"Thirst" is one of the rare Australian horror achievements that totally live up to the quality of its European competitors from that era when it comes to style, atmosphere and eccentrics. The tone is psychedelic and outrageous, while the premise is very imaginative even though vampirism is known territory for horror formats. Aussie hotness Chantal Contouri stars as a successful business woman who gets kidnapped by a cult of self-acclaimed superior beings because she's a direct descendant of the notorious Countess Elizabeth Bathory. She's kept prisoner at "The Farm" where followers' blood is being milked out the neck and served to drink as some sort of purification liquid. Our heroine is forced to undergo many barbarities by the fanatic blood-drinkers (like drugs and brainwashing) in order to make her realize she has a destiny to fulfill. The suffering of the main character is brilliantly emphasized and this results in beautiful and complex sequences of which you often don't realize they're real or part of Kate's desperate imagination. On more than one occasion, you get the idea that she managed to escape the nightmarish farm but, eventually, it comes clear that's only descending further into madness
The intensity and viewer's involvement definitely are "Thirst" biggest trumps, alongside the flawless acting performances by nearly every cast member. Several sequences are very suspenseful and the make-up effects, even seldom, are efficient enough to get remembered. The hi-tech process for draining all the blood out of the victim's necks is eerie, but old-fashioned vampire lovers shouldn't worry as sharp canine teeth are still well-presented too! As mentioned above, the acting is pretty much top-notch. The cast merely exists of average Australian TV-stars who all do a fairly good jobs but it's still the British actor David Hemmings (Blowup, Profondo Rosso, and Eye of the Devil) who impresses the most. There's a modest but neat supportive role for Robert Thompson who played the title character in the genuinely creepy film "Patrick" In my humble opinion, "Patrick" still remains the greatest Aussie horror film of all time, but "Thirst" definitely is a close second. Highly recommended!
