The Hunger (2005)

42% of critics liked it
(26 reviews)
66% of users liked it
(11,786 ratings)

The exquisitely beautiful Catherine Deneuve plays Miriam, a centuries-old vampire capable of bestowing the gift of immortality on her lovers -- namely her current partner John (David Bowie). To sustain their sanguinary requirements, the pair cruises New York nightclubs in search of victims (as… More The exquisitely beautiful Catherine Deneuve plays Miriam, a centuries-old vampire capable of bestowing the gift of immortality on her lovers -- namely her current partner John (David Bowie). To sustain their sanguinary requirements, the pair cruises New York nightclubs in search of victims (as illustrated in a stunning opening sequence to the accompaniment of "Bela Lugosi's Dead" performed by seminal Goth band Bauhaus). When John awakens one morning to discover telltale signs of aging, it is revealed that his own sustained youth is not permanent, and his physical decrepitude begins to increase at an incredible rate. In a panic, John visits the clinic of scientist Sarah Roberts (Susan Sarandon), who has recently published a book on reversing the aging process, but she initially dismisses him as a crank, leaving him to sit in the lobby for several hours... during which his body ages several decades. After learning of his condition, Sarah traces John to his uptown flat. John is nowhere to be found, having been consigned by Miriam to a box in the attic with her legions of undead loves, leaving Miriam to deal with Sarah -- which she does quite effectively, seducing her into a steamy lesbian tryst. Their passion is consummated by a mingling of Miriam's blood with Sarah's, which later manifests itself as a psychic link between the two women and leaves Sarah with a rapidly-increasing appetite for blood. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 38 min.
Directed By: Tony Scott
Genres: Horror

In Theaters: Apr 29, 1983 Wide
On DVD: Oct 5, 2004
Studio: MGM

Critic Reviews

Variety Staff, Variety
In his feature debut, director Tony Scott, brother of Ridley, exhibits the same penchant for eleborate art direction, minimal, humorless dialog and shooting in smoky rooms.
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
The Hunger is an agonizingly bad vampire movie, circling around an exquisitely effective sex scene. Sorry, but that's the way it is, and your reporter has to be honest.
Vincent Canby, New York Times
The movie reeks with chic, but never, for one minute, takes itself too seriously, nor does it ever slop over into camp.
Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader
The obsessive conjunction of lesbian sex and flowing blood suggests a deep-seated misogyny, but neither this nor any other theme is registered with enough clarity to offend.
Renee Schonfeld, Common Sense Media
Bloody lesbian-vampire story is stylish, but no Twilight.
Cynthia Fuchs, PopMatters
The focus of Hunger is emphatically the death of Bobby Sands, specifically, what happens to his body, viewed from a tragic outside and, to an imaginative extent, a determined inside.
Raoul Hernandez, Austin Chronicle
More style than substance, and perhaps simply an excuse to get Denueve and Susan Sarandon, Miriam's post-Bowie love, in bed together.
, TV Guide's Movie Guide
A slick, largely empty visual exercise with vague thematic overtones about a clash between American and European culture.
Cole Smithey, ColeSmithey.com
Deneuve and Sarandon are something else.
, Time Out
Visual sensualities will have a feast, but you'll have to read Whitley Strieber's novel if you don't want to emerge with a badly scratched head.
Forrest Hartman, Reno Gazette-Journal
Nearly unwatchable lesbian vampire flick.
Ed Gonzalez, Slant Magazine
Strictly for perverts, dumb blondes, and camp enthusiasts.
Ed Gonzalez, Slant Magazine
In The Hunger, like in that ludicrous advertisement for Britney Spears's Curious perfume, sexual desire simply provokes postmodern psychotropic episodes.
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice
Style over substance in this vampire drama.

