Film Review: The Hunger (1983)

Based on the novel by Whitney Streiber, The Hunger tells a stylish tale of vampire love run amok in NYC. Miriam Blaylock (the lovely Catherine Deneuve), a vampire given immortal life in ancient Egypt, and her lover, John (David Bowie), are suffering at the hands of age. While vampires are immortal, those who cannot handle the head vampire's blood inevitably reject the virus and grow old. When John gets his first wrinkles, Miriam looks for a replacement. Her choice: Dr. Sarah Roberts (Susan Sarandon in an awful haircut), the head researcher at a clinic attempting to eradicate aging like a virus.

The true star of the film is the style, in every sense of the word. It's clearly a product of the 80's. Gorgeous lighting washes every scene in an eerie glow of blue or white, representing the hunger or the serenity of eternal life. Likewise, the score switches from haunting synths to ageless classical to reflect the same. The costumes are pure fashion, with all the wacky bows and boundless gold money could buy. This film wants you to believe NYC is really paved in gold.

Unfortunately, it's the substance that falls short. I am completely unfamiliar with the source material, though digging around for reviews seemed to indicate a similar problem: gorgeous prose with little logical content to justify it. The twist on vampire mythology, indicating the abilities as a virus controlling the host, is wonderful. The film constantly dips into science-fiction territory with alternate hypotheses on aging, including blood type and sleep habits.

But it never amounts to anything. The film is satisfied being a beautiful painting with no real message.

The practical aging effects on David Bowie are sensational. It's some of the most realistic make-up work I've ever seen. His voice sells the transformation, though that writes a check his physicality can't cash. No matter how old he becomes, he still stands and moves the same way as his initial 30 year old self.

Physicality aside, the three lead performances are fantastic. Everyone plays the hero, and everyone plays the villain in a bizarre triangle built on aspirations, not love. Bowie needs Sarandon's help to combat his rapid aging, but she refuses to believe his story. Sarandon is slowly overtaken by the charms and abilities of Deneuve. And Deneuve is constantly held back by Bowie's every effort to stop her pursuit of a suitable companion to truly last forever. Even better is when the roles flip, with each character turning in the opposite direction. I'm not one for review cliches, but Bowie, Sarandon, and Deneuve truly give brave performances, surrendering their abilities to the greater vision of the film and not holding anything back.