The Hunger

The Hunger is one of the greatest vampire films ever, and it's not even a vampire film per se. Released back in 1983, Tony Scott's debut feature film, which he admits petrified him to make, is a stylish, sexy thriller that is truly unforgettable. The cast of Catherine Deneuve (the "Queen of France"), Susan Sarandon and the Thin White Duke, David Bowie, is pretty much a dream come true for a film this artsy and haunting. From the luridly macabre opening sequence, featuring the Bauhaus performing "Bela Lugosi's Dead" in London club Heaven, to the ending where Miriam's world crumbles, The Hunger moves like a gothic opera. The story focuses on a fashionable couple, Miriam and John Blaylock, who are music instructors by day and bloodthirsty stalkers by night. John discovers he is suffering from an accelerated aging process — makeup artist Dick Smith masterfully transforms Bowie from 30 to 90 years old — and consults an expert, Dr. Sarah Roberts (Sarandon), who eventually becomes Miriam's next lover, soul-mate and eventual successor. One of the fascinating aspects of this film is the conscious effort to avoid making the characters outright vampires. Yes, they suck blood, but they have their own fangless style, using an ancient Egyptian blade disguised as a necklace to slit the throat of the victim. Unfortunately, there isn't much as far as extras are concerned. The commentary by Scott and Sarandon is quite interesting though, making for a worthy bonus. Scott doesn't hold back, admitting he had to clear the set for the infamous sex scene between Sarandon and Deneuve. Denying it had much at all to do with lesbianism, he goes on to admit, "In hindsight, after 20 years, it's very horny," before chuckling. Hopefully this isn't the final nail in the coffin for this film on DVD and one day Scott will unearth some stirring extras for another DVD release, but for now, it's nice just to see this dark classic get a release. Plus: theatrical trailer, still gallery. (Warner)