TV Series Review: The Hunger

Let me begin by saying this may be the only time I ever do a TV series review, which goes to show how much I felt moved to write a review about this series.

As some of you may know, The Hunger is one of my favorite films. I don't believe I have ventured to review it yet, but what isn't there to love about that film? It has "Bela Lugosi's Dead." It has Bauhaus. It has Peter Murphy (in a cage, no less). It has David Bowie. Catherine Deneuve. Susan Sarandon. Gorgeous classical music. Deliciously creepy sounds. A gorgeous apartment home. Vampires. What more do you want!?! The only tragedies surrounding the movie are: 1) Needs more Bauhaus, 2) Seeing David Bowie age rapidly makes the heart cry, 3) The official soundtrack for whatever reason actually does NOT feature "Bela Lugosi's Dead" (seriously, why not? Come on!), 4) I cannot get the book to save my life ($30 or so is a bit much), and 5) Finding a movie poster for a decent price is also near impossible. But otherwise, one could not ask for more.

David Bowie and Catherine Deneuve scope out the club looking for their victims for the night. 

So, imagine my delight upon finding a TV series by the same name that had some similarities and ties to the movie! Also imagine my confusion when I saw the series was only moderately rated (averaging about a 3 out of 5). But, okay, fine. I love this kind of stuff where others don't typically. Remember my 5 out of 5 rating for The Sky's Gone Out from Bauhaus? "Official" reviewers give it a 3 or 4 out of 5. I like my pasta and I like it creepy.

There are only two seasons of the show. Each episode runs in a similar fashion where The Host (played by Terence Stamp in season 1 and David Bowie [yes, DAVID BOWIE!] in season 2) introduces the episode by saying something snarky and/or witty. The episode then plays which typically explores some dark facet of human nature, be that the excesses of sexual desire, people with odd "talents," vampires, etc. There really aren't any happy ends and usually the main character meets some unfortunate demise. The episode ends with The Host again saying something witty to try and close things and "teach you a lesson." Basically, this has the feel of Tales From The Crypt, but I don't feel the series ultimately captured the same kind of magic, if you will, that Tales From The Crypt had.

A rather dapper Terence Stamp, much as he looks when portraying The Host

What I've found in watching the series (which is available in full on Netflix, for those interested) is that some episodes are well done while others are terrible. None of the episodes share characters, so it's easy enough to skip over ones you don't like, which is nice.

WARNING: Some spoilers are found below as I recap a few episodes. You have been warned.

The first episode, "The Swords," follows a man who is in the fashion industry following in his father's footsteps basically on an ultimatum: do this and get off drugs, or go to jail and rehab and be nothing. While at a conference for fashion designs, the main character runs into some local miscreants who follow the way of life the main character once lived (drinking, drugs, etc.). They go to a night club to dance the night away. Once the music stops, a magic show ensues where the trick is to place a sharp sword into a woman's midsection without her being harmed. The men pay their money to do this and are amazed when she is indeed unharmed. The main character becomes obsessed with this woman. Eventually, she is paid to go to the man's hotel room and do whatever he asks of her, sexually and otherwise. Over time, the two become intimate and fall in love. The catch is that by the woman falling in love with someone, the spell she was under where she couldn't be harmed by the swords is broken. She knows this, but the main character does not. So, after a night of passionate sex, she bids the man a final farewell as she knows that she will die that night during the show (which she does). This was one of the better episodes, in my opinion.

David Bowie as The Host in season 2

The second episode, "Menage a Trois," is all kinds of wonderful creepy pasta. In short, a young woman is hired on as help for an elderly woman. Also working for the elderly woman is a young man who does much of the fixing up of the place. Over time, the young woman and man enter a sexual relationship. Much to his horror, however, is that the elderly woman has actually come to posses the mind and body of the young woman, hence the notion of the relation actually being a menage a trois. Very creepy episode, but really good.

The sixth episode, "Room 17," was a bit of a miss for me. it's about a traveling salesman who stinks at his job. He is late on bills and his wife is constantly pestering him about getting money. The man checks into a cheap motel where the TV only plays pornos. One of these, however, features a woman that actually talks to the man. She convinces him that they can be together, but he must kill his wife and bring her necklace heirloom. The man ends up doing this and brings the porno lady the necklace. The electricity goes out, the man panics and tries to get the motel owner to come and fix things. Much to his horror, the porno lady steals the necklace then laughs at the idea of being with him as he cannot enter the TV, but she can leave it. The cops are on their way as he reported a theft of the necklace, but he now has the worry of what will happen when they arrive and if they discover he murdered his wife. It's an alright episode, but others are much better.

Overall, it's easy to see why this show never really picked up. The episodes tend to be hit or miss. It was aired originally in Canada and Europe. Given the sexual content present in nearly every episode, the show had to be aired late at night to follow rules regarding adult content. It could never really be a primetime show. It has, however, developed a small cult following over the years which has lent it to being aired in the US and available on Netflix. The show has its merits, but it does have its inconsistencies.


Rating: 4 out of 5 (just because some of the episodes are a miss for me)