The Hunger (1983)

A love triangle develops between a beautiful yet dangerous vampire, her cellist companion, and a gerontologist.

Director:

Tony Scott

Writers:

Ivan Davis (screenplay), Michael Thomas (screenplay)

Stars:

Catherine Deneuve, David Bowie, Susan Sarandon

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Catherine Deneuve	...	Miriam Blaylock
David Bowie	...	John Blaylock
Susan Sarandon	...	Sarah Roberts
Cliff De Young	...	Tom Haver
Beth Ehlers	...	Alice Cavender
Dan Hedaya	...	Lieutenant Allegrezza
Rufus Collins	...	Charlie Humphries
Suzanne Bertish	...	Phyllis
James Aubrey	...	Ron
Ann Magnuson	...	Young Woman from Disco
John Stephen Hill	...	Young Man from Disco
Shane Rimmer	...	Arthur Jelinek
Bauhaus	...	Disco Group
Douglas Lambert	...	TV Host
Bessie Love	...	Lillybelle

Storyline

The Egyptian vampire lady Miriam subsists upon the blood of her lovers. In return the guys or girls don't age until Miriam has had enough of them. Unfortunately that's currently the case with John, so his life expectancy is less than 24 hours. Desperately he seeks help from, the famous, Dr. Sarah Roberts. She doesn't really believe his story, but becomes curious and contacts Miriam . . . and gets caught in her spell, too.

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Plot Keywords:

female stockinged legs | pantyhose | immortality | woman on rollerskates | self defense | 

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Taglines:

Nothing Human Loves Forever

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Genres:

Drama | Horror

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 April 1983 (USA)

Also Known As:

El ansia

Filming Locations:

6 Chesterfield Gardens, London, England, UK

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$1,832,898, 1 May 1983

Gross USA:

$5,979,292

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), Peerford Ltd.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The famous love scene between Catherine Deneuve and Susan Sarandon was shot on a closed set.

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Goofs

During the scene when Miriam offers the drink to Sarah, Sarah is standing in front of a bust depicting Miriam. The camera pans between the two a total of three times. The third time, when Sarah takes a sip of her drink, the bust is not there.

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Quotes

[first lines]
John Blaylock: No ice.

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Connections

Referenced in The Cinema Snob: Hellraiser (2019)

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Soundtracks

Lakmé: The Flower Duet
(Act 2, No 2 Duetto: Viens, Malika... Sous le dôme épais où le blanc jasmin)
Music by Léo Delibes

User Reviews

Critics hate it and I love it...go figure.

For all the critics have to say, I must admit that this is one of my cult favorites. I keenly remember anticipating its release and seeing it at the 8th St. Playhouse theatre (where the weekly Rocky Horror movie/show ran for years in NYC). The mood and cinematography attest to its aspirations and for me are quite successful. In particular, the choice of soundtrack music is quite adept and urbane although only those very familiar with classical music will appreciate the tie-ins: Deneuve's playing of Ravel's "Gibet" from "Gaspard de la Nuit" for piano after John passes and after Sarandon's character makes her first kill...her husband. This piece is Ravel's programmatic interpretation of a French poem which describes a person wearily walking under the intense scorching sun and seeing something in the distance, approaches, only to find a corpse strung up, rotting in the midday sun. Beautiful usage of Schubert's Piano Trio as well as haunting movements of a Schubert piano sonata. Then there is the obvious thematic tie-in with "Lakmé" by Délibes. (Lesbian love) And you've got to love the use of the band BAUHAUS in the opening sequence-with the lead singer singing "Bela Lugosi's Dead" in the suspended cage. Deneuve is absolutely ravishing and used to great effect and lovingly photographed. David Bowie does an exceptional turn as her lover. What I admire most is the movie's ability to paint a feeling and mood of their existence outside time, eternally present yet eternally on the fringe, startlingly beautiful yet shrouded, veiled, amorphous and ultimately predatorial. Finally, the thought that Deneuve's past lovers never die but are trapped eternally in a constantly decaying shell is absolutely frightening. Did I mention that Deneuve is sublimely beautiful?!