The Hunger | 100 Movies Bucket List

 

I'd never heard of this movie, let alone knew that David Bowie starred in a horror movie, so I was intrigued about this one. Though also a bit sceptical, as I don't always love vampire-themed horror movies.

I liked this film a lot.

The beginning is intriguing. We're kind of thrown in at the deep end without knowing much about the characters, and figure things out as we go.

It's not surprising that music was such a large focus, but it ties in with the story so easily. Whether it's actual singing, playing or the score, it all becomes a major feature of telling this story.

I love that the film plays with the ideas we've always had about vampires - particularly the difference between eternal life and eternal youth, which in many vampire movies are treated like one and the same. Not only does it explore this, but it actually bases the story on it.

The visuals, including the make-up, are done so well. The ageing looks incredibly realistic, the gory scenes are done well and the designs of the vampires just work.

The writing is so great. The story can go from scientific, to horrific, to dramatic, to erotic/romantic in a way that doesn't even highlight the genre change - sometimes this even happens in the same scene, and it's so seamless that you hardly notice.

All of the actors are fantastic, and portray their characters so authentically. While they don't feel like they exist outside of this story, they do make the story feel more real.

And one of the things that absolutely stands out is the chemistry. Every character combination works so well, all of the actors play off of each other amazingly and the erotic element feels really tasteful, for the most part.

The story takes such an interesting turn near the end. With 30 minutes left it felt like there was enough to keep going for at least an hour.

The lead-up to the ending is great, with one scene in particular that embodies true horror. And then the actual ending just sticks with you, and leaves you thinking after the credits roll.

Overall, a great addition to the bucket list that I'm really glad I've seen!