Synergy Magazine

The Hunger

David Bowie Collection

DVD Series

7 DVD Set – 22 Episodes

DV1

The Hunger is a superb twenty episode anthology series produced by Tony Scott (Man on Fire) and Ridley Scott (Alien) which mixes together the forbidden and the macabre with darkly erotic undertones. It explores the boundaries of our reality whether these be personal, emotional, sexual or existential, it pushes the edge of our view of the world and begs us to consider how we examine gender, sex, death and the way we experience the world.

Each episode is hosted by the idiosyncratic David Bowie and features the talents of some of Hollywood finest actors including Giovanni Ribisi, Eric Roberts, Jennifer Beals, David Warner, Brooke Smith, Brad Dourif, Fisher Stevens and Lori Petty.

We all hunger for power, sex, love, affection and above all life in juxtaposition to death and suffering. This dark series explores our desires while reflecting on the darker side of human nature. While certainly Ridley Scott is better known for his film work, this series shows how quality film-making and innovative stylistic and textured work can be achieved in a short time frame. It is intriguing as Ridley Scott is better known for long and slowly drawn epic film-making, yet here his style is succinct yet impressive and evocative.

David Bowie as the character featured in the first episode, Sanctuary, and then as a repeating motif and narrator throughout the series adds a real philosophical edge. Bowie’s background as a flamboyant musician is well known, but his explorations of occultism, magic and more recently Buddhism are lesser known and make him a superb figure to offer intelligent commentary on each episode. Indeed some of the commentary included with each episode is surprisingly incisive.

It is clear this series was made for cable TV, most episodes include content which is adult in content i.e. include lots of sex and eroticism which could be seen as confronting to some. At the same time the imagery presented is always used within the context of each episode and cannot really be seen as sensationalist. The cinematic style of the series is superb, the use of music and sound textured and moody and the scripts intelligent, dark with lots of twists and turns.

The series begins with Sanctuary where Bowie plays an aging artist who has spent his life confronting death with a series of performance pieces. Each of these pieces was more dramatic than the last, until, the public bored with his excess turned against him. These pieces are impressing recreated for the episode and while we only get glimpses, images such as a pieced Saint Sebastian and a naked female Christ make it clear this is going to be transgressive television !

This impressive episode explores the artistic process and the way in which Julian Priest (Bowie) confronts death. He meets a young criminal (Eddie), who seems to bring back his desire to face the public and create his final work, but of course, things aren’t as they seem. This episode really sets the stage for the series, Bowie is introduced as an artist cum magician and backgrounds from this episode and its violent “performance art pieces” appear throughout the series.

The second episode Skin Deep introduces the deep eroticism of the series as we enter the world of lesbian S & M and the relationship between sex and death. It also explores the desire of a lover to be absorbed into another and what this could mean in a deeper and more terrifying sense. The background of this episode is beautifully presented and offers a powerful and erotic exploration of sex, death and pain.

In the final episode in this series we explore the world of a tormented erotic dancer who is haunted by the ghost of a killer. Her memories of a murdered lover torment her dreams and indeed created the link with the world of the dead which allowed the ghost to create a link with her. In attempting to free her from her mental torment, the ghost (played by Eric Roberts) erases her negative memories, but when this sets her free from her pain and hence her need for him, things drastically change for the worse. But it seems there are some things even a ghost can’t control.

Volume Two: Conundrum includes four tales beginning with And She Laughed. For me this is the weakest of this second set but still an interesting exploration of fear and paranoia. It is the tale of Jane (Jennifer Beals) who new to Boston moves into a down-market area of town. She is stalked by someone who is watching her through the mail slit in her door. Slowly her fear gains more and more control and she perceives everyone as a threat until finally, she looses control.

Nunc Domittis is the next episode and the best of this set. It is stunning to look at and offers a real evocation of the vampires of a bygone era. Vassu, a loyal servant (played superbly by David Warner) of an elderly vampire princess reveals that he is dying and only has a very short time Left. He has only one request that she allows him to find his replacement amongst the drifters in the city. This is a powerful episode, full of nostalgia and memory, it is evocative of the past and yet explores the clashes of the old world with modernity.

Week Woman takes the concept of multiple personalities to a whole new dimension. When illegal immigrant Steve Keller is harassed by the immigration department and threatened with deportation, he has only one choice. Since his lover is already married, he must take a wife of convenience and decides to marry a lesbian friend of a friend, Madeleine (Brooke Smith). But all is not as it seems, when they first meet she is aggressively butch and yet arrived to the sham wedding in a wedding gown and playing for real. Each week she seems to totally change personality, ranging from the most destructive to the violent. Is this simply a case of multiple personalities or is there something more extreme at play?

The final episode called Night Blossom is a return to a more traditional science fiction horror genre piece. An ambitious marketing executive Steve Keller (Glen Plummer) is finding that his creative output stymied by an overpowering and difficult boss. He meets a strange woman from the seed germination department who believes she has a solution to his problem, but it comes at a terrible cost. He must poison his boss. Yet is this the final cost of his ambition, or does she have a darker or more sinister goal in mind ?

