Thirst

What is it with the public’s insatiable appetite for vampires? Besides the huge success of Twilight and TV’s True Blood has also offered up a decidedly chilling Swedish take on vampirism in Let The Right One In. If you delighted in that film’s novel take on the bloodsuckers myth, then you’ll probably also enjoy this arresting Korean offering.

A priest (Song Kang-ho) volunteers for a medical experiment to test a virus vaccine. The vaccine fails and he falls ill. Requiring a blood transfusion, he accidentally becomes infected with tainted blood and turns into a vampire. Swapping the blood of Christ for the blood of man, the priest struggles to reconcile his former moral values with his new life. Refusing to kill others, he instead secretly drinks the blood of comatose hospital patients through their intravenous tubes.

As a vampire, and fully afflicted by all seven deadly sins, he becomes consumed with lust for a local woman (Kim Ok-vin). The put-upon wife of a mummy’s boy – with the mother-in-law from hell – she is desperate for an escape from her life of drudgery. The idea of becoming a vampire appeals to her – but can she convince the priest to help her get rid of her man, or to change her into one of the undead?

You know in advance that any film from Korean director Park Chan-Wook (Oldboy, Lady Vengeance) is going to be visually stunning. Thirst certainly doesn’t disappoint, and it deservedly scooped one of the top prizes at Cannes earlier this year. However, gore fans should be warned that this is not a traditional vampire tale, and Chan-Wook himself has said it is less a horror and more a melodrama. It’s low on suspense and thrills, and if anything, is more a crazed love story. That said, it’s definitely not for the squeamish – and there’s no shortage of blood, violence or, indeed, sex.

At 133 minutes, Thirst is possibly a good 20 minutes longer than it needs to be, but it thankfully offers some new twists – and unforgettable images – on the traditional vampire yarn.

Last edited: 9th February 2010

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