Forget 'Twilight', Best Vampire Movie Is This 17-Year-Old Korean Horror With 'Parasite' Star

Vampire cinema has long struggled with an identity crisis. On the one hand, there are glamorous teenage sagas with shiny torsos, on the other hand, there are endless attempts to reimagine mythology that often descend into self-parody.

However, there is one movie that breaks free from this mold: Park Chan-wook's Thirst, a vampire horror in which blood flows freely, lust knows no bounds, and questions of faith and redemption are poignantly posed.

What Is 'Thirst' About?

Catholic priest Sang-hyun volunteers for a medical experiment to develop a vaccine against a deadly African virus. The experiment fails and all of the subjects die, but Sang-hyun miraculously survives.

However, the experiment transforms him into a flesh-hungry creature. He returns to his parish, where he is greeted as a saint. But at night, he flies to the hospital and drinks blood from the transfusion supplies.

He soon becomes close to the family of a childhood friend. The abusive husband is mistreating his young wife, Tae-ju. Passion flares between the priest and Tae-ju, who suggests that he kill her husband.

'Thirst' Is a Unique Adaptation of Émile Zola's 'Thérèse Raquin' With a Vampire Twist

Park Chan-wook, known for the cult classic Oldboy, has always enjoyed experimenting with different genres and Thirst is perhaps his most daring experiment yet. He adapted Émile Zola's classic novel Thérèse Raquin, a dark tale of adultery and murder, and added a vampire twist.

Zola's novel does not feature any bloodsucker – two lovers murder a husband and try to live with the burden. Park transformed this into the story of a priest who, after receiving a vampire blood transfusion, finds himself torn between faith, lust, and hunger.

The result is a film that pays tribute to classic literature while making a completely original statement.

'Thirst' Is Less a Horror Film Than a Tragicomedy About the Impossibility of Being Good

Park Chan-wook doesn't make traditional scary movies. Thirst has few jump scares and almost no scenes that make you want to close your eyes. Instead, it features dark humor, absurd situations, and intense sexual tension.

Sang-hyun is torn between his desire to be a saint and his irresistible craving for sin. Tae-ju, played with chilling candor by Kim Ok-vin, is less a victim than a predator awakened by her husband's murder.

Their relationship is a dance between two monsters who seek not salvation in each other, but rather a reflection of their own darkness.

Thirst was a hit at the South Korean box office and won the Jury Prize at Cannes. Most importantly, it proved that the vampire theme still has potential.

What Did Critics & Viewers Think of 'Thirst'?

• Thirst has 81% from critics and 74% from viewers on Rotten Tomatoes.

• On IMDb, the movie has a score of 7.1/10.

• On Letterboxd, Thirst scored 3.8/5.0.

Where to Watch 'Thirst'?

Thirst is available to buy or rent on Apple TV and Amazon Prime Video.