The Hunger (1983)

The Hunger has been on my netflix instant watch list for an eternity. I've skipped over it so many times that I toyed around with the idea of just deleting it and calling it a day. I'm never going to watch it, right? Today, as I clicked through the endless line of DVD covers in my instant queue, an unseen force compelled me to click on that wispy and vague cover art. I was immediately blasted back to the 80's.

The opening scene of The Hunger may be my new favorite 10 minutes ever put to film. The Bauhaus' Bela Lugosi's Dead begins to play and sexy 80's people begin to romp around in sexy 80's garb. They smoke their sexy 80's cigarettes and gyrate under sexy 80's strobe lights. I would've been sold without the well placed Bauhaus tune. Since it is one of my favorites, it just added to my enjoyment of the moment and I instantly fell in love. This brief opening gave me goosebumps. There was no way it could get any better. Until it did. As the super smokey club scenes flashed to "seduction" scenes I sat slack jawed. There is no dialogue, just music and sex and David Bowie. Then there is violence and blood and a monkey and I am at the mercy of this film. David Bowie is sex. Screw Twilight. This scene alone fills me with vampiric dreams. This makes me want to run around for eternity, young, gorgeous and devoid of any moral conscious (with David Bowie). After that opening, this film could take me anywhere and I would go without question. Oh, and it went. It went all over the place.

I would have been content if this film had been a super stylized, sexy tryst. Although it remained super stylized, the tone changed almost immediately. Our "vampire" protagonists, John (Bowie) and Miriam (Catherine Deneuve), are not your typical "vampires". I'm going to keep calling them "vampires" because they simply don't fit the conventional mold. They have no aversion to sunlight, they use nifty knife necklaces to slice open victims, they don't turn into bats and *gasp spoiler* they aren't immortal! At least John isn't...

I am not spoiler girl. If you waited 26 years to see this film like I did, you deserve to watch it with fresh eyes. Here's the general plot which you can skip: Miriam is a mama "vampire" whose current companion (John) is suddenly and rapidly aging. Miriam is not surprised as this seems to be what happens to the companions she creates. John and Miriam approach a doctor studying aging. This doctor happens to be the nubile Susan Sarandon. Miriam sets her sights on the doc and a sexy lesbian thrall ensues.

The Hunger explores mortality, lust, codependency and the science of aging. It is dated but in a way that works for the film. There is no shortage of wind blown drapes and billowing cloths. Visually, it is very much an 80's music video. This film explores vampirism and is very willing to toss stale conventions aside in favor of a more modern flair. The Hunger is an 80's movie. That fact works in its favor. I love how drenched in the era it is.

You can see by this blogs focus what I enjoyed. I was unimpressed by the lesbian scenes. In 1983 this may have been scandalous but I find I'm rather desensitized to it. It didn't add anything to the film. If you read write ups for The Hunger it seems the girl on girl action is the focal point. That's sad because there is so much else going on. This film isn't for everyone. It is vague at points and very ethereal. There also isn't much bloodshed. Love it or hate it, it's a nice addition to the vampire pantheon and I will most definitely be revisiting it.