Happy Pride to ‘The Hunger’, the Ultimate Bisexual Vampire Movie
A movie about the horrors of spending eternity with Catherine Deneuve, David Bowie, and Susan Sarandon. Consider this my ‘Challengers.’
Happy Pride, bisexuals. I know media portrayals of bisexuality can be a little embarrassing at times (see: IKEA Canada’s infamous gaslighting bisexual couch, bisexuality “emerging” in 1995 on the cover of Newsweek, whatever is happening on Love Island USA Season 8), but thankfully, horror has long been home to some of the coolest and most complex stories exploring bisexual desire, identity, and attraction.
This is especially true when it comes to vampires, who have been seducing men, women, and anyone else unfortunate (or fortunate) enough to cross their path. Pick any vampire book or movie, and you’ll find that at least one character—usually the vampire, but not always—is bisexual. And more often than not, they’re having the time of their lives.
Which brings us to The Hunger. If you love the “timeless beauty of Catherine Deneuve, the cruel elegance of David Bowie, and the open sensuality of Susan Sarandon,” then Tony Scott‘s (Top Gun, True Romance) stylish but oft-overlooked 1983 vampire thriller deserves a spot at the very top of your Pride Month watchlist.
Based on Whitley Strieber’s novel of the same name, The Hunger follows Miriam Blaylock (Deneuve), a glamorous vampire of “vaguely Egyptian origins”who grants her human lovers eternal life and youth. But when her partner John Blaylock (Bowie) starts rapidly aging, he seeks out the help of Dr. Sarah Roberts (Sarandon), a gerontology researcher who is studying the effects of rapid aging in primates. Her attempt to understand his mysterious condition leads her to Miriam, who decides she might be John’s perfect replacement.
