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In case you weren't aware, this Tony & Ridley Scott presentation
is an anthology series which combines, in separate stories,
different elements involving the theme of sex and horror,
with obvious supernatural elements. It is loosely connected
by name and David Bowie music to The
Hunger feature film. Anyone who read my review
of that film knows I didn't think much of it. Merely by its
variation this is better, although only fractionally so.
The
4-disc set incorporates 22 individual tales, all introduced
by esteemed actor Terence Stamp. The style of the opening
credits has been copied from the late-night English violent
horror anthology Urban Gothic, using video flick trickery
which was popular in the eighties and early nineties. Superimposed
over these titles are the key phrases: For Power. For Sex.
For Life. Longevity. For Money. For Blood.
The pilot show is a simple story called The Sword,
in which a man is sexually attracted to a young woman who
has a sword plunged into her, with no ill effects, as part
of a travelling act. When she falls in love with him he cannot
commit himself to a relationship. The heartbreak ultimately
causes her death. Other tales include: Red Light, in
which a model is diminished every time her photograph is taken;
and Room 17, in which a salesman is seduced by an adult
channel performer.
It
naturally piqued my interest when I noticed there are two
adaptations of Graham Masterton short stories, who is in my
opinion the greatest writer of horror fiction ever. However,
neither Bridal Suite or Anais manage to come
close to capturing the magic of the written prose. Another
offering, The Secret Shih Tan (a top young chef is
persuaded by a businessman to prepare an illegal dish, a woman
who has been killed during the act of lovemaking) is actually
a Masterton short, but somebody else entirely is credited.
Probably the best one I came across was Clarimonde:
A young priest must endure a cold winter in a small remote
parish. A beautiful young woman comes to him at night and
seduces him into the pleasures of the flesh. But he awakes
to find he has dreamed the whole thing. This happens every
night until she tells him her carriage is arriving and he
can come with her or remain in a cold church. An elderly priest
saves him from the wrong decision by showing him the witch's
tomb.
Even
this high point can't detract from the fact the majority is
average stuff. Perhaps it would have been more sensible to
explore more varying themes, because once you've seen a few
of these, you pretty much know what to expect.
Ty
Power
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