I saw this movie on a sort of Larry Fessenden binge, after watching Depraved (2018) and No Telling (1991). Fessenden, as is well known, is a permanently and criminally underrated horror director, writer and occasional actor. Depraved was great, and No Telling, a very early effort, was sort of pointless.
Thankfully, Habit is not pointless. However, the point is not the central plot. Rather, it seems to be a slice of life from a realistic, gritty, early-90s NYC, viewed through protagonist Sam's eyes. Sam is played by Fessenden himself, who probably should have starred in more movies. Sam is an intelligent and seriously underachieving alcoholic who does not know what to do with his life and is "committing suicide on the installment plan." He also just broke up with his girlfriend and lost his father. Fessenden brings an air of wounded vulnerability to the character that makes him very easy to relate to.
Sam's life spirals (further) out of control after he meets Anna, a mysterious woman who turns out to be (SPOILERS) a vampire/succubus preying on men and who has picked Sam as her next victim. This is not a vampire movie per se, though. It seems to have appeared so to critics in 1995, especially coming closely after Interview with the Vampire. That the presence of the vampire is not the central focus can be gleaned from how there is a Van Helsing-type professor character, a certain Mr Lyons who is a friend of Sam's dad, who appears at first as if he'll help Sam with his predicament but whose plot thread goes nowhere. The word "vampire" is mentioned only in one (admittedly pretty weak) scene. However, overall I regard this as a strength and not a weakness.
This is not to say that there are no weaknesses. The minimal budget goes a long way, but Fessenden was too ambitious with his moviemaking and the movie clearly tries to punch above its budget, especially when it comes to special effects. There is some poor editing, which makes certain scenes and scene transitions somewhat confusing. However, despite all that, this is an underrated vampire story from the 90s with life in a grimy New York City as its main focus.
Thankfully, Habit is not pointless. However, the point is not the central plot. Rather, it seems to be a slice of life from a realistic, gritty, early-90s NYC, viewed through protagonist Sam's eyes. Sam is played by Fessenden himself, who probably should have starred in more movies. Sam is an intelligent and seriously underachieving alcoholic who does not know what to do with his life and is "committing suicide on the installment plan." He also just broke up with his girlfriend and lost his father. Fessenden brings an air of wounded vulnerability to the character that makes him very easy to relate to.
Sam's life spirals (further) out of control after he meets Anna, a mysterious woman who turns out to be (SPOILERS) a vampire/succubus preying on men and who has picked Sam as her next victim. This is not a vampire movie per se, though. It seems to have appeared so to critics in 1995, especially coming closely after Interview with the Vampire. That the presence of the vampire is not the central focus can be gleaned from how there is a Van Helsing-type professor character, a certain Mr Lyons who is a friend of Sam's dad, who appears at first as if he'll help Sam with his predicament but whose plot thread goes nowhere. The word "vampire" is mentioned only in one (admittedly pretty weak) scene. However, overall I regard this as a strength and not a weakness.
This is not to say that there are no weaknesses. The minimal budget goes a long way, but Fessenden was too ambitious with his moviemaking and the movie clearly tries to punch above its budget, especially when it comes to special effects. There is some poor editing, which makes certain scenes and scene transitions somewhat confusing. However, despite all that, this is an underrated vampire story from the 90s with life in a grimy New York City as its main focus.