The Hunger
MGM/UA Entertainment Company | Release Date: April 29, 1983 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
52
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 13 Critic Reviews
Positive:
3
Mixed:
9
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
80
The New York TimesVincent Canby
What makes The Hunger so much fun is its knowing stylishness, which Mr. Scott, who makes his theatrical film debut here, has brought to movies from a career in commercials and documentaries. Read full review
75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Jay Scott
The stars are of the first magnitude, the direction is sharp as a scalpel, the premise (vampirism sans fangs, garlic and other Transylvanian paraphernalia) is only semi-silly, and the visuals are suitable for exhibition in a gallery specializing in high gloss S & M. [29 Apr 1983]
70
VarietyStaff (Not Credited)
The Hunger [from the novel by Whitley Strieber] is all visual and aural flash, although this modern vampire story looks so great, as do its three principal performers, and is so bizarre that it possesses a certain perverse appeal. Read full review
60
Time OutStaff (Not Credited)
Visual sensualities will have a feast, but you'll have to read Whitley Strieber's novel if you don't want to emerge with a badly scratched head. Read full review
60
NewsweekDavid Ansen
The Hunger is slick, silly and not without thrills. [09 May 1983, p.85]
50
Austin ChronicleRaoul Hernandez
The Hunger is typically Tony Scott -- more style than substance, and perhaps simply an excuse to get Denueve and Susan Sarandon, Miriam's post-Bowie love, in bed together. Read full review
50
Chicago ReaderDave Kehr
The obsessive conjunction of lesbian sex and flowing blood suggests a deep-seated misogyny, but neither this nor any other theme is registered with enough clarity to offend. Read full review
50
TV Guide MagazineStaff (Not Credited)
A slick, largely empty visual exercise with vague thematic overtones about a clash between American and European culture. The Deneuve/Sarandon sex scene, however, is not to be missed by fans of either actress. Read full review
50
Slant MagazineEd Gonzalez
Scott’s film scarcely has its pulse on the encroaching conservatism of the nation. In the end, it’s just a shallow lesbian fantasy so aggressively spit and polished as to suggest a 96-minute White Diamonds commercial. Of course, that’s not to say that it isn’t fun. Read full review
50
Miami HeraldBill Cosford
An almost-horror film called The Hunger has in common with Flashdance an apparent obsession with style over other considerations, and the result, though weird, is no more satisfying. [02 May 1983, p.C6]
50
Washington PostRita Kempley
There's style and humor, but the visual excess overwhelms the weak plot. [29 Apr 1983, p.17]
40
EmpireKim Newman
All style and no anything else, especially plot coherence. Read full review
38
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
The Hunger is an agonizingly bad vampire movie, circling around an exquisitely effective sex scene. Read full review
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