Les vampires n'existent pas

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.

Rather bloodless vampire movie from TV movie veteran, John Llewellyn Moxey and starring, David Naughton who co-starred in, American Werewolf in London, the year before. The idea is great in that in this updated version, the one in search of blood poses as a hooker to ensnare and in between these bouts supplements the supply with raids on hospital blood banks, as you would. All good, but here played so carefully that those special ingredients (sex and violence!) only get hinted at here. For some the wailing sax (such a sign of 80s films) is effective, for some of us lazy and tiresome, but the films just about engages and is helped enormously halfway through with a fantastic interjection by the priest figure. If only the whole film had been as vital, or indeed, dare I say, Mr Naughton's performance as effective.

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.

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.

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.