Such a frustrating disappointment

good film but with many flaws

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

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.

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!

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.

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.