Read all 14 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Stella D

1983, u ninnies! i watched this in honor of bowie's 65th b-day :D don't know how i missed it back in the day but in 2012 it's actually quite fun. it's very stylish and dark and kinda sleazy. denueve and bowie are a stunning couple; too bad he disappears halfway… More
1983, u ninnies! i watched this in honor of bowie's 65th b-day :D don't know how i missed it back in the day but in 2012 it's actually quite fun. it's very stylish and dark and kinda sleazy. denueve and bowie are a stunning couple; too bad he disappears halfway through, but then we get a denueve-sarandon makeout scene so it's all good. or at least way better than twilight. sure, it doesn't make a lot of sense and it's shot like an mtv video but the cast is great and highly watchable: bowie is always impressive imo and deneuve is an ice goddess. plus the aging effects here are magnificent. happy b-day david! u still look pretty damn good!
Phil H

British vampire thriller from Tony Scott that really really does look like one of those old Cadbury's Flake adverts from the 80's. The constant swirling sweeping silky curtains fluttering in the breeze for no apparent reason, pale females with too much makeup, birds flapping… More
British vampire thriller from Tony Scott that really really does look like one of those old Cadbury's Flake adverts from the 80's. The constant swirling sweeping silky curtains fluttering in the breeze for no apparent reason, pale females with too much makeup, birds flapping n swooping romantically about the set in slow motion and lots of sexual slobbering haha. Aside from that its not a bad vamp flick, extremely glossy and highly stylised but admittedly not much else. The plot and concept for the vampires is annoyingly confusing bringing up so many questions, why does only the lover/secondary vamp seem to age? why do they age when they are vamps? why do they age so quick? why does 'Miss Blaylock' age at the end? why does feeding on blood not save them etc...I could on. Really this feels like an experiment in film making and imagery, its very glamorous and classy looking with a cast to match...Bowie, Sarandon and Deneuve, one could almost say its one long perfume advert or music video seeing as the plot ideas are so unexplained. I also find it rather odd that this sultry female vampire is somehow able to store loads of coffins with rotting mummies in her attic without them being noticed (the smell?), and why she also seems to have a pigeon infestation up there too lol!, she sure does like long flowing silky drapes though. Definitely a cult and certainly worth seeing if you like vampire films, horror/thrillers or unusual one offs as films like this don't come along very often. Strongly advise seeing if you also have a Sarandon fetish hehe ;)
Chris W

This is Tony Scott's debut film, and, well, let's put it this way: had the rest of his films been done in the same manner as this one, then his career would be pretty different than the way it is. This is a vampie film based on a novel, though I use the term loosely as it… More
This is Tony Scott's debut film, and, well, let's put it this way: had the rest of his films been done in the same manner as this one, then his career would be pretty different than the way it is. This is a vampie film based on a novel, though I use the term loosely as it isn't ever actually used in the film itself (almost self consciously it seems), and the rules aren't really established and not a whole lot is explained. The plot concerns a classy and sophisticated couple of fiends named John and Miriam (Catherine Deneuve and David Bowie) who are immortal. When he begins to suddenly age, they seek out the help of a geriatics researcher named Sarah (Susan Sarandon) who ends up becoming more than just a source of help for them, especially Miriam. I appreciate that this film tries to be something different, and is rather classy, sophisticated, and artsy, but it's also painfully slow and dull. Not much really makes a whole lot of sense, though the concept is kinda cool. The film is wonderfully shot, and looks beautiful, but the editing is awful and choppy, and really jarring at times. I didn't like the score, but I did enjoy the classical tunes that are used at times as well as "Bela Lugosi's Dead" by Bauhaus, who also cameo in the opening scene. The casting of the principals is good, and their performances aren't terrible, but not really great either. Cameos by Dan Hedaya and Willem Dafoe help things out a tad though. The makeup and effects are actually decent, but there's only really a couple of scenes that are all that great, the best being a tasteful love scene between Sarandon and Deneuve. I wouldn't call it erotic, but it is pretty sexy. The film doesn't really work, but for a directorial debut it could be a whole lot worse. That's kidna the problem though, since the film isn't a clear complete failure, it drives me nuts becuase it is a failure, but he has some redeeming aspects that almost make it work. I'm torn on this one, and don't really recommend it, but let's just chalk it up to good intentions gone sour and give it around a C or C-.
moon r

Moody, nuanced and erotic, Tony Scott gives his best in this suave spooker about ubercool postmodern New Yawk vampires.
Jeff "

