1996 Directed by Larry Fessenden
It's autumn in New York. Sam has broken up with his girlfriend and his father has recently died. World-weary and sloppy drunk, he finds temporary solace in the arms of Anna, a mysterious vampire who draws him away from his friends and into a web of addiction and madness.
A man who has pretty much everything he loves gets enrolled in a relationship with a mysterious woman that will change his life forever, and not precisely on the best way.
Another gem I had no idea of its existence if it weren't for the lists here. Its cinematography and direction feels very in line with the 90s aesthetic and overall vibe. Its sexually charged, but every sex scene feels everything but sexy and even the moments of joy feel hopeless and disturbing, almost like a nightmare. Also the pacing in many ways reminded me to the work of Jim Jarmusch. Performances for what they are given are pretty good, and the ending is pretty sad.
All in all, far from being the most exciting vampire flick out there and a movie that's hard to find. If you are really into the fangs people, I might give this one a watch.
TODAY SCHEDULE
Habit
Schizopolis
Jungleland
10 Cloverfield Lane
"for that, she's a vampire? because she won't shit in front of you??"
the most suspenseful film in horror history: every scene had me on the edge of my seat wondering if i was gonna see larry fessenden's weiner
Larry Fessenden's Habit is a surprisingly fresh take on the vampire genre and could very well be the best bloodsucking film of the 90s. Similar to the underwhelming Nadja, which was released the previous year, Habit is set in New York City and the cityscape itself plays a pivotal role in the story. Unlike Nadja, however, this film is genuinely entertaining and provides ample food for thought as we are forced to question whether or not things are really as they seem.
Fessenden himself plays Sam, an alcoholic cafe manager on the rebound after a recent breakup. Things take a turn for the weird when he meets the mysterious Anna at a party and becomes instantaneously smitten despite her strange…
Hooptober 6.0 - Film 13
A film from a decade (6/6) / A film from a year that ends in 6 (4/6)
I loved this. Starts off as a straight ahead 90s indie slacker dramedy of the post-Linklater, post-Tarantino ilk. It's Halloween in New York in 1995 - within three minutes we see someone dressed as Vincent Vega. Our hero is going to a Halloween party. Also at this party are his newly exed ex-girlfriend and a sexy vampire. Before he knows it, our hero is getting erotically manhandled in Battery Park by an apparent sexy denizen of the undead.
This is all done in a very realistic manner, in keeping with its proto-mumblecore indie style. Everything happens as it…
One of my favorites. Pre 9/11 New York as I remember it back when I was a teenager, but with the added lore of vampirism. I love Larry in the lead role, in fact, I wish he had more lead roles.
"Skin is all there is between you and the rest of the world."
Writer/Director/Editor/Star Larry Fessenden paints an uncommonly sad portrait of vampirism in Habit. Fessenden has a loose, flat formalism that makes his pictures feel intimate and naturalistic without ever really letting the viewer get completely comfortable - the flatness of the image is always reminding you, subconsciously perhaps, of the artificiality. And those opposing tendencies create a powerful sense of dissonance. Everything gets a little creepier. And when dealing with something as old school as vampires, a little extra creep factor is a plus.
But, honestly, the reason this works so well is because it isn't really a story about vampirism. Not traditionally. It's a story about the…
new favorite for sure 💗 pretty gut-wrenching honestly.
kelly reichardt as partygirl on phone!
Y'know, I can only really find one glaring flaw with this, and that's its length. With a bit of tightening up, I could see this comfortably standing with We(eeeeee)ndigo as a favorite Fess (although on rewatch I'm sure it'll be a Fess favorite), but as it stands, it's slow- and not in the deliberate way of other Fessenden flicks like No Telling. In fact, let's look at No Telling. That movie manages to feel like a satisfying slow burn... And it's 20 minutes shorter. I'm not sure if Habit's going for the same vibe or if it's just, as I've heard it described, the quintessential 90's indie vanity project. The music choices, while I adore 'em, point strongly towards the…
Anna: "You're very compulsive."
Sam: "Actually, I'm committing suicide on the installment plan."
A down on his luck drunk in New York falls in love with the mysterious Anna and soon finds out the price for his affections.
