The Hunger
1983 **** 96 mins.
1983 **** 96 mins.
Let me start off by saying that I don't understand why so many people dislike this film. I absolutely loved this highly stylized vampire film from Tony Scott. Of course, I find it difficult to call it a "vampire" film as it (pardon the pun) bears no distinctive marks of a vampire film. It's almost like a more artistic version of Vampyros Lesbos. Compare the storylines, you'll see what I mean. A vampiress's husband dies, and she looks to fulfill her hunger in the blood of another woman. The usage of classical music in the film gave it a wonderful historical and gothic feel. I only had three problems with the film. The first one is that I thought the opening of the film was a bit stupid and made little to no sense. The second problem (for which I can't dock points) is that Susan Sarandon's hair bugged me. At first I couldn't tell if it was her or another man. The third problem (for which, again, I can't dock points) is that the DVD cover bugs me. It makes the film look like nothing more than a cheap horror flick. While many are of that opinion, I felt that this is a beautifully photographed, sounding, and conceived dramatic/horror effort that is almost perfect. The suspense is there, the questions arise that keep the viewer entranced, and nothing in the film is without reason (except the opening). Another cool aspect about the film is that Cliff De Young played Brad Majors in Shock Treatment and Susan Sarandon played Brad's fiance Janet in The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
Rated R for language, nudity, sex, gore, and violence.
Screenplay by
Ivan Davis and Michael Thomas
From the Novel by
Whitley Streiver
Directed by
Tony Scott