The film was still a fun one that will make you laugh and have you leaving the theater feeling like you just stole something valuable and got away with it.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

Rod Hardy, the director isn't well known for his flicks. He's still in the business doing series like Supernatural, Battlestar Galactica and back in those days the much acclaimed Return To Eden. Not only that, he also made a lot of TV movies but back in 1979 he made his one and only feature for the cinema's, Thirst.Just when the Hammers and Amicus releases were over and not popular any more and just before the heydays and start of the slashers he made this beautiful Gothic story. As so many did it is based on the story of Elisabeth Bathory but then again not really. It's about a woman having a normal life being chosen by a Brotherhood to become a vampire. But the score and the atmosphere are sublime. And this flick really needs the Gothic atmosphere because it never becomes really bloody or even gory. The red stuff do flows but not that often. There isn't even gratuitous nudity a thing that was a must be back then although Chantal do appear naked. But what the movie makes watchable is the performance by Chantal Contouri. The expressions on her face, excellent.There are some other well known actors in it especially from the horror genre or faces like Henry Silva. This is one of those gems that still haven't seen a proper release. Oh yes, it's out on DVD but the sound is really bad. Nevertheless, worth watching if you like the old British Hammers and Amicus flicks.

A modern, clinical approach to a vampire tale with a group of experts trying to ensure that a young woman willingly joins a vampire cult.By controlling her environment, playing psychological tricks and mind games on the unfortunate girl they hope that they will have succeeded in their task before her boyfriend returns home and finds her missing.There are those who will stop at nothing until she succumbs, regardless of the detriment to her state of mind, and those who are determined that she will embrace their lifestyle without coming to any mental harm.There are numbers of anaemic looking people wandering about, looking decidedly lethargic and boring, which the story was in danger of doing also. The plot, however, does have a number of twists and turns to keep you guessing until the final outcome. . Directed by Rod Hardy who has many film and TV series to his credit, including Battlestar Galactica, The X Files and JAG, to name a few. He uses his talent to good effect, but is helped by David Hemmings, whose acting ability lifted the film from what could otherwise have been a dreary outing.The majority of cast in this Australian film have been more familiar with appearing in a variety of TV series, and the outing onto the big screen was perhaps as much as an experience for them, as watching the film was to me.If your idea of a vampire movie is one with bats, capes, crucifixes and coffins, then this is not for you. But, it is still worth a look.Darnmay 9th September 2007

I'm a big fan of ingenuity in movies, and if a film offers something different from what has gone before it; it's bound to be liked by me. Thirst offers a new take on the classic vampire legend, and it works to fairly good effect. While it retains some aspects of the classic vampire story (fangs for example), it adds enough in to make it unique and the whole idea of vampires farming humans for blood is both ingenious and fascinating, while leaving lots of room for the film to create something fresh and exciting out of it. The plot harks back to the beginnings of the vampire legend with a descendant of one of it's founding figures; Elizabeth Bathory. This descendant is tracked down by a vampiric cult that wants to induct her into their ways. This cult owns a place called "the farm", in which they effectively farm humans for their blood, in much the same way as we farm cows for milk. The descendant, as you might expect doesn't want to be a part of this cult but they persevere and what follows is a psychological horror film, as she gradually makes her decent into madness.Thirst is extremely surreal, and it capitalises on the strange idea of humans being farmed very effectively. The cleanness of the operation clashes well with the macabre element of the film, and the result is a setting that is totally unique to this movie. The psychological element of the story is very well done, which is lucky as it makes up the backbone of the film. It's constantly invigorating as we watch our heroine descend into madness, and through the way that the story is told we are never really sure of what's going on; much like our central character. The music helps to emphasise this confusion, as it's pounding tones continually bewilder the viewer. The film's problems are mainly in the beginning as it's relatively slow to start, which may annoy some viewers (including me, somewhat) and also the plot can get a little too confusing at certain points. Still, in spite of that; this is a more than admirable take on the classic legend and it all boils down to an exciting climax, which ensures that the film ends on a high.

Interesting, ambitious take on vampire horror stories is good - if you get past the 70's music and porn-style hair+moustache!! Chantal Contouri is a wealthy young woman who is told she comes from a strong family of vampires...enter a BRAVE NEW WORLD-type scenario in which subjects "donate" blood, which is packaged in milk cartons and delivered to all the vampires living in the outside world. It's overlong, and overdramatic for such a story, but it's worth a look all the same - genre fans should enjoy it, as should fans of Australian film: this was definitely a landmark, as most films released by this country during the late 1970s were either "ocker" (BARRY McKENZIE, ALVIN PURPLE) or "quality" (PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK, BACKROADS, DEVIL'S PLAYGROUND). Of course, MAD MAX was released in the same year. Rating: 6/10.