In the 1980's you had three phenomenal vampire films, Fright Night, The Lost Boys and Near Dark. All of them horror classics, and all of them excellent films. But there's one vampire film that has been obscured by those superior films, and that's The Hunger. The… More
In the 1980's you had three phenomenal vampire films, Fright Night, The Lost Boys and Near Dark. All of them horror classics, and all of them excellent films. But there's one vampire film that has been obscured by those superior films, and that's The Hunger. The popularity of those films have place The Hunger in the shadows, and has made people forget the film. I only first heard of this film by watching the making of Top Gun, and the film was briefly mentioned. This was directors Tony Scott's first feature film, and it's an impressive first film, but it's also nothing too extraordinary. Having watched this, I can understand why the film has not been that well received by critics and audiences. Well, for me I think it's a good film, but lacks the power of the other vampire films of the 80's. The film is boring, slow moving and some will lose interest. The Hunger's high points are in the acting, not so much in the story, as I fiound it to be quite ordinary, and the atmosphere. Those are the two aspects of the film that saved this from being a total dud. The Hunger is an impressive film like I said because it shows the very first attempt at directing by Tony Scott, who would later helm some action packed roller coaster rides. I thought it was impressive that he directed such a film, because of his resume of work. I never thought he did anything else other than action films. The Hunger is an average vampire film that has really good acting, and great atmosphere, but at times the story falls a little flat, and you come to realize that thereare things that could have been redone, and you realize why this film has gotten the reiviews it has and why its not among the classic vampire films of the 80's.
Morgan S

I love David Bowie but I'm not big on Susan Sarandon...I stoped watching half way through because 1. David Bowie died. and 2. The movie just didnt seem to be going anywhere...
Lee ?

A Vamp film that refreshingly ignores some of the age old clichés - the word "vampire" isn't even used. It's pretty stylized all the way through and it plays out like a 90 minute music video featuring some mildly bloody moments and soft erotica with Catherine… More
A Vamp film that refreshingly ignores some of the age old clichés - the word "vampire" isn't even used. It's pretty stylized all the way through and it plays out like a 90 minute music video featuring some mildly bloody moments and soft erotica with Catherine Deneuve's seduction of Susan Sarandon being particularly sexy. Special mention also to the make-up team who did a remarkable job with the aging prosthetics applied to David Bowie who plays a rapidly aging vampire. I did just find this an 'ok' film though at the end of it all. A bit slow and boring at times, but it has its moments of interest and it's easy on the eye.
Drew S

An absolutely wretched piece of 80s offal. Points are earned for what I presume was some semblance of originality, as I guess Susan Sarandon and Catherine Deneuve locked in a lesbian vampire affair was pretty sensational back in the day. I guess if you're into viewing films as… More
An absolutely wretched piece of 80s offal. Points are earned for what I presume was some semblance of originality, as I guess Susan Sarandon and Catherine Deneuve locked in a lesbian vampire affair was pretty sensational back in the day. I guess if you're into viewing films as time capsules as I am, there's a certain curiosity to be derived from the nightmare disco aesthetic and its subsequent segues to dreamy, pseudo-erotic ephemerality. But all of this is clearly striving for something greater, positing its lesbianism as high art rather than a cheap thrill scaffolding a crappy film; Tony Scott clearly had faith in his product when it obviously didn't merit any. It's way too far up its ass to serve any sort of camp value, and the plot is an incredible non-event. Many of the sequences are populated with unbearable pauses, protracting a senseless mystery about David Bowie getting older and Deneuve is an evil vampire or something. The screenplay is probably about forty pages long, and I imagine Scott took one look at it and decided to pad it with "meaningful" silence and imagery. The only real praise I have for The Hunger is that it could easily be worse, but in this day and age there's honestly no reason to see it at all.
AJ V

Yes, this movie has Bowie in a cool role as a vampire, and the rest of the cast is good too, but I don't like the story, it's different from other vampire movies, but it's just so scientific and weird, too weird for me. Overall, this is a cool looking movie, but the… More
Yes, this movie has Bowie in a cool role as a vampire, and the rest of the cast is good too, but I don't like the story, it's different from other vampire movies, but it's just so scientific and weird, too weird for me. Overall, this is a cool looking movie, but the story needs work.
Conner R

Sort've the female equivalent of Interview With The Vampire, only this is taken far more seriously and is more logical than most vampire films. Tony Scott's debut is stunning, everything a gothic 80s movie should look like. The performances from Susan Sarandon, Catherine… More
Sort've the female equivalent of Interview With The Vampire, only this is taken far more seriously and is more logical than most vampire films. Tony Scott's debut is stunning, everything a gothic 80s movie should look like. The performances from Susan Sarandon, Catherine Deneuve and David Bowie only add to the enjoyment level. I love that the topics of desperation and helplessness are done so well, they aren't the strong and immortal Vampires you meet most of the time.
Nicki M

