Thirst (1979)

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Day 37 of Sobriety.

My second 1979 vampire film in row, after Werner Herzog’s Nosferatu the Vampyre, Thirst is also an unconventional entry in the vampire genre. The plot concerns a woman who is abducted by what I can only really describe as a “corporate cult of vampires.” They believe her to be the descendant of Elizabeth Báthory, and thereby capable of further empowering their organization. The well-organized vampires in this movie don’t stalk their victims like we are accustomed to, they keep them in farms and drain their blood using the vampiric equivalent of cow-milking machines.
 
This is an Australian film, but it features quite a few non-Australian actors, notably the prolific Henry Silva, and David Hemmings, who played the lead in Dario Argento’s Deep Red (1975). Although definitely a horror film, Thirst plays out much like a certain strain of pre-Star Wars dystopian science fiction movie, such as Westworld and Soilent Green (both 1973). Although in that respect the movie could be accused of lagging behind the times, it actually looks and feels more like a product of the 1980s than the 1970s.

Many of the actors seem to have been recruited from Australian TV dramas, including lead Chantal Contouri who plays Kate Davis, alleged descendant of the Bloody Countess. It does have something of a TV movie vibe to it, but I am not sure why I feel that way, as it is well produced (except for a few cheesy "glowing eyes" scenes!). It has a very low-key, down-tempo feel to it that some might find a bit turgid, but that I personally rather like. It also features a lot of dream and hallucination sequences, which are often very prolonged. Those aspects combine to imbue the film with a certain trance-like quality that I greatly appreciate. 

Also notable is the score by Australian composer Brian May (not the Queen guitarist!), with a main theme that reminded me of Britain's Hammer House of Horror TV show from around the same period.
 
All in all a pretty enjoyable 93 minutes, which I look forward to visiting again sometime.
 
 
 
 

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