I, Desire

I, Desire premeired on TV in the year 1982. The film was a joint production between the USA and Canada. The film stars David Naughton, Marilyn Jones, Dorian Harewood and Barbara Stock as the title character, who masquerades as a lady named Mona. It also features a pre-Child's Play Brad Dourif in a small supporting role.

One night while in the coroner's area, David Balsinger (Naughton) sees an unusual case of a man bitten on the neck and all his blood drained from him. In time, he becomes obsessed with finding out more, but winds up getting into trouble when he meets a mystery young lady named Mona (Stock), who unbeknown to him is the culprit who's being searched. Along the way, his obsession becomes stronger despite those in his life advising him to let go of it. He then meets a defrocked Roman Catholic priest named Paul (Dourif) who's also obsessed with the whole thing and advises David that her name is Desire, and that he's determined to try and stop her despite nobody taking him seriously. Pretty soon, David has to use his wits to try and avoid being her next victim.

Prior to it's USA premeire on the ABC TV network on November 15th, 1982 on "The ABC Monday Night Movie", the film premiered first on Canadian TV. After its success there, it was shown in the USA on ABC.

I, Desire is an above average TV film. The film is well written, well directed and the performances by the actors are terrific. Naughton is superb as David Balsinger. Brad Dourif is also great as Paul, and last but not least, Barbara Stock is very convincing in her right on performance as the title character. Each and every actor delivers top notch performances. The suspense keeps the viewer glued to the film until the end. I, Desire is a technically well made film for TV. The film is truly terrifying as it keeps the viewer on the edge of their seat. It truly carries the viewer over the edge until it ends.

The film was a part of the vampire film craze that started in 1979 when Frank Langella portrayed "Dracula" in the 1979 film readaption released by Universal Pictures, with Langella reprising his role of the title character after he portrayed him on stage. In its wake, numerous vampire themed films were made. Not only that, it also created the myth that Desire was the daughter of Count Dracula, which has never been confirmed nor denied by those who worked on this film, but IMHO, does make for some pretty interesting conversation.

I, Desire should be a part of every horror film lovers film library. No horror film fan should be without this above average TV film in their libraries.

This little gem has it all! David Naughton was an excellent casting choice for the lead role, but some of my favorites such as Dorian Harewood and Marilyn Jones (remember the cute little Nurse that Radar meets in Japan on TV's MASH?), the alluring Barbara Stock, and a powerful Brad Dourif performance also contribute to this made-for-TV delight which richly deserves to be released on DVD! (Hint, hint!!) The plot was probably patterned after "The Night Stalker", with a vampire in modern-day urban America coming to the attention of law student and part-time night employee David Balsiger. He and his attractive "girl-next-door type" fiancée Cheryl Gillen make a likable young couple, and Harewood is very convincing as ambitious young Police detective Jerry Van Ness. But defrocked priest Paul (Brad Dourif) has a memorable few minutes in the middle of the movie that really sticks in my mind.

The ending of the movie comes as somewhat of a surprise, and is well handled by the cast members. There's a bluesy musical theme supporting all this, and a refreshing ABSENCE of modern potty-mouth language that make so many modern flicks unattractive for adults and unsuitable for children.

Keep a lookout for it on TV, and if it's ever released on a "legitimate" DVD, stay out of my way at the counter, or you'll get run over by me when selecting it!

Superior made for television movie that bears a more than passing resemblence to the newer and triter "Def by Temptation". "I Desire" stars David Naughton fresh from his impressive performance in "American Werewolf in London", as David Balsiger, a Los Angeles morgue attendant who notices a series of bodies that cross his station appear to be victims of a vampire. He initially discounts this possibility but as more bodies come in he undertakes a personel investigation into the matter.

Eventually his snooping leads him into a near fatal confrontation with a decidedly female fiend.

Foolishly, he tells the authorities of his encounter and is promptly dismissed as a crank. His fellow morgue attendants get wind of the story and play some morbid but convincing hoaxes on him. Even his girlfriend doubts him, suggesting he seek professional help.

Balsiger is just starting to doubt his sanity when a priest shows up and confirms his suspicions. The priest, who has tracked the killer from its last murder spree in New Orleans tells the young man what they are dealing with is more than a mere vampire.

The beast is actually the demonic personification of lustful desire. Taking the form of a beautiful woman the creature poses as a prostitute and uses the art of seduction to corrupt the souls of men. Only a truly righteous man, the priest informs him, can hope to resist the demon's wiles and thus combat it.

Armed with this knowledge Balsiger sets forth to battle the beast in an all or nothing showdown of good versus evil.

Being a made for television film overt sexuality and gore are thankfully nonexistant. Instead the movie wisely concentrates on characterization and quality plot development.

This film has a strong opening, a murder, then looks like it is going to deteriorate into the usual fifth rate predictable trash, but the consensus is that this somewhat off-beat tale of modern horror is both a superior effort and vastly under-rated. A female vampire posing as a prostitute to procure her, or perhaps that should be its, victims, a cynical detective working his first homicide - which soon becomes a killing spree - a deranged former priest who is not so deranged, and our hero - a righteous man - one who will not be tempted by the sins of the flesh. Yeah, "Desire" delivers the goods.

David Balsiger is the law student who having tangoed with the evil one in the hospital where his girlfriend works as a nurse, goes on her trail only to be arrested by an undercover policewoman for soliciting a prostitute. Fortunately, although he doesn't find her, she finds him, but how can a righteous man overpower a fiend who can rip iron security bars from a third floor window and leap out of it with impunity? Who knows, but good will triumph over evil. Or will it? Gripping stuff, even three decades and more on.

If I could only use one word to describe the movie "I, Desire" that word would be Surreal !!. The critics should hail it as the triumphant climax of Surrealistic art. It is truly an Existentialist's delight. That Barbara Stock is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen and the way she walks down those steps at the end of the movie is the most memorable scene I have ever seen. It is so sad that it has been pushed aside by the mainstream media. It is hardly known to anyone because every person I have asked about it has never even heard of it. Barbara Stock should have appeared in more productions. They should have worked that sexy woman to death.

There are also some important analogies to real life in that movie. For example, when "Paul" was in the coffee shop, which he "hates", he dramatically stresses the importance about staying out of trouble by keeping one's mouth shut! At the end of the movie, David is almost misled by a woman of great tempting qualities but is able to resist and finds he is better off to stick with the " Suzy Homemaker" type.