Good movie, I think my all time favourite "Nadja" may have borrowed from this story quite a bit, (but still love it). I was surprised that David Bowie was only in the first half of this, would have liked to have seen a little more of his character, but still a really good… More
Good movie, I think my all time favourite "Nadja" may have borrowed from this story quite a bit, (but still love it). I was surprised that David Bowie was only in the first half of this, would have liked to have seen a little more of his character, but still a really good movie. Looks a little like an 80's music video, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Very stylish.
Robert C

Four words: Vampires, Bowie, Deneuve, Sarandon. This movie rocked my world when it came out. It had everything, style, music, violence, blood. A unique twist on the vampire story, which was the first time that I actually felt compassion for a vampire.
Lafe F

A sensual and bloody modern tale of vampirism in New York city. It was sad seeing the innocent blood being spilled. Susan Sarandon and Catherine Deneuve were sizzling and sexy in this film! It's very artistic and almost science-fiction in feel.
Cindy I

Most memorable for how gorgeous Catherine Deneuve was during the love scene with Susan Sarandon. I don't normally lean that way, but she just knocked me out!
Ken S

meh
xGary X

I found this cult vampire flick over directed and little more than an excuse for soft core porn with a "cool" pop star and some slo-mo doves fluttering around belfries. Dull. And Tony, you will only ever be a second rate knock off of your brother. Sorry mate.
Antony S

Very much a mixed bag, The Hunger is better than most Tony Scott movies in that this at least accepts its trashy roots, whereas nowadays he seems to enjoy a lofty position as a stylistic pioneer, frequently in control of projects with massive budgets. The plot revolves around an… More
Very much a mixed bag, The Hunger is better than most Tony Scott movies in that this at least accepts its trashy roots, whereas nowadays he seems to enjoy a lofty position as a stylistic pioneer, frequently in control of projects with massive budgets. The plot revolves around an aging vampire couple (Bowie and Denueve), and the intervention into this world by Susan Sarandon's character. Bowie is quite underused, sadly, but in the early scenes of his rapid deteriation he provides a few touching moments that highlight the painful side of immortality. On the other end of the scale we have the super-80s moments between the two ladies, culminating in a notorious lesbian scene. Though the build-up is admittedly sexy, the full-on soft porn direction of said intercourse is fairly comicall, all lingering slo-mos, soft focus, doves, roses, etc. Cheesy, but worth watching, and as I said, better than what Tony peddles these days.
Dean M

The famous Susan Sarandon-Catherine Deneuve lesiban scene is average, but I don't see Deneuve as a real vampire without her fang teeth.
Adam M

Bit of a cult vampire classic. Full review soon.
Ed Fucking H

A vampire movie starring the lovely Catherine Deneuve, David Bowie and Susan Sarandon? Why hadn't I heard of this before now? Movie opens up with Bauhaus playing 'Bela Lugosi's Dead.' Perfect song choice as this film throws away most of the cliches attached to the… More
A vampire movie starring the lovely Catherine Deneuve, David Bowie and Susan Sarandon? Why hadn't I heard of this before now? Movie opens up with Bauhaus playing 'Bela Lugosi's Dead.' Perfect song choice as this film throws away most of the cliches attached to the Vampire genre, while staying true to the most basic elements of the original Dracula novel by Bram Stoker. Fascination with eternal life, doused with touches of eroticism. This was Tony Scotts feature film debut, and I am really surprised he had a film of this calibre in him. I always considered him more of a tactition, than a director with this much eye for style. Great photography and editing for sure. Clearly he took a lot from his previous experience in commercials and music videos. Apprently Scott originally wanted to make this movie based on Interview With a Vampire. Would have been interesting to see what he would have done with that story. Ah well, this one is very good too. Movie bombed in the box office and was universally hated by critics, and is criminally under known today as far as I'm concerned. One of the most unqiue takes on the vampire genre I have seen, since I watched Guillermo Del Toro's brilliant Cronos, about a year ago, and this came out much earlier. Really doesn't feel like it's almost 30 years old. Still feels relevent and modern and not dated in the least. Really can't think of anything critical to say about this one. Loved it. Highly recommended.