How ‘The Hunger’ Uses Beauty And Violence To Show The Art Of Horror

It’s six minutes of mind-swirling imagery, dizzying lighting, and frenzied editing set to an ominous goth rock anthem, and it’s one of the most incredible opening sequences ever put on film. Two figures dressed in black and disguised behind sunglasses (Catherine Deneuve and David Bowie) move in the smoky shadows, spotting a young couple on a crowded dance club floor. A visual seduction of the couple begins as the camera cuts back and forth to punk band Bauhaus’ lead vocalist Peter Murphy, looking bat-like behind a wire cage, singing “Bela Lugosi’s Dead” in a deep, throaty bass. The action moves to the young couple’s home as the seduction continues, culminating in a shocking moment of bloody violence as Deneuve and Bowie suddenly slash the couple’s throats. From the moment the 1983 horror masterpiece The Hunger begins, director Tony Scott, cinematographer Stephen Goldblatt, and music composers Denny Jaeger and Michel Rubini waste no time in letting audiences know they’re about to experience a piece of master-crafted art… read more >