The Hunger |  | Actors: Catherine Deneuve, David Bowie, Susan Sarandon, Cliff De Young, Beth Ehlers
Studio: Warner Home Video
Category: DVD
List Price: $19.98
Buy New: $10.98
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Rating:  139 reviews
Sales Rank: 8,597
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
Languages: Spanish (Unknown), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), French (Subtitled)
Rating: R (Restricted)
Region: 1
Discs: 1
Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
Running Time: 97 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
MPN: 012569504929
ISBN: 0790743728
UPC: 012569504929
EAN: 9780790743721
ASIN: B0002KQNKE
Theatrical Release Date: April 29, 1983
Release Date: October 5, 2004
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
No Description Available.
Genre: Horror
Rating: R
Release Date: 5-OCT-2004
Media Type: DVD
Amazon.com
Catherine Deneuve and David Bowie are rich, beautiful, and oh-so chic as denizens of the night. Dressed in sleek outfits and stylish sunglasses, they haunt rock & roll clubs on the prowl for young blood, whom they bring home to their impossibly luxurious mansion for a late-night snack. Being a vampire never looked more sexy, but there's a price: Bowie starts to age so fast he wrinkles up in the waiting room of a doctor's (Susan Sarandon) office. The agelessly elegant Deneuve, evoking Delphine Seyrig's Countess Bathory from Daughters of Darkness, is perfectly cast as a millenniums-old bloodsucker who seeks a new mate in Sarandon and seduces her in a sunlight-bathed afternoon of smooth, silky sex. Tony Scott's (Ridley's brother) directorial debut, adapted from the Whitley Strieber novel, revises the vampire myth with Egyptian inflections and removes all references to garlic and crosses and wooden stakes--these bloodsuckers can even walk around in the daylight--but the ties between blood and sex are as strong as ever. Scott's background as an award-winning commercial director is evident in every richly textured frame and his densely interwoven editing, but the moody atmosphere comes at the expense of dramatic urgency. At times the film is so languid it becomes mired in its hazy, impeccably designed visual style. In its own way, The Hunger is the perfect vampire film for the '80s, all poise and attitude and surface beauty. Sarandon talks candidly about the film in the documentary The Celluloid Closet. --Sean Axmaker
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 139
 sexy vampire thriller from the 80's.. September 3, 2010
James C. Ward (Tuscaloosa area AL, USA)
Fetching Miriam (Catherine Deneuve)- a 2,000 year old vampire- gave John (David Bowie) the gift of eternal life hundreds of years ago, choosing him as her lover and companion. Now, just as John begins to age rapidly, Miriam wants to put the bite on Dr. Sarah Roberts (played by Susan Sarandon), a doctor who specializes in premature aging. Sarah soon becomes Miriam's new lover and finds herself having to make the choice of a lifetime in this erotic cult classic.
Interesting concept, but there's something too oppressive about the atmosphere. May 28, 2010
Monty Moonlight (TX)
When an ancient vampiress's rapidly aging lover turns to a female doctor who specializes in such conditions, it only serves to lure her into the arms of the vampiress as well. Little does Dr. Roberts know the terrible price for being one of Miriam's lovers, beyond just having to feed on the blood of other human beings for eternity.
From 1983, Tony Scott's first feature film, "The Hunger" is a very unique sort of vampire film. With its very '80's-noir atmosphere (heavily perfume-commercial-like), it was thoroughly criticized for having too much atmosphere, so much that it felt more like an art film, not to mention having too little plot and poor pacing. In truth, after finally having seen this film, I can't say I totally disagree. "The Hunger" can indeed be heavy to watch, with its oppressive atmosphere and interesting but slow story. I believe it's probably a masterpiece for some audiences. Certainly, there is great feeling put into this film from the director, and I sympathize with his position. I wouldn't call this a truly bad film, I just feel like you either deeply enjoy the mood and style of this film or it is just too slow and heavy for you. I suppose if the atmosphere was more my style, I would probably be raving about it, but there are different types of '80's styles, and this is one that doesn't quite work for me. Points to that same atmosphere though for being successfully eerie at times in an other-worldy way, even while being heavily suffocating most of the time in my opinion. I also will praise the film for it's horrific twist on the vampire existence and the fate of the main bloodsucker in question. I even like the tacked on ending myself, though Susan Sarandon apparently hates it. While it may be there in the unsatisfied hope of a sequel, I don't get that feeling from viewing it. I just find it an appealing twist to the ending.
Of course, what this film is most famous for isn't really it's unique, fangless take on modern vampires, but rather its early mainstream lesbian love scene between stars Susan Sarandon (as Dr. Roberts) and Catherine Deneuve (as the vampiress Miriam). For me though, there wasn't much stimulation in watching this pair, as they simply are not on my list of celebs I fantasize about, ha. Deneuve is like 40 here, which isn't quite my thing yet, and Sarandon never has been my thing, especially with the awful hairdo she has here, but I digress. As for David Bowie fans, they may be disappointed to see how short, albeit important, his role in the film is.
Overall, I'd say if you are a fan of any of the stars, especially the ladies, you'll want to see this. If you are a fan of vampire movies, you should see it at least once. If you like artsy films, and I don't mean "The Company of Wolves" artsy (love that movie, but I AM more of a werewolf guy), you also might be a good candidate for enjoying this flick. I don't doubt it has an audience. I don't really think it's a terrible film, and even I enjoy aspects of it, but I can't disagree with the critics on the pacing and the atmosphere. It is just HEAVY. Cool climax and ending though.
