The Space Vampires

The Space Vampires is a British science fiction horror novel written by author Colin Wilson, and first published in England and the United States by Random House in 1976. Wilson's fifty-first book, it is about the remnants of a race of intergalactic vampires who are brought back from outer space and are inadvertently let loose on Earth. The titular space aliens are energy vampires, rather than the familiar stereotypical Earth vampires that suck blood and change into bats. They consume the "life force" by seducing living beings with a deadly kiss and also have the ability to take control of the willing host bodies of their victims. Though the aliens initially appear to be humanoid bat-like creatures, they are subsequently shown to be squidlike, then ultimately revealed to be insubstantial energy-beings from a higher dimension. The novel's protagonist is Captain Olof Carlsen, the commanding officer of the space exploration vehicle that discovered the vampires' spacecraft. The novel was mildly successful and was translated into many languages including Spanish, Japanese, German, French, Italian, Dutch and Swedish. In 1985 it was adapted into a film, Lifeforce. The entire premise and shape of the story is heavily indebted to, and influenced by, the work of H.P. Lovecraft and his Cthulhu Mythos. Wilson mentioned Lovecraft's influence and said that "Lovecraft's favorite idea of incubi who can steal a human body, expelling its rightful owner" was central to the story. Other Lovecraftian elements noted by Carol Margaret Davison include "an ancient race of creatures who inhabited Earth long before the human race and who lurk out of sight, usually in dark nasty corners, plotting to reclaim it." Lovecraft's stories with similar themes include "The Call of Cthulhu", "The Colour Out of Space", "The Whisperer in Darkness", and "The Case of Charles Dexter Ward". Some consider The Space Vampires to be so Lovecraftian that authors such as Daniel Harms and John Wisdom Gonce have classed it as actually being a part of the Cthulhu mythos. Rosemary Guiley describes The Space Vampires as being "inspired" by the Cthulhu mythos.