Desire, the Vampire (1982) (TV)

User Rating:

5.9/10   

Director:

John Llewellyn Moxey

Writer:

Robert Foster (writer)

Release Date:

15 November 1982 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Romance

Plot:

A Los Angeles student working as a coroner's assistant falls in love with a strange young woman.

Plot Keywords:

Student | Vampire | Lawyer | City | Bizarre

Cast

David Naughton	...	David Balsiger
Dorian Harewood	...	Detective Jerry Van Ness
Marilyn Jones	...	Cheryl Gillen
Barbara Stock	...	Mona
Arthur Rosenberg	...	Milton King
James Victor	...	Dr. Herrera
Brad Dourif	...	Paul
Anne Bloom	...	Marge Bookman
Linda Lawrence	...	Undercover Cop
Adele Rosse	...	Head Nurse
Marc Silver	...	Larry
James Oliver	...	Restaurant Manager
Ann Blessing	...	Pat
John Bennick	...	Newscaster
Nigel Bullard	...	Newscaster

Also Known As:

I, Desire

Runtime:

USA:120 min (including commercials)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Television

Quotes:

[last words]
Marge Bookman: Pat! Pat, your ride's here and my feet are killing me!

Underrated Gem of a Horror Film

David Balsiger (David Naughton) works the night shift at the city morgue, watching over the "cold room". He's just moved in with his girlfriend, Cheryl Gillen (Marilyn Jones), a nurse. A corpse shows up with puncture wounds on its neck, drained of its blood. A priest comes in, apparently from the man's family, to give last rites, then disappears. Moments later, the man's rabbi shows up. David tells the police, and begins to become wrapped up in the case, which appears to be some kind of serial murderer who is at least mimicking vampirism.

Despite a slight clunkiness in a couple spots and a too-understated climax, which caused me to subtract one point from this film's score, this is an incredibly underrated and too-little-known horror flick. It has some resemblances to Taxi Driver, including that film's wonderful grittiness, but as a vampire film.

Perhaps with a different cast, Desire, The Vampire (aka I, Desire) would be a much lesser film, but Naughton, who is the focus here--we're following him 90-percent of the time, is fabulous. As he becomes more wrapped up in the strange events, so do we, and we empathetically experience the odd, alienating reaction that he begins to receive from others. Brad Dourif is extra-creepy in the film, and in many ways he's the biggest villain in a film that has many besides the obvious, titular one.

This film deserves much more recognition. A 9 out of 10 from me.