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THE HUNGER
Presented by: Film i Malmö membership required
April 16, 2026
Thursday, 19:30
Director: Tony Scott
Year: 1983
Runtime: 97 minutes
Erotic horror movie The Hunger follows Miriam Blaylock, played by the ever-alluring Catherine Deneuve. She’s a former Egyptian princess who has collected a series of lovers over the centuries to keep her company in eternity. Unbeknownst to her current beau, John (David Bowie), her promise of eternal youth and beauty is more temporary than he hoped for, and as he ages rapidly into decrepitude, Miriam focuses her attention on a new potential lover, Sarah (Susan Sarandon).
The Hunger is as close as the lesbian vampire genre ever came to ambivalence in terms of sexuality. Miriam is a monster whose desires aren’t positioned as a symptom of her evil, and her queerness is a sign of her intense capacity for love that goes beyond humanity’s understanding. She’s a villain who happens to be queer, not a queer villain. That feels kind of revolutionary considering the film is turning 40. And yet, it really only could have been made in that year, sandwiched between the dying embers of ‘70s excess and the dual dangers of AIDS and Reaganism. Sarah may reject Miriam’s dark gift, but by the film’s conclusion, she has embraced a queer (potentially polyamorous) life. Desire and death are not inextricably entwined. It is a cycle that can be concluded.
Kayleigh Donaldson, Paste magazine.
Kayleigh Donaldson, Paste magazine.