I know what you're thinking: Who needs another Lower East Side female vampire movie? I felt the same way until I saw this corrosive new feature from director-writer-star Larry Fessenden (who's been banging around the underground scene since the mid-'80s, with pics like HOLLOW VENUS and NO TELLING). In an edgy, open wound of a performance, Larry plays Sam, a thirtynothing sloppy drunk who's "committing suicide on the installment plan" and believes "all love ends in sadness." His girlfriend has moved out, he has scars on his arms from slicing himself up, and the guy jumpstarts each morning with a drink. Along the way, Fessenden captures the seediest aspects of urban life; and more important, for the first hour, the concept of vampirism isn't even mentioned. Instead it sucks you in as a Bukowski-esque drama of crazy love. Sam's life seems to change for the better when he meets a mysterious young beauty named Anna (Meredith Snaider) at a Halloween party, who at first, seems like an unlikely date for this lush with the missing front tooth. Of course, Anna has her odd side, which includes disappearing or appearing at the strangest times, as well as a kinky edge which leaves Sam with a series of ugly bites. But as he feels increasingly "sick," his outlook on the world becomes shakier, as we wonder if Anna is indeed a vampire, or whether Sam has simply fried his brain after years of excess. Along with terrific location footage, Fessenden expertly captures the most minute details of Sam's life (which makes you think he understands his character all too well). Better still, he strips vampirism of its usual trappings and re-energizes it with everyday madness. Despite budgetary constraints, HABIT is a beautifully realized vision which is also one of the best films I've seen this year.

© 1997 by Steven Puchalski.