Thirst.

In Thirst, an Australian film from 1979, a relative of The Countess Elizabeth Bathory is found living in Australia. Bathory one of the most prolific mass murderers in recorded history lived in the 16th century as a Hungarian Noblewoman. Her victims tended to be from the lower social orders like servants and prostitutes. Bathory would have sex with them, murder them, and then drink their blood. Her death toll was estimated to be in the hundreds at the time of her arrest. She was spared the death penalty and walled up alive in her castle at Csejte. She died at 54.

In the film we see Kate adopted by a cult called The Brotherhood. They claim to have 70,000 members worldwide although it is soon made.clear that the mostly youngish members dressed in white are just blood cows to be milked of their red juice.

This operation happens in the sterile environment of what is called the dairy. Incisions are made and two tubes are then attached and we see the life giving fluid trace crimson lines through transparent pipes into vats. After a heating process the end result is a carton of fresh blood, much like a carton of milk.

In earlier vampire films the taking of the victims blood usually had a sexual dimension. From Nosferatu to Near Dark to True Blood the yearning for release is made clear. It's part of the fun. Exposing voluptuous flesh to the night time predators.fangs.

Post Aids. Post Covid.Lockdown. In an age of social distancing. The factory farming of living blood bags seems like a more feasible vision for the vampire genre in the future. As Kate is "conditioned" to reconnect with her murderous roots.

Fangs are introduced. A disposable option, made of stainless steel. Purely functional. Eyes do still glow red and this seems like the only link back to the supernatural kept alive.

A start up company called Ambrosia got shut down recently for offering healthy teenagers blood to be used in transfusions for $8000 a litre.  They are now back with a healthy rebranding and higher prices. They're called Ivy plasma today. 

This kind of service looks heaven sent for the worlds ageing population of billionaires. But if we know about it now it's no doubt been going on behind closed doors for some time. After all the blood of virgins used in satanic practices is bordering on cliche today. Maybe.it even looks dated. When we can expect a Black Mirror style future where entire consciousnesses will be uploaded into young nubile forms. Leaving the old withered husks behind wearing lacoste and red baseball caps.

Back to the film. Kate tries repeatedly to fight her dark destiny with the Brotherhood. Much of the madness that ensues made me think of Polanski's Repulsion. Hysteria. Walls with eyes. Talking taxidermy. Showers with blood instead of water. Washed down with loads of screaming. So David Hemmings doctor who has been Kate's personal physician now helps Kate and her fiance escape. He always looked like he wasn't happy giving up his Hippocratic Oath over to a bunch of vampire dairy farmers, now we know. 

So he demonstrates that he's not just a cog in the bloodsuckers machine by stealing a helicopter! Not without Henry Silva's mad scientist character trying to stop them. He dangles for a bit like Lee Majors in The Faĺl Guy. Before falling to his death. Back at the Doctors hideout we find that the good Doctor hasn't been entirely honest or altruistic about his motives. He slips in his stainless bic fangs and his eyes start glowing red. Kate now gets it. She's on a date with destiny.