't seen, and this one came with quite the strong reputation (due to the high praise I see it receive from most every other fan of messy-but-ambitious genre filmmaking that I know).

And yo, this movie is wild as all hell.

One thing I'd heard about "Lifeforce" before going in was the strong comparisons to "Quatermass And The Pit", so I was anticipating an almost straight ahead remake of the story. What I DIDN'T expect was for them to take the basic original plotline and then proceed to throw two dozen other ingredients into the stew, topping it all off with some of the most interesting direction of Hooper's entire career.

It's a Hammer throwback that initially feels more like an outright sci-fi film, filled with gorgeous set design and practically realized creature effects, but one that eventually morphs into a sort of apocalyptic doomsday horror with strong fantasy elements. Every shot is simply bursting with passion and imagination, and every performance is perfectly pitched to the precise degree between stoic British character acting and unrestrained outright cheese. It's like I was personally focus grouped for this goddamn thing. And that Henry Mancini score! Didn't even touch on that!

I loved it. I absolutely adored it. It instantly leaps to 2nd place in my ranking of Hooper's entire filmography.