Larry Fessenden's Habit is quite possibly THE essential 90's indie take on vampires. Shot hand held-style on 16mm for 45 days over the duration of three months in total, it feels vibrant and laid back in a manner where other similar films from this era fails. Fessenden himself starrs as the lead role of Sam and he is fully organic within this post-art school world he has set up with New York intellectuals, hippies, painters and the likes. The dialogue is clever…
Hooptober6 – mosQuito-thewinged-dragon-serpent #22
Rule 4: Films whose year ends in '6' - fourth of twelve
What an absolute gem of 90's indie film-making this is! As an exercise in individual virtuosity, this is hard to beat. My thoughts as I watched this movie were along the lines of:
- Great lead performance
- Wonderful photography and general staging of scenes to get the most out of the interpersonal dynamics
- Very authentic dialogue between the characters, and a truly fascinating take on the vampire myth as a basic premise
- Beautiful editing, with such inventive overlaps between the sound and image that worked so well. Honestly, the editing of this movie is a constant delight that lifts it into…
as an allegory for addiction or AIDS i think this is really interesting, but in execution i didn't connect with it on an emotional level. i love how this was shot and edited, and the new york of this movie feels the most like how i've experienced new york, down to the fact that i recognize one of the subway stations pictured. my main problems stem from how very mumblecore-y the dialogue and acting are, like everyone is trying to act as normal as possible to the point where all the characters feel like blank slates. there's nothing that specific about any of these people. 2 full hours and i barely feel like i know anything definitive about the main character.
Hoopbound: Hooptober 2
4/6 Decades (1990s)
Mumblecore horror flick. Apparently these are called mumblegore, but Habit definitely predates the current trend. Slick and stylish, with characters who feel like people in a city occupying a real time and place.
Absolutely loved it. Reminds me of Rapture (Arrebato, 1979), in the way it feels both grounded and unreal. The pacing is slow and steady, which I dig, but I bet you could trim a bit in the middle. Wouldn’t have minded more music. At times the mumblecore aspects were too apparent in the dialogue, but that’s something that often jumps out at me about these movies. When the characters start repeating themselves, I’d prefer they just move on to the next…
Habit's strenght lies in the depiction of a run-down 90s New York. This is flawlessly reflected in the collection of characters which all seem to battle with addiction and relationships. It's cleverly crafted, both in its character building and the dialogue writing. The ending felt slightly uninspired but - to be fair - there was really no other place this film could have gone. Due to its other qualities, it is also easy to overlook its (rather minor) flaws.
“Vampirism is everywhere, whether it’s at the bottom of a bottle, or a needle in your arm.”
A believable vampire story in mid-90s NYC. Made me nostalgic for an era I missed out on by a few years (started going into the city for punk shows around ‘98-‘99). Really well done for a low budget indie. Larry Fessenden nails down a great sort of dreamy, paranoid, haunting, melancholy atmosphere. I’m not gonna pick apart anything, because I really think it all works (could mayyybe be a little shorter, but I’ll take it).
PS - Habit > The Addiction
Loved this - Fessendon's ability to capture the raw emotion of almost mundane interpersonal drama/relationships is near unparalleled and on full display in the first half of this (lots of disagreements where both parties are right and there is no solution and attempts to be fair/reasonable to others hindered by the complexities of being human etc.), before it pivots more firmly into its exploration of addiction, finishing up with a lean into its horror elements.
Just the right amount of refined and scrappy and paced incredibly well for something I'd backburnered based on runtime. Maybe a little generous on the score but big rec.
A man who has pretty much everything he loves gets enrolled in a relationship with a mysterious woman that will change his life forever, and not precisely on the best way.
Another gem I had no idea of its existence if it weren't for the lists here. Its cinematography and direction feels very in line with the 90s aesthetic and overall vibe. Its sexually charged, but every sex scene feels everything but sexy and even the moments of joy feel hopeless and disturbing, almost like a nightmare. Also the pacing in many ways reminded me to the work of Jim Jarmusch. Performances for what they are given are pretty good, and the ending is pretty sad.
All in all, far from being the most exciting vampire flick out there and a movie that's hard to find. If you are really into the fangs people, I might give this one a watch.
TODAY SCHEDULE
Habit
Schizopolis
Jungleland
10 Cloverfield Lane
Works best before it ropes in Larry's poorly conceived and weakly acted friends group. A vampirism-as-addiction film unafraid to embrace some freakish imagery—not only the occasional flashes of vaguely explored vampire abilities, but the hallucinatory effects of binge alcoholism as well.
Felt at any moment, this could totally fall apart, and yet, I like it on that same token, very strange feeling. Fessenden with a very good Steve Buscemi in Trees Lounge-esque performance.
Maybe the least favourite of the Fessenden's I've seen so far (wendigo, depraved, last winter and this) because those have a insane sense of compelling dialogue and a visual style that Fessenden can really drive home in this. In this one, he's probably wearing his contemporaries a bit on his sleeve in this one, being really similar to the other indie New York movies of the time period. You can tell he doesn't have quite the grasp on creativity that he has in the 00s, which makes this more frustrating and endearing at points because you know it's still in there somewhere. Regardless, this is another excellent movie for Fessenden, his bleak outlook still in this one, where he feels…
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