Habit

This film isn't for people who want wooden stake sticking action. A lot of people will find it very slow. But I found it to be one of the most interesting films that I have ever seen. It vampirism is mostly a sub-plot here. Mainly it is about this guy, Sam, who works at a bar, and who meets this girl after recently breaking up from his girlfriend. The movie talks about lust, betrayal, love, seduction, and frienship. It is filmed with great cinematography. I am not talking about sweeping landscapes, but I am talking about how things around you can look like they are collapsing on you when you start getting paranoid that you have this weird illness. A very good quality picture. I loved it, and I highly recommend it to people who want to see real characters will some real problems.

New York restaurant owner Sam (Larry Fessenden) meets the sexy, mysterious, short haired Anna at a Halloween party and falls head over heels in lust over her. He dumps his bland girlfriend and proposes a relationship, but eventually discovers that Anna's strange, kinky behavior (like blood cravings and never eating, smoking, drinking or going out in daylight) is actually attributed to the fact that she's a vampire.

Good use is made out of various NYC locations, the unknown actors are decent, the songs are good and the script (by the director) is well written. Fessenden, who is missing a front tooth, is also a refreshingly anti-Hollywood type of leading man. He also served as editor and did the sound for this respectable, but often bland, effort, which played several film festivals, including Sundance.

I love this movie. Fessenden's camera is relentless and surprising - likewise with his edit - he is simple, unique, and engaging - like a down-beat Cassavetes, he works on small impulses and real urban rhythms - while not perfect,the film is dreamily shaggy, a creepy joy every step of the way. beautifuly realized (great art-direction and photography) - this and Ferara's "The Addiction" make a great po-mo NY vampire double bill. BRAVO!

The best vampire movie since George A. Romero's 'Martin'. This one's a bit low-key but very well acted and contains some erotically charged sex scenes. The lead male character played by the wacky Larry Fessenden, complains of feeling weak, drained and a bit sick; which surely is the only downside of being accosted by a truly sexed up vamp, named Anna. Get the 'habit'!

Fessenden embodies much that is great about no-budget, maverick filmmaking. I appreciated his color palette of browns and blacks, and like Polanski's `Repulsion' he manages to place you into the heart of a character on a downward spiral while referencing back to the vampire film. The lingering question for much of the film is, simply, is he going bonkers because of emotional stress or is she a blood sucking vampire draining him dry?

Wisely, Fessenden avoids any overt references to vampirism for almost the entire film, allowing the viewer to determine what is happening. He avoids the clumsy exposition which populates so many films. In a brief moment when Sam encounters his ex at a Halloween party, they make no reference to breaking up or ever having been together; he simply asks her how her apartment hunt is going and offers to help her move, and the way theyinteract says it all. The film is filled with moments like this.

It also helps that the film is shot in such a creepy way, giving the mundane aspects of his life a jolt. The major setpieces at a masked Halloween party or at a carnival evoke mystery and dread without resorting to vampires jumping out at you.