DVD Review: Thirst
Thirst (1979)
Studio: Synapse
DVD Release Date: October 28, 2008
Directed By: Rod Hardy
Cast: Chantal Contouri, Shirley Cameron, Max Phipps, Henry Silva, Rod Mullinar
Review By: Marc Patterson
Not all vampire films are created equal. This first vampire flick from Australia takes on a flavor of its own coming off like a fine aged Shiraz. Kate Davis (Chantal Contouri), a young and highly successful career woman is ready to head to holiday when she is abducted by a mad cult of blood drinking psychopaths. The difference between these psychos’s and most is that this cult, the Hyma Brotherhood, is all high society. Kate was targeted for her rich heritage. A direct descendant of Elizabeth Bathory, she will make the perfect bride for the leader of the cult if only she goes along with the program. Ritualistic torture, bloodletting, and brainwashing are all par for course in this riveting drama.
Thirst was a surprisingly well done film. Despite the fact that this little known vampire film has been on the DVD market for a few years it’s one that I hadn’t taken the time to sit down and watch until now. The “made for TV” style of filmmaking typically doesn’t resonate well with me and to a large degree that’s exactly what this is, taking on an atmospheric and moody tone, almost in a Dark Shadows soap opera kind of way. Where I anticipated regurgitated circa 1970’s vampiric sleaze I was pleasantly surprised to find a story of substance, coupled with copious amounts of blood. Ironically, while blood is the mainstay of a vampire’s diet it’s also something that typically runs light in most vampire flicks. Moody gothic castles and suspense take center stage, so it was refreshing that Thirst took a different angle, dispensing with the dark cold castles and not shying away from pouring on buckets of blood. This thirty year old film managed to go further than most modern vamp cinema. The shower scene here is a classic of its own. Of course Elizabeth Bathory was known for known bathing in the blood of her victims, so this scene is not only appropriate to the film but certainly one of the highlights.
As much as I love satanic rituals and cultivating human donors as though they were cattle, I really like a good mindbender of a film. The filmmakers make a point to mess with the audience’s mind, as much as the Brotherhood messes with Kate’s. At first we are afforded a bit of sanity as we take an outside point of view watching Kate as she is brainwashed into the cult. Slowly our point of view shifts to inside her mind and we begin to lose our ability to distinguish nightmare from reality. Augmenting mental twists were some special effects that were rather wonderful, considering both the time period and budgetary restraints on the filmmakers.
Thirst is a nicely packaged re-release of a great vampire film from Australia. The film is presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.25:1 and the print is near flawless. Not only does the film look and sound great, but the disc comes packed with extras as well. Typically with such releases we are lucky to get the theatrical trailer and some stills. This one comes with not only those requisite items but also a commentary track by producer Antony Ginnane and director Rod Hardy, which I didn’t get into tremendously, but fans of retro cinema should find it interesting. There is additionally an audio option to watch the film with the music score only. I can’t go so far as to credit the film for having a standout score, but it is well done and soundtrack aficionados’ will certainly enjoy this added feature.
Our recommendation is for fans of the vampire genre to pick it up, especially if you’re a fan of the old Dark Shadows television series.
Brutal As Hell Rating: 3 ½ out of 5
