The Hunger (1983) - T. Scott's under-appreciated, erotic horror masterpiece

♥♥♥♥♥♥

 

The sensuous and the menacing meet in this striking, highly detailed poster for Tony Scott's The Hunger

In New York an immortal, beautiful woman lives with her vampire lover, who suddenly starts aging at a rapid speed. An aging-focused scientist is sought out and starts to overtake the man's position...

The Hunger is written by James Costigan (On Borrowed Time (1957)) and Michael Thomas (Countryman (1982)), adapting the same-titled 1981 novel by Whitley Strieber (The Wolfen (1978)), and directed by English master filmmaker Tony Scott (Loving Memory (1971)), whose 2nd feature it was.

Scott's finest film, The Hunger is a visual treat, (cinematography by Stephen Goldblatt (For the Boys (1991))), hyper-stylized with dream compositions and lights, beautiful sound work and music choices, (score by Denny Jaeger (What Waits Below (1984)) and Michel Rubini (Manhunter (1986))). Susan Sarandon (Lovin' Molly (1974)), otherworldly beautiful Catherine Deneuve (Changing Times/Les Temps qui Changent (2004)) and über-cool David Bowie (Zoolander (2001)) give formidable performances. The make-up jobs are unparalleled, the special effects radical and troubling.

The film's handling of its central themes of immortality and love seems to encourage its audience to take on and rejoice in our own mortality. The Hunger is a fierce and absolutely fantastic masterpiece.

 

Related posts:
 
Tony Scott: Stoker (2013) - Chan-wook Park's over-styled American debut revolts and bores in turns (producer)  

Unstoppable (2010) - T. Scott's mechanically exciting final movie
Déjà Vu (2006) - T. Scott cuts a helluva suspense-cake!
Domino (2005) - T. Scott's bounty-hunter biopic a complete misfire, mega-flop  

1998 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess 

Enemy of the State (1998) - T. Scott, Bruckheimer, Marconi ahead of their time in outing NSA in exciting thriller 

Days of Thunder (1990) or, Very Little Thunder

 

 

Scott talks about making the film many years later in a video here

Cost: Reportedly 10 mil. $

Box office: Reportedly 10.2 mil. $

= Huge flop (returned 1.02 times its cost)

[The Hunger was released 29 April (USA) and runs 97 minutes. Shooting took place from March 1982 - ? in New York and in England, including in London. SPOILER The final balcony scene with Sarandon's character was a studio-mandated addition. The film opened #5, behind holdover hit Flashdance, fellow new release Something Wicked This Way Comes, holdover hit Tootsie and fellow new release Valley Girl, to a 1.8 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it grossed 5.9 mil. $ (57.8 % of the total gross). Roger Ebert gave it a 1.5/4 star review, translating to 5 notches under this one. Scott returned with Top Gun (1986). Deneuve returned in Le Bon Plaisir (1984); Bowie in Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence (1983); and Sarandon in The Buddy System (1984). The Hunger is rotten at 55 % with a 5.70/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

 

What do you think of The Hunger?