Father and child sit together smiling while looking at a smart phone.

Want more recommendations for your family?

Sign up for our weekly newsletter for entertainment inspiration

Parents' Guide to

The Hunger

By Renee Longstreet, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 17+

Bloody lesbian-vampire story is stylish, but no Twilight.

Movie R 1983 97 minutes
The Hunger Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

See all
age 17+

Based on 3 parent reviews

Nosferatu
Nosferatu Adult
April 20, 2020
age 18+

Animal cruelty-warning!

Right at the beginning of the film, monkeys locked up in a laboratory are shown hurting and mauling each other. Apparently both the director and the actors found it okay that animals were tortured for this film. That alone is enough to issue a warning about this junk. Cruelty to animals is neither aesthetic nor cool.

This title has:

Too much violence
davispittman
davispittman Adult
April 10, 2020
age 15+

Interesting plot details but uneven

The Hunger does feature good performances all around and has some interesting plot details but unfortunately is uneven and runs out of steam. I wish the film was better because I do appreciate the LGBTQ representation. FYI for parents: the sexual content is rather strong. Nudity is abundant. The violence and gore is stronger than a PG-13 vampire film but nothing that a 15 year old couldn’t handle.

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much swearing
See all 3 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Miriam (Catherine Deneuve) and John (David Bowie), the elegant vampires-next-door in a chic modern-day Manhattan mansion, face the end of their centuries-old romance when John begins to age and rapidly dies. Miriam's quest for a new life partner leads her to Sarah (Susan Sarandon), a doctor researching longevity and humankind's biological clock. Sarah falls victim to the beautiful vampire's seduction and enters a world of erotic sex and brutal murder. But when Sarah fights back, refusing to accept her fate, Miriam encounters a formidable enemy.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (3 ):
Kids say (1 ):

The Hunger is hampered by a humorless, weak story and shallow, undefined characters. Even the inventive direction and the stunning visual effects and production design, along with two of the world's most beautiful women willing to participate in what must have been very controversial love scenes in 1983 when the film was made, cannot make up for these shortcomings. The audience is continually assaulted by orgies of blood and gore, often combined with erotica, all of which lead to a silly final battle between the dying and the undead. This exercise in style over substance has a cult following of vampire fans and mature teen fans of the genre will overlook the film's weaknesses for it's stylish and sometimes shocking plot elements.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about teens' continuing fascination with horror movies (and specifically vampires) in film, books, and television. What do you think is so appealing about the genre?

  • Why do so many horror movies combine sex with violence? What is the effect of watching this combination? What is the appeal?

Movie Details

Inclusion information powered by

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

See all recommended movie lists

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate