So of course, Thanksgiving would not have been complete for Brett & Suzz without the enjoyment of film. Our queue of films from this past Halloween continues to grow (horror is one of our favorite genres), so we brought one with us to our Thanksgiving hideaway and gave it a whirl. We were pretty excited about it, and it did not disappoint.
I have no intention of providing a review of any sort, but I DO encourage all vampire genre-lovers to check out this title. Released in 1997, Habit was written, produced and directed by one of our new favorite filmmakers, Larry Fessenden, who recently directed The Last Winter, a mesmerizing, haunting eco-horror film that we screened during our annual Halloween double-feature gathering at our loft in Lowell. Fessenden, who also stars in Habit, is all about character development – raw, gritty, a bit grungy, and thoroughly engaging, the film sucks you in (heh) and keeps you involved in the lives of 5-6 friends, including Sam (Fessenden) who has fallen in love with a young, dark-haired vampire (or is she?) after breaking up with a long-time girlfriend. Shot in NYC on a budget of about $200,000, Habit takes what could have been a run-of-the-mill urban vampire tale and gives it guts. Not literally, mind you, so don’t think you’ll have to endure lots of B&G (er, blood & gore). Again, it’s all about the characters.
Check out Habit here, and if you DO nab it as a rental, indulge in the extras, especially Fessenden’s commentaries, which are both humorous and informative.
lowellfilmcollaborativema.org 