Habit

A great vampire film full of realistic eroticism, Habit is one of the best small-scale independent films ever made. The film is stunning on many levels- narrative ambiguity (is she a vampire or not?), incredible visuals and a beautifully detailed soundtrack all combine to make a dark and mysterious film that is more interested in character than in gore.

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'!

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.

The cover box tricked me. Ebert liked it. The director/actor/writer won a "One to Watch" Spirit Award. Many have voted positively on this film. I don't understand. This low budget movie looks like a student film but lacks the passion or integrity any mid-level college project possesses. Don't see this film. If you do -- don't blame me -- I warned you.

I was pleasantly surprised by how good this film was despite it's serious lack of budget. The film follows the trail of an alcoholic restaurant manager, emotionally distraught over the recent death of his Hemingway-esque father and a break up with a girlfriend. He succumbs to an innocent-looking yet mysterious woman at a party and his "downward spiral" begins. There are a few flaws I saw in this movie, namely that if one is going for the "is this real or all in his head?" angle perhaps more should have been developed for the vampire girl. Was she really a vampire or wasn't she? It seems fairly obvious in some scenes that she was but it could be argued that the lead character's shaky hold on sanity made him imagine some of this. A tighter script could have helped. Good sex scenes, which one rarely finds in a horror film, and some better-than-average acting make this film really enjoyable despite some of the script's flaws.