| | | | The Hunger
(1983) |
he eighties saw somewhat of a renaissance in the vampire genre and, as a result, this decade spawned a lot of vampire flicks, many of them good ones that enjoyed considerable success.
A good example is “Fright Night”. That particular film stuck to the ‘old school’ vampire genre and, by doing so, entertained audiences all over the world. It had great special effects, a very cool cast and, of course, fantastic eighties music.
Conversely, “The Hunger”, starring British rock legend David Bowie and talented French actress Catherine Deneuve, breaks all the stereotypes and delivers a thrilling piece of artistic cinema.
The films director, Tony Scott (yep, you guessed it -Ridley Scott’s brother), has created a dramatic masterpiece. Even though you probably haven’t heard of him before, you have most likely seen one of his films. Tony Scott also directed “Top Gun”, “Beverly Hills Cop 2” and “Enemy of the State”.
This film has been directed in a way that you most probably haven’t seen before, especially in a vampire film. The cuts (I’m talking about the film here, not the bleeding kind!) are very precise and work well with a lot of the carefully devised beautiful music of Michel Rubini and Denny Jaeger.
Catherine Deneuve plays an immortal 4000 year old vampire named Miriam Blaylock living in Manhattan with her lover John (Bowie).
They feast on the unsuspecting “young persons” of the Big Apple and dwell in their stunningly isolated mansion. But John, who is not immortal, had been seduced by Miriam in the early eighteenth century (but he’s not immortal…?) and is now starting to come of age- real fast. In one amazing sequence he ages 300 years in just one afternoon. The special effects, although not so special now, were done by Dick Smith who worked on “The Exorcist”.
Miriam seeks the help of Sarah Roberts (Sarandon), a doctor engaged in research into ways of halting the aging process. After a heart-breaking “so called death” sequence between Miriam and John, Miriam puts him away (still alive, in a coffin!) forever as she can’t bear to live without the ‘young and lustful’ John she once knew.
It seems that Miriam moves on quickly though, and soon seduces Sarah and sexually initiates her into the vampire world. From this extraordinary scene the film builds up inexorably to a spine-chilling climax of escalating terror.
Deneuve, Bowie, and Sarandon all give spectacular performances, and the film with it’s series of stunning visuals has made itself a vampire classic of the eighties, brought to the screen by Tony Scott, Stephen Goldblatt (cinematographer) Richard Shepard (producer) and screenplay writers Ivan Davis and Michael Thomas. This film will keep you gasping from start to finish.
 Don't forget that The Hunger is now available to order on Widescreen DVD using our special 80s Retro Assistant...
|
| | | | 
There isn’t much wrong with this film. However those of you who enjoy sticking to the vampire “genre” might find it difficult to watch. For starters, the vampires don’t have fangs- not ones that you can see anyway. Secondly, they walk around in the daylight and thirdly they don’t sleep in coffins but in nice big beds. “The Hunger” does a great job at breaking the stereotype, and for a lot of vampire and horror lovers this can be quite a welcome change.
If you are looking for something along the lines of “Fright Night”, then this is not for you. “The Hunger” does not have a lot of "discoish" eighties music (a common theme in eighties horror) but rather a delightful chilling score that plays throughout the film. There is a cool disco scene at the beginning however, involving Peter Murphy of Bauhaus, singing "Bela Lugosi's Dead".
And for those of you who were looking for some of Bowie’s music to listen to there is none of that either. Rent "Labyrinth". (Although David Bowie does sing once in the movie. It's in the background of an Iggy Pop song. The roller skating scene. For some reason it is not listed in the credits. The song is called Funtime. I believe Bowie also produced it. -Thanks to Felice Schwed)
|
| | | |  | 
Twenty years later, this film is the best example of real Eighties NY club style. The pop disco, Molly Ringwald, eighties genre films pale in comparison to this moody film that so typifies the fashion, (retro 40's eighties) and aesthetic of the eighties urban club goer.  -Thanks to Mark Davis
| |
The youth interrupting Sarandon in the phone booth is Willem Dafoe, later to star with her in "Light Sleeper".
The girl killed in the opening sequence is popular performance artist Ann Magnuson.
The screenplay for The Hunger was based on a novel of the same name by Whitley Strieber who wrote another horror novel treating the subject of werewolves in the same unconventional way he did vampires in The Hunger. This book was made into the film "Wolfen". -Thanks to Philip Berry
The book makes it clear (but the movie does not) that Miriam Blaylock is not human. She is of another species which evolved as the perfect predator, who blend in with their prey (human kind). The book does a great job of weaving in vampire myths and explaining how they came to be. For example, when Miriam's species sleeps, they enter a comatose state and cannot wake for six hours (the deep sleep is why they don't age). At this time they are completely vulnerable to attack by humans. In Eastern Europe in the middle ages (Transylvania), when humankind began to realize that Miriam's species existed, Miriam's species was sometimes forced to sleep in cemeteries for protection, knowing that humans were too superstitious to enter them at night. When they would arise in the morning and leave the cemetery, humans who saw them would assume that they were undead and rising from the grave. -Thanks to Richard Kenney
The book has a completely different ending. Miriam survives but Sarah does not and, in the last scene, Miriam is walking the streets of San Francisco, noting how comforting it is in the afternoon when she can travel under cover of fog.
