Tobe Hooper made a massive entrance into the horror genre with the gritty, pseudo-documentary The Texas Chain Saw Massacre in 1976. In the decades that followed that horror classic, Hooper continued to make a splash in horror with movies like Poltergeist, Salem’s Lot, and The Funhouse, cementing his status as one of the most influential horror filmmakers of all time. But not all of his movies earned the same appreciation, including a 1985 sci-fi horror that remains his most underrated movie ever – and it’s now streaming on Prime Video.
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Released nine years after The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and as an immediate directorial follow-up to Poltergeist, Lifeforce is massively overshadowed in Hooper’s career. The movie, a genre mashup of science fiction, horror, and apocalyptic thriller, started streaming on Prime Video on April 1st, giving fans a chance to rediscover it. Lifeforce is based on Colin Wilson’s 1976 novel The Space Vampires and centers around a space shuttle crew that discovers an ancient alien ship near Halley’s Comet and brings three naked, catatonic humanoids back to Earth, unintentionally releasing a vampiric plague and apocalyptic, energy-draining chaos in London.
Tobe Hooper’s Lifeforce Is an Underrated Cult Classic
Lifeforce was an experimental follow-up to Hooper’s earlier career, and he didn’t hold back, creating a fun “what the hell?” film where quite literally anything goes. The movie goes beyond just your typical vampire story, merging a space exploration opening, a London-based detective story, a sci-fi space vampire premise, and a full-scale zombie outbreak into a single film. It’s bonkers and erratic, but it all somehow works, Lifeforce delivering a bizarre, fast-paced plot of insane chaos that keeps viewers hooked. The movie successfully pushes the boundaries of sci-fi with a heavy focus on vampire eroticism and body horror, and the entire spectacle is brought to life through impressive practical effects that still hold up pretty well today.
Lifeforce ultimately landed as an ambitious failure-turned-cult-gem. Produced with an estimated budget of $25 million, a massive sum at the time, the movie absolutely bombed at the box office when it grossed just $11 million. It also failed to earn much love from critics or general audiences and currently holds rotten 58% critic and 46% audience scores on Rotten Tomatoes. The movie has gained a dedicated following over the years and is now recognized as a unique and incredibly ambitious ‘80s genre blend.
What’s New on Prime Video?
Prime Video added Lifeforce to its streaming catalog alongside a big wave of arrivals on April 1st. Subscribers can now stream other movies like both the 1988 and 2019 versions of Child’s Play, the underrated 2023 horror film Dark Harvest, Killer Klowns from Outer Space, and The Poughkeepsie Tapes. Outside of horror, the April lineup has also brought movies like Fast Times at Ridgemont High, House of Gucci, Patch Adams, and Spaceballs to the Amazon streamer. Movies such as The Running Man, The Conjuring: Last Rites, and The House of the Spirits are also set to be added before April wraps.
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Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
