The Hunger

Dream-like horror

Whitley Streiber's highly suspenseful and thematically rich novel is transformed into something entirely different by Tony Scott.

The film is a dream-like arthouse horror pic with diamond-studded production values.

Catherine Deneuve is very, very good as eternal blood drinker Miriam Blaylock. Although it has never been acknowledged (as far as I know), the look and behavior of her screen character is a "re-imagining" of Delphine Seyrig's peerless vampire Countess Bathory from Harry Kummel's 1971 classic DAUGHTERS OF DARKNESS.

David Bowie is superb as Deneve's not-so-immortal beloved and convinces us to emphasize with his condition (he is aging rapidly)

This was Tony Scott's first feature and it is a beautiful piece of work that is rich in texture and design and demonstrates adroit control of cinematic craft.

The sound design and rich catalog of music cues are pitch perfect.

Certainly bearing little resemblance to Streiber's novel (just as Michael Wadleigh's WOLFEN also moved away from same author's source), THE HUNGER is, nevertheless, gorgeous art.

"The Hunger" opens with the by now familiar Goth anthem "Bela Lugosi's Dead" by Bauhaus. Not a bad way to open a vampire film, though nowadays it would seem almost a parody. "Undead undead undead" indeed. Enter Cathy and Bowie into a slick, sleek, neon nightclub, filled to the rafters with post-punks & pre-Goths playing dead. Too bad they weren't as ready for the real thing as they thought they were. You see, Cathy and Bowie are vampires.

This is a visually stunning film, making up for in effects what it sometimes lacks in coherence. It seems that lovely, immortal Cathy, called Miriam, is a vampire queen who has been around since the Sphinx was built, apparently. Bowie is her consort, a once mortal man whose two hundred-odd year lifespan is suddenly winding down at a frighteningly rapid rate. Desperate to find a cure, he seeks out scientist Susan Sarandon, who at first disbelieves Bowie's claims, but is soon convinced when the young and handsomely androgynous man suddenly ages over the course of a few hours time into a decrepit ruin. Miriam, who has had countless lovers over the centuries, gives Bowie the heave-ho and turns her attention to lovely young Sarandon. But Sarandon, though initially easy to seduce (in an erotic lesbian scene) proves to have a will stronger than Miriam's, and Miriam's habit of keeping her collection of ex-lovers cadavers close at hand, proves to be a mistake.

This is a strange film, almost as cold and dispassionate as one might well imagine a vampire to be. It seems to hold the viewer at arms length, not allowing them to experience the emotions of the characters...but the characters, for the most part, are severely lacking in emotion anyway, so the stark emptiness of the film becomes a brilliant mirror. Some vampire enthusiasts might find this boring and confusing, but it's a good effort and not a total loss.

The three main characters are worth watching simply for their amazing beauty and grace. Tony Scott (brother of Ridley) has made a nice, if somewhat bizarre and chilling, work of art here and, like most works of art, it's up for interpretation.

The Hunger (1983)

** (out of 4)

When vampire Miriam Blaylock (Catherine Deneuve) bites a new lover, they don't age, which is a great benefit but that changes when she's done with you and wants someone else. John (David Bowie) finds himself aging at a rapid pace so he goes to a doctor (Susan Sarandon) for help but soon the doctor finds herself under the spell of Miriam.

THE HUNGER features some truly great stuff but sadly it's all pretty much lost in this rather bland movie that's certainly a strange take on the vampire story but in the end there's just way too much style and not a lot of substance. Director Tony Scott certainly likes his style even when it overtakes any sort of story that might have been in the screenplay. There's all sorts of quick edits here and it's clear that the director wants you to be impressed with how many cuts there are in one small sequence. As far as the story goes, I guess they figured since you had two beautiful women naked and making out with each other you didn't need a story.

As I said, there are some terrific things here including the special effects of Dick Smith who had to take a very young Bowie and age him in front of our eyes. The special effects used are simply brilliant and you almost with that the entire 97-minutes would have been devoted to watching Bowie grow old. This sequence doesn't contain the power that it should have, thanks to the direction, but there's no doubt that you're eyes will be one the effects. Another major plus are the actual performances from the three leads. Bowie is marvelous here and steals the film as you really can feel his character's fear of growing old, which of course means his life is going to be over. Deneuve is also extremely good having to work with limited dialogue. The same with Sarandon who falls under her spell.

The now infamous lesbian scene has two beautiful women who are obviously easy to look at but even the style to it wasn't all that impressive. Obviously, I wasn't overly thrilled in how director Scott handled the picture. It's really a shame because there aren't too many horror movies that get this type of cast and in the end you can't help but feel that it was a wasted opportunity even with the great moments that are scattered throughout.

A film with lots of style, beautifully shot, almost like a dream. This must be Tony Scott's best film to date, why do you ask? The director shows vision, not only in its visual medium but the editing, the music, the production design, the classical costumes and the chance to work with some talent.

David Bowie is very good, almost perfect for his part and Catherine steals the whole film. Susan Sarandon is also very good, the infamous Lesbian scenes are highly erotic and also very artistic.

This film isn't your usual Vamp movie, the film adds depth to these so-called Vampires.

The film probably required a bit more plot but nevertheless, this is all about style, this film looks fantastic.

Do not watch this in pan and scan, make sure you see it in widescreen because the director and cinematographer make full use of the panavision width.

"The Hunger"(1983)by Tony Scott is a stylish vampire flick filled with some wonderful visuals.The film is excellently acted-a stunningly beautiful Catherine Deneuve is truly memorable as Miriam-an ageless vampire and former Egyptian queen.There is plenty of blood and vampire lesbian sex,so everyone who is into horror films or Goth music should see this cult flick.The opening scene with Bauhaus playing "Bela Lugosi is Dead" is priceless!