This was director Tony Scott's Hollywood film debut. He repaid the opportunity in 1997 by directing an episode of the the TV series of "The Hunger".
The 2nd fellow at the phone booth after Willem Dafoe is John Pankow, who starred with Dafoe in 'To Live and Die in LA' another 80's cult classic. -Thanks to Theo W.
The girl who plays Alice Cavender, Miriam and John's music student, is played by Beth Ehlers who is the main character Harley on "The Guiding Light". -Thanks to Dawn
The opening scene featured British band 'Bauhaus's' lead singer, Pete Murphy.
« Click
here to add some Hunger trivia
Find much more great trivia in the filmmaker's commentary on the Hunger DVD.
Rediscover your favorites! If you like
The Hunger or 80's Horror classics, then be sure to
check out this list: ..... Lost Boys ..... Near Dark ..... Fright Night ..... Hellraiser ..... Shining ..... Poltergeist ..... Scanners ..... American Werewolf In London ..... Night of the Creeps ..... Nightmare on Elm Street ..... Paperhouse ..... One Dark Night ..... Re-Animator ..... Prom Night ..... Mausoleum ..... Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama .....[More]
| | | |
David Bowie was reportedly somewhat intimidated by Catherine Denueve but got on easily with Susan Sarandon.
Susan Sarandon was not completely thrilled with the way her seduction scene with Catherine Deneuve was conceived. In the film, Deneuve gives Sarandon something to drink, then Sarandon becomes light-headed and loses her inhibitions. Sarandon didn't like that angle - she stated that it didn't matter if you were straight or gay, no one would need to be drugged to be talked into sleeping with Catherine Deneuve! -Thanks to Patrick Fogerty
Apparently, Ridley Scott was set to direct the film, but decided to pass when he heard Bowie was in on the deal.
There was a strong rumour that both lead actors used body doubles for the famous shower scene.
The lighting for the movie followed the Scott brothers' concept, 'Blag Dog'. It was the second movie to do so after 'Alien'. -Thanks to Steven Wood
«
Click
here to add a new Behind-the-Scenes item for Hunger
|  |  |  | | The Hunger
Locations |
|
| | |
Sutton Square on the upper east side is used for some external shots around Miriam's home, but the actual house used is in London. [Thanks to Tom]
The final scene was shot in the stunning architectual icon the 'Barbican Tower' in London.
Can you help? Do you know any of the London, UK filming locations used for The Hunger, particularly the house? [Please send them in]
|  | | | | ![[16:9 -Widescreen Enhanced]](16_9.gif) | ![[STEREO or SURROUND]](dd2.gif) | Trailer, Commentary |
| | | | Trailer, Commentary |
|
| | | |
The films score was devised by Michel Rubini and Denny Jaeger. The score is very pleasant and quite chilling in some parts.
I am not too sure whether or not they also composed the sharp pounding suspense half of the score, or just the docile half. Track listing:
1. Trio in E-Flat, Op. 100 [Excerpt]
2. Beach House
3. Suite #1 for Solo Cello in G-Major, Prelidium (Excerpt, First Moveme)
4. Waiting Room/Flashbacks
5. Sarah's Panic
6. Arisen
7. Partita No. 3 in E-Major, Gavotte en Rondeau [Excerpt]
8. Lakme [Excerpt]
9. Sarah's Transformation
10. Final Death
11. Trio in E-Flat, Op. 100 [Excerpt]
The music in the opening club scene is Bauhaus' "Bela Lugosi's Dead" -Thanks to RV
The haunting melody, "Flower Duet", used throughout the seduction scene was written by the opera professor Leo Delibes exactly 100 years before the release of The Hunger. -Thanks to Bob Westerbeck
«
Click here to add new music trivia for Hunger
Soundtrack Available:
On CD
| | | |
 NEW!
Use our radical Retro Assistant to show you the most accurate information for hard-to-find The Hunger products anywhere on the web...
At a glance, you can now see all the Movie
releases, Soundtracks
or Movie
Posters, Scripts and Books ever available with online price comparisons, even if they're
rare, out of print or only available in another country!
Over 3 years in development and covering more than 10,000 of the
best products hand picked by our editors, we think it's the most fun and retro way to celebrate the era --and find what you
want.
It covers The Hunger DVD,
VHS,
Blu-ray,
HD-DVD,
Downloads,
Soundtrack
CDs, Movie
Posters, Scripts, Books and more... Why not give
it a try...
The
80's Movies Rewind is proudly a spam-free
non-commercial site, written by movie fans... for movie fans.
If
you enjoy this site, please help to support us and keep us
POP UP & SPAM FREE by ordering your stuff through our services.
As you probably already know, we
are not a corporation, but just 80's fans like you...
| | |
 | | Recent
Additions |
March 3, 2008: Commando USA / UK Blu-ray Coming Soon.
February 28, 2008: Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Soundtrack Update.
Previous
additions
We're always updating and improving, so please and check back with us regularly...
|
| | |
