Lifeforce

Tobe Hooper: The Cannon Years, Part I

In this new three-part series, we pick up where The Tragedy of Tobe Hooper left off—right after the POLTERGEIST controversy—following Hooper into his wildest professional era: his years with Cannon Films.

First up: LIFEFORCE (1985), a big-budget space horror film based on the novel The Space Vampires. With a screenplay by Dan O’Bannon and Don Jakoby (BLUE THUNDER), LIFEFORCE was Hooper’s attempt to kick off a new phase in his career—one with more control, more money… and much, much weirder material.

In this episode, we dive into the film’s chaotic production, its strange creative choices (naked space vampires, anyone?), its reception by critics and audiences, and how it set the tone for Hooper’s Cannon trilogy—and the rest of his career.

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Theme Song: "There's Still a Little Bit of Time, If We Hurry and I Mean Hurry" by Slasher Film Festival Strategy.

This episode was written, produced and edited by Gary Horne, Justin Bishop, and Todd A. Davis.