Volume 3: Corruption begins with the Diarist which explores the relationship between love and hate, desire and suffering. It is an intriguing episode with various twists and turns including a nice ironic twist that as Merriam uses her power to try and destroy her ex-lover, the very nurse in her home looking after her dying mother is his wife to be and is protecting him. In the end since love and hate are intertwined, all suffer…

Sin Seer is the best episode on this volume, Mano (Bard Bourif) has a gift which is really a curse, when he looks into someone’s eyes he sees their darkest secrets. When he visits a psychiatrist to resolve his anguish things become confused as he starts to wonder whether he is seeing the past or the future and this has dire consequences for himself and for the psychiatrist.

Brass is a more “classical” horror piece focusing on a strange brass bed which is designed like some sort of amulet. It has many interesting plot twists and some impressive special effects. As demons haunt Grant’s dreams (Max Martini), he comes to wonder if the bed is protecting him or haunting him and his decision has ramifications he cannot imagine.

The volume ends with Triangle in Steel which stars Richard Robitaille as Mike Barnes, an arrogant outsider who takes a job with a team of American Indian construction workers. This episode explores the issue of the outsider from a different angle, what happens when someone is an “outsider” not because they are different but because they refuse to give any thought to those around them. Mike finds out the hard way that flirting with the Bosses wife in an American Indian community can be very costly.

Volume 4: Congestion begins with the Replacements. A strange tale about the women of a town who seem to be turning against men and seem to be hiding a great secret. It begins with a woman who has a miscarriage and suddenly rejecting her husband begins to be harboring a strange child-like creature. This Sci Fi like episode is a great start to volume four and has some solid performance and interesting twists.

I’m very dangerous tonight explores the psychic power of a beautiful red dress, can it possess its owner ? Will it expose the corruption of those around it, this is a classic horror tale told with many different twists and sub plots.

The Wrath of God is quite a jolt, with some very solid violence and torture scenes. It focuses on a serial killer stalking victims in an old building owned by Kyle (Daniel Brochu). He is befriended by Michael, a strange power stranger who seems to understand his unsatisfied desires. As the story progresses it seems initially that Michael is the killer, yet as the story progressed we find Michael is a homo-erotic Archangel who is protecting the gay Kyle from the violent religious killer who is stalking the Builder. This is a great episode with a very unusual plot directed by Russell Mulcahy of Queer as Folk fame (the UK edition).

The final episode is Bottle of Smoke which offers a beautiful evocation of Arabic traditions regarding Jinn (Geniis). It is highly erotic and is filming in sumptuous colours and offers a great performance by Soo Garay as Maris, who has inherited a strange blue bottle with a house from her aunty, but does not realize the cost that comes with using the Jinn.

Volume 5 Descent begins with The Perfect Couple where a modern day, rather camp cupid arranges for two people to come together and they seem to be the perfect match. Four years later, though, he revisits them to see how their relationship has evolved. What he finds is troubling, their relationship is in danger. He decides to make them face their demons by giving them the ability to read each other’s thoughts. Cupid seems to be both a matchmaker and bringer of tragedy, so what will happen if the couple will not make their relationship work?

The Sacred Fire explores the nature of good and evil. If we believe that everyone is basically good, then what happens when we confront demons in human flesh ? A fascinating Sci Fi horror episode with some interesting twists and turns and a nice love story along the way.

Approaching Desdemona brings the concept of the Succubus into the modern age, can a spirit inhabit a website and manipulate virtual as well as physical reality? Ken (William McNamara) will find out the hard way that a cyber lover can become a cyber stalker when you make a commitment and refuse to keep it.

The Seductress is a superb gender being exploration of love, attachment and witchcraft. When Elizabeth (Rachel Hayward) finds her young lover is a witch she rejects him and he commits suicide. However, his mother is also a witch and using her craft teaches Elizabeth the ultimate lesson.

Volume 6:Necrosis has three episodes which range from classic horror to science fiction. Double is a great horror tale exploring the nature of the doppelganger and its movement from body to body, while the Falling Man (the best of this DVD), explores the role of the artist and his muse. Cleo (Maria Bertrani) is the ultimate muse who challenge, beguiles, even terrifies her lovers to get them to achieve their ultimate artistic vision, but how far will she go for art ? The final episode The Suction Method is an “old world” science fiction episode which reminds me of 1950’s aliens from space tales, but this time updated with torrid sex, infidelity and the cost of not fulfilling your obligations.

The Hunger Series: The David Bowie Collection is a superb 22 episode anthology series which offers a cross genre exploration of the darker side of fantasy and horror. It ranges from classic horror and Sci Fi to thrillers and psychological and action episodes. All episodes come with a “twist in the tale” and are expertly tied together by the quirky commentary by David Bowie offered at the beginning and end of each tale. This is a series packed with sex, transgression, adult themes and thought provoking ideas and concepts and is a joy to watch. It is well presented with three to four episodes on most of the DVDs, each with cast biographies and related promo materials.