The DVD is enhanced widescreen and includes a spliced together commentary from Susan Sarandon and Tony Scott, along with theatrical trailer and still gallery. Those are some nice standard extras that every DVD and Blu-Ray should consider a minimum, but actually, often times you're lucky to get that much, so thanks for that. The commentary is actually very interesting to listen to as you get the star and the director's motivations and reactions to scenes and to the film's general reception. It's a nice DVD presentation, and I do find myself wondering if I would warm up more to this movie on repeat viewings over time. For now though, it was interesting, but the mood./atmosphere it went with hangs too heavy over the whole thing for me to get really comfortable watching it.
 Does Not Hold Up To The Test Of Time February 15, 2010
Willy D. Reviewer (San Francisco,CA)
0 out of 4 found this review helpful
When first released, everyone thought this was the top rated vampire movie of all time.
No. Not even close.
Rent it if you are curious. Do not buy it.
The hunger in you is a hunger in me. January 2, 2010
K. A. Ekvall (Bullhead City, AZ)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Beautiful, intelligent and seductive, Miriam and John Blaylock, outside looking in, appear to have it all. That is, until their bloodlust locks onto you, and from them, there is nothing but horror and death.
As the companion to the ageless Miriam, John is but a mere mimic, who soon finds out the truth of the blessing and curse that is Miriam's gift, and her false promises of eternal youth and eternity with her. As he begins to rapidly age, Miriam realizes the eventuality of his demise and begins to seek a new companion, in the form of a doctor specializing in aging disorders, and in essence, attempting to unlock the very thing that Miriam possesses: immortality.
Dr. Sarah Roberts is approached by John, who desperately seeks her aid in reversing the aging process but is quickly dismissed--until she sees him literally age before her eyes. But it's too late, John leaves, frustrated and terrified. When Sarah locates the Blaylocks in their Manhattan home, she is instead greeted by the sensuous Miriam, and ensnared. And in her newfound freedom and loneliness, it is Sarah who Miriam chooses.
The Hunger, based on Whitley Strieber's book (and will now be reading), is a goth-punk but intriguing take on the vampire lore, that could be very sentimental, but more sexual than romantic, and mostly unapologetic, focusing on the base and animalistic ritual of prey and predator. The familiar facets of vampirism, and some which are missing (such as sleeping during the day and aversion to sunlight, etc), are all there but with a grittier and more sinister pall, and a jaw-dropping sexual encounter between the captivated Sarah and the gorgeous Miriam.
Tony Scott's debut film makes for an atmospheric and luscious dark delight, with a very moody, stylish and artsy flare, but with well done horror. To set the mood, is a stunningly rich and wonderful score, with punk-rock to start off with, but with mostly symphonic music throughout, that is both melancholy and haunting, intoxicating and sublime. It's the kind of score that really makes this film doubly unique and also a must buy.
That said, while I always enjoy watching this film, in its entirety, it is a confusing, choppily put together and jumbled telling. Pacing is not very smooth, and the transition between scenes at times harsh, going from quiet to loud, bright to dark, abstract imagery, or moves too quickly and you're not quite sure what you just saw. Clearly, the scenes were put together more for effect, over telling a compelling story. While the idea of love, loneliness, aging and immortality is the underlying theme of the story, Scott does little to actually question the existence of Miriam, her callousness and love for her human companions and damning them to a horrible end, or why she seeks Sarah as her next victim, besides letting the audience assume the obvious. Scott uses the backdrop of the vampire myth as his story and to explain the nature of these characters, which I found that somewhat lazy and careless of Scott. Rather than incorporating a stronger story line besides Miriam's hunt for a new companion, it merely displays and idolizes the eroticism and allure of the vampire--which is why I'm going to read the book. Then again, it is obvious early on that this is purely a sensory film.
The extras are a must. Stills from the production, cast pictures and behind the scenes, while not necessarily brilliant, are fun. What you should really go for is the audio commentary by Tony Scott and Susan Sarandon, which was actually insightful, both are articulate and interesting commentators.
Catherine Deneuve as Miriam is the perfect seductress, infusing a timeless worldly beauty and eloquence to a character that really deserves nothing but due justice. Surprisingly, David Bowie's role as John was both subtle, chilling, and unexpected. Both are believable as modern day vampires and effortless as mainstream vampires in the new age. What surprised me was Susan Sarandon. While she did an excellent job, pitted against two Europeans, the American in her at times clashed. While she is at times brash and ineloquent, both John and Miriam are always so coolly aloof but passionate. Or maybe that was the point. It was hard to imagine that someone like Miriam, who is that otherwordly and could have anyone she wanted, would pick such a stubborn and independent intellectual, while her choice of John is totally believable. Despite that, and the problems with this adaptation, I always find myself picking it out every once in a while, during an evening when I need some vampire horror and blood, but with a twist. This cult classic from the 1980s is one that every vampire and horror lover should watch.
VAMPIRE MOVIE WITH BOWIE November 29, 2009
Ingrid H. Williams (Benson, AZ, USA)
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
MY HUSBAND SAW THIS MOVIE WAY BACK WHEN, SO I BOUGHT IT FOR HIM. IT'S A VAMPIRE MOVIE, VERY FREAKY. SUSAN SARANDON ESPECIALLY. OK MOVIE
CAME IN GREAT CONDITION AND IN THE TIME IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE HERE.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 139
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