Thirst

Part of a trio of Ozploitation titles out this month (with Dead Kids and Patrick still to come), Thirst (1979) is one of the more unusual vampire films you’re ever likely to run across…and unusually well-made, to boot. Using a Rosemary’s Baby meets The Howling concept, director Rod Hardy manages to mess with your mind and the conventions of the horror genre all at the same time.

We don’t know much about Kate (Chantal Contouri) before she’s kidnapped and brought to a commune-type facility. Her abductors are a mysterious, well-organized group who maintain a “farm” of human victims, using an on-campus medical facility to draw and store their blood while keeping everyone in a semi-stoned state of consciousness. Are they truly “vampires” or merely affluent weirdoes convinced that consuming human blood will give them power and influence? And why is Kate so important?

Thirst doesn’t get around to answering every question, but that’s what makes it such a riveting experience. It’s a film that constantly piques your curiosity. What begins as straightforward narrative, using a Twilight Zone-style structure, evolves into something much more experimental, putting the viewer inside Kate’s rattled brain as she’s “conditioned” to accept her new lifestyle. Hardy bounces us between a questionable reality and a lead character whose very sanity is in question, putting the audience in a state of perpetual unease.

Thirst may be restrained by genre standards, but it’s no art film. It’s just intelligent filmmaking. Hardy, whose work is almost exclusively limited to TV work, has a knack for finding just the right angle. And the cast, including frequent Aussie collaborator David Hemmings, treats the material with respect. Fangs or no, Thirst is a film horror fans need to seek out.

And thanks to the new blu-ray / DVD combo from Severin, that should be easier than ever. The previous release from Synapse wasn’t exactly chopped liver, but the upgrade here is pretty obvious from the opening credits. The previous commentary track from Hardy and producer Antony Ginnane has been carried over. But you also get an isolated score from Brian May (with all those signature Mad Max horns), trailers and a trio of TV spots.