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The Hunger

The film, The Hunger, directed by Tony Scott (who was the brother of Ridley Scott, director of 1979 Alien) is a 1980s stylish vampire film. Starring Catherine Deneuve, David Bowie and Susan Sarandon, this movie introduces several new things to the vampire genre: 1) blood letting with no fangs or teeth involved, 2) a music-centric theme. 3) It was considered to be the first bisexual themed vampire film, though that is not necessarily true, bisexuality has always been suggested and in the 60s and 70s there were low budget European lesbian vampire films. A lot of vampire films, including The Her, are loosely based on Countess Elizabeth Bathory who was a 16th-century Hungarian aristocrat who allegedly murdered 650 virgins and bathed in their blood to preserve her youth. (In case anyone follows the Illuminatti conspiracy theories, many celebrities are said to bath in blood to preserve youth as they also worship the devil but that is another topic altogether.But I wonder if this crazy idea came from the vampiress myth.)) Other lesbian vampire films are based on J. Sheridan LeFanu’s novella Carmilla (1871) published 25 years before Bram Stoker’s Dracula, about Countess Millarca Karnstein, who falls in love with her female victims. So we can trace the gothic genre as the genesis of the lesbian, bisexual and gender fluid themes. In The Hunger, for item #1, the vampires use a knife encased in an Egyptian ankh, worn around the neck. For 2, this was the beginning of the MTV generation. In the early 80s MTV introduced music videos. It was really the first time there was a 24 hour music TV station. Also, the director initially directed print and TV commercials. This experience shapes the sound and the look of the film. The musical score, mostly classical with some punk-ish opening, is integral to the overall viewing experience

In The Hunger, for item #1, the vampires use a knife encased in an Egyptian ankh, worn around the neck. For 2, this was the beginning of the MTV generation. In the early 80s MTV introduced music videos. It was really the first time there was a 24 hour music TV station. Also, the director initially directed print and TV commercials. This experience shapes the sound and the look of the film. The musical score, mostly classical with some punk-ish opening, is integral to the overall viewing experience

Though the movie was panned by critics, it has since garnered a cult following. In viewing it today, it does seems out of date, but it has its own unique charm, in my opinion. Sadly, the director Tony Scott committed suicide.

After viewing the film, consider the 3 points mentioned. Does a vampire film with “no teeth” lose something in the vampire genre or add a new twist? How does the music add to the special effects of the film? How would you characterize it? Is it successful in its effect, or annoying, or anything else to you? Do vampire movies bring out sexual themes in ways that other movies cannot?