Review of The Hunger (1983) by Mark H — 19 Aug 2012

'The Hunger' (1983) was the directorial debutof the late Tony Scott. A beautiful, exotic and erotic vampire film which is sadly under-rated. I didn't understand it back in the '80s either, and didn't rank it as a great vampire story, but this film has drawn me back again and again over the decades and grows in my estimation every time I see it.

The visuals are gorgeous, sometimes stark and striking, sometimes dreamy and ethereal - the labels "stylish" and "atmospheric" are overworked but in this case well deserved. The working of the music into the film is reminiscent of nothing so much as 'Amadeus': the Bauhaus performance intercut with the shocking violence of the monkey; the seductive scene between Miriam and Sarah to the duet from Lakme; the darkness of the film growing with Ravel's 'Le Gibet'.

The whole film is a work of sensuality, laced with eroticism, shot through with a subtle touch of melancholy. The vampirism is slightly vague and unsettling compared to the fangs 'n' gore of much of that genre.

Don't look here for another 'Twilight', 'The Lost Boys' or 'Nosferatu' - they each represent their own take on the vampire story, each valid in their own space; so too does 'The Hunger', in it's own unique and sensuous way.

'The Hunger' will stand as a tribute to Tony Scott ... "forever and ever".