Abel Ferrara’s vampiric tale gets a sumptuous treatment by Arrow
For every Nosferatu there’s a Vampire in Brooklyn. For every Let Me In there’s a Twilight. For every What We Do in the Shadows there’s a Van Helsing. Evidence that vampires offer so many avenues to storytellers to pursue, but also that their success can vary wildly. There are a few defining films for the sub-genre, and one that often gets overlooked is Abel Ferrara’s (King of New York, Ms. 45)1995 effort The Addiction. A personal and effectively haunting spin on these oft romanticized creatures comes with a long needed restoration from the folks at Arrow films.
Synopsis:
Philosophy student Kathleen (Lili Taylor, The Conjuring) is dragged into an alleyway on her way home from class by Casanova (Annabella Sciorra, The Hand That Rocks the Cradle) and bitten on the neck. She quickly falls ill but realizes this isn’t any ordinary disease when she develops an aversion to daylight and a thirst for human blood…
Having made a big-budget foray into science fiction two years earlier with Body Snatchers, Ferrara’s approach to the vampire movie is in a lower key. Shot on the streets of New York, like so many of his major works — including The Driller Killer, Ms. 45 and Bad Lieutenant — and beautifully filmed in black and white, The Addiction sees the filmmaker on his own terms and at his very best: raw, shocking, intense, intelligent, masterful.
Monster movies often work best when the creature is used as an analogy — think Ginger Snaps and the transformative qualities of its female lycan leads juxtaposed with the onset of womanhood. Abel Ferrara and screenwriter Nicholas St. John plunge into the more disturbing aspects of vampirism with their tale, one where feeding becomes assault, craving becomes addiction, and transformation becomes dependency. Stripped of the romanticized idea of vampires, muddying their sexual nature with aspects of assault and abuse, both physical and psychological, imbues the mythology with a welcome if jarring heft.
One of the more interesting aspects of the film is how the protagonist Kathleen (Lili Taylor in one of her finest performances) is given an out by the mysterious Casanova (Annabella Sciorra), an offer for her to leave, one declined. What follows is a moment of intimacy that gives way to a bite, and an ensuing transformation. In the days and weeks that follows, she finds herself imbued with a new confidence, yet afflicted by an aversion to sunlight and more notably a desire for blood, stalking men at night, offering them the same choice she was offered. It’s no coincidence that Kathleen is introduced as a psychology student; there is a rationalization, a justification even, that she deploys as she sinks deeper into her dependency that is fascinating to watch.
The moral questions raised here have no easy answers, as the lead wrestles with aspects of abuse in all its forms, with assault further clouded by weaving in an element of choice. Despite these aspects that set The Addiction apart from conventional vampire films, Ferrera and cinematographer Ken Kelsch imbue it with a more affecting sense of horror, one that goes beyond blood and gore, although you get plenty of that too. A stylish noir aesthetic adds to the film’s haunting quality with a rather enthralling depiction of New York, changing through different areas to match the descent of the characters into darker places. It’s in these quieter moments the true horror of this blood-driven dependency emerge — a close up of a needle, or the creeping look of horror after an attack. The links between vampirism and drug addiction is a little heavy at times, but these forced themes do little to affect a rather organic unfolding of the Kathleen’s tale, nor the potency of it.
The Package
Arrow presents a new restoration that has been approved by director Abel Ferrara along with director of photography Ken Kelsch, from a 4K scan of an original 35mm negative. If you search for images from the film online, you’ll see some of the poorer quality versions available previously, and then appreciate how massive a step up this release is. The visuals are sumptuous, the gothic noir aesthetic given new depth and definition. It’s very well done, improving blacks, whites, and everything in-between, without losing any of the natural grain or integrity of the picture. The Blu-ray also includes a healthy set of special features:
- Audio commentary by Abel Ferrara, moderated by critic and biographer Brad Stevens: A surprisingly playful commentary, the pair have a nice rapport and weave in some amusing tales abut the film, but they really fail to delve into too much detail.
- Talking with the Vampires (2018) — A new documentary about the film made by Ferrara especially for this release, featuring actors Christopher Walken and Lili Taylor, composer Joe Delia, Ken Kelsch, and Ferrara himself: Running just over 30 minutes, again a great, entertaining piece, if only for the principal cast looking back on the film with much frankness.
- New interview with Abel Ferrara: A reflective and relaxed chat with Ferrera about The Addiction.
- New interview with Brad Stevens: Detailed, enthusiastic, but a little on the short side.
- Abel Ferrara Edits The Addiction, an archival piece from the time of production: Not something you get to see that often, the director in the booth actually cutting the film together. Something of a novelty, but a great addition.
- Original trailer
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Peter Strain
- FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated collector’s booklet containing new writing on the film by critic Michael Ewins
The Bottom Line
The Addiction mashes together drug abuse and vampire mythologies in an unsubtle, but very effective manner. An often haunting tale with enthralling performances, and arresting visuals, given a superb treatment by Arrow. Highly recommended.
The Addiction is available via Arrow Films from June 25th, 2018.