On 29 Jul 1980, a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc. (M-G-M) press release publicized the studio’s acquisition of the Whitley Strieber novel, The Hunger, which was scheduled for publication in Feb 1981. At the time, James Costigan was hired to write the screenplay, as reported in the 5 Nov 1980 Var. Another M-G-M press release, dated 7 Jan 1981, announced the film as director Tony Scott’s feature-length theatrical debut, as well as the film debut for actor John Stephen Hill, as reported in the 4 May 1982 DV. A 12 Mar 1982 studio press release stated that principal photography would begin 15 Mar 1982 in London, England. However, the 25 Feb 1982 DV reported that all interior scenes would be filmed in London, while several street scenes would be shot in New York City. According to the 3 Apr 1982 Screen International, Costigan was still officially the screenwriter when the film began production, and Dave Goldman was the production manager for the New York City unit. Neither man is credited onscreen.
       In the 6 May 1983 BAM, Tony Scott described the picture’s primary set as a “semi-derelict” house in London with an interior similar to those found in the Italian cities of Florence and Rome. Its “quality of light” and dusty atmosphere suggested what the director described as “a sort of perfumed, decadent environment.” Principal photography was completed in fourteen weeks, during which Scott received considerable scrutiny from producer Richard A. Shepherd and M-G-M executives, who were determined to keep the production on schedule and under budget, despite the director’s “painstaking perfectionism.”
       In the 27 May 1983 LAT, makeup artist Antony Clavet detailed his method for transforming actress Catherine Deneuve into a 2,000-year-old vampire by whitening her skin, adding “lavender tones and smoky grey around the eyes,” then creating downward contour lines on her face, “as if the gravity of centuries had left its mark.” In the Apr-May 1983 Cinefantastique, makeup artist Dick Smith revealed that the “disintegrating mummies” used in the film’s climax were modeled after the Guanojuato mummies of northern Mexico, and took approximately seven months to create. Smith and his crew, which included son David Smith, Neal Martz, Kevin Haney, Peter Montagna, and Doug Drexler, dressed very thin actors in full-body costumes, and used puppets in the close-up shots. Makeup artist Carl Fullerton was faced with the challenge of finding a substance strong enough to maintain its shape that could also crumble into dust. Fullerton found the ideal material in a supply of poorly mixed foam latex that “baked up weak, porous and crumbly,” and asked the manufacturer to reproduce the formula. The puppet molds were then lined with a brittle wax infused with baking soda and “microballoons,” tiny glass globes that appear as dust to the naked eye, before the foam latex was added. Because the finished puppets were too fragile to transport, the molds were shipped to England and the puppets were assembled on set. Smith simulated the death of “Miriam,” played by actress Catherine Deneuve, using a puppet with a flexible skull that could be distorted with bladders. It also featured a moving mouth, eyes, and neck, all of which required seven people to operate. The age progression for actor-musician David Bowie was simple in comparison, involving a set of prosthetics that fit together like a jigsaw puzzle. Smith was originally scheduled for approximately two weeks of “post-production makeup effects” at Shepperton Studios, but delays in principal photography, attributed to Scott’s “reluctance to compromise his artistic standards,” exhausted the film’s budget. Shepherd threatened to cease production with less than half of the effects photography completed, but later relented and allowed three additional days.
       According to the 31 Jan 1983 HR, the film’s planned Feb 1982 opening was delayed nearly three months until Apr 1983, due to the X-rating it received from the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA). Additional time was needed to re-edit the love scene between actresses Deneuve and Susan Sarandon to qualify the picture for an R.
       The Hunger opened 29 Apr 1983 to mixed reviews, several of which complimented the cast and crew, but derided the screenplay for it lack of exposition. Scott admitted in the Jul 1983 Box that his emphasis on visual style “may have smothered the plot.” Gross receipts for the opening weekend at 775 theaters totaled $1.8 million, but fell to $920,000 by the next weekend.
       An article in the 27 Feb 1984 DV revealed that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) chose The Hunger as its only nominee for best makeup, effectively denying the picture an Academy Award because of the absence of competition. A proposal to issue a special award was rejected by the Academy’s board of governors.
       The 21 Dec 1982 HR announced plans by Pocket Books to release a special paperback edition of the novel in early 1983, bearing a cover related to the film.

      End credits conclude with the following statements: “The producers gratefully acknowledge the co-operation of: Paris - Agnes B, Carel, Laurent Mercadal; London - Butler & Wilson, Capricorn, Cosprop, P. W. Fortes; Rome - Tirelli;” and “Filmed on location in London, England, New York City, New York, and at Shepperton Studios, Middlesex, England.”