The Addiction (1995)

Starring:
Christopher Walken, Lili Taylor, Annabella Sciorra, Edie Falco, Paul Calderon

Directed by:
Abel Ferrara

Produced by:
Denis Hann, Fernando Sulichin

Written by:
Nicholas St. John

Moonslight: Greetings to you Zaar....G*

Zaar: Greetings to you Alisa, and welcome all to the Bat's Belfry once again...

Moonslight: It is good to be back once again with you

Zaar: This month we would like to review the movie 'The Addiction, starring Lili Taylor with a special appearance by Christopher Walken

Moonslight: Giving in to more of a philosophical approach to Vampirism

Zaar: The Addiction is filled with strange metaphysical and philosophical statements, in the mind of the main character...

Moonslight: She is in the midst of or her dissertations on the nature of evil in which she finds herself in direct conflict with her own thoughts

Zaar: AND that of her own personal nature

Moonslight: The movie itself is shot in black and white, which gives you the ability to concentrate on the characters and their thoughts and actions alone rather than having to try and keep up with special effects and the like.

Zaar: Being in black and white also allows one to take in the philosophical aroma better... At least to my mind... LOL

Moonslight: Yes, it does.

Moonslight: In the opening we find our Kathleen in class, watching footage of the Holocaust; their faces showing us the decisions of the mind of what is truly evil, and what can be justified and how…

While the professor, later to be a victim, giving analytical digressions on Nietzsche and Kierkegaard,

Zaar: *And if your not familiar with both philosophers, you will miss the subtle change from Nietzsche to Kierkegaard, so watch out*

Both had their own personal views on humanity and it’s strife’s…how the actions of one or few are justifiable…Our main character finds her unable to believe in the fact that one individual can be held responsible when there were so many others involved.

The night brings us to Kathleen taking a walk down a semi deserted blvd where we see her pass by the familiar nightlife of those who work in the night on the streets; whether they be the female persuasion or other wise dealing their wares…Then seen to be walking behind our mistress, we find the Antagonist, Annabella Sciorra, our sexy vampiress who will deliver Kathleen unto her dark gift and set our movie along its way. Next we find Kathleen, taken down a dark secluded alley to which our vampiress then commands that Kathleen demand that she go away…making it seem that she was giving her the choice to decide her fate, when in fact she relished in the fact that she could have that kind of power over her. Kathleen not being of the mind to demand her to leave her then suffers the fate of our vampiress’s bite. The bite in this case however, is not the usual two fangs, holes in the neck type bite, but rather the kind of bite that would see two children give one another in a tussle on the floor. Of course, our victim goes to the local ER room, gives a slight report of the incident that took place, and then off to the sanctity of home where she proceeds to hide from the world while her undaunted change takes place. From here, her whole being changes all the way from her physical mousey nature to her mindful perspective on all things in life. She gains the normal pale-faced appearance, the longish hair with the waves and the finicky nature to food of any kind. Although her mousey nature is still there, her mind is ever active, pursuing that familiar debate between what is really evil and what is perceived to be evil…. “…There is no history, everything we are is eternally within us…” This brings us to a point in the movie that can relate well to the times of now…Vampirism is something that exists within, rather than born from some external source. Something that is awakened from within and not so much transmitted from one being to another.

We find Kathleen now settling into the idea that she herself is now addicted to not only the blood, but also the violence of her will over others…. Her ability to have an ego now rather than her passive nature of old. Lost in her thoughts and her new perspective of her seemingly being alone while the world still moves on…. The violin music amplifies her true nature at this point, while her words personify herself even higher.

From her first victim, which still keeping to her mousey nature, she takes her rush from a needle rather than from the actual act of biting her victim. She still seems unsure of herself and her addiction. We find her second victim, one that seems already engrossed within her life, a professor of her philosophy class, who after not having such a great night with her at dinner, seemingly seduced to Kathleen’s apt for after dinner treats; including not only “party favors” but also introduced into what Kathleen now knows as her true nature, a vampire.

We then move on the see how she perceives the rest of the world in more of an interactive nature rather than her secluded self…. She is beginning to see how death walks alive within the very world she existed in before her dark gift was introduced to her. She finds it appalling to a point, how the flesh can smell rotted even though it is alive and well…. Within her next victim we see her ego growing…. She feels much more powerful as she demands the same command from her victim that she herself was commanded…She finds it a boost to her energy level and we see a transformation in her whole being at this point.

Now that her ego is taking control, her physical mousey nature has been washed towards the back and her strength is being brought forth in her physical dominance of others. Her next victim is an urban youth off the local street to which she prowls. She keeps close to home for she still feels the need for that sanctity….

As we move along in the movie, we find ourselves entranced with her thoughts as well as her whole being, in a constant battle of what is evil…Her thesis is the overriding factor in all that she thinks and does.

This movie brings quite a few myths to the forefront, but instead of portraying them, it merely eludes to the facts that there is a humanity that is lost in this transformation, or this dark gift.

The other pivotal event in Kathleen’s current existence is the entrance of our Master Vampire, Christopher Walken who teaches Kathleen the true meaning of addiction; the Hunger. From the very being of her mousey nature, to those victims who she chooses for their own aggressive natures when in their elements, to their own passiveness when alone and out of their habitats. We find that she chooses those who are still seen as beneath her so that her very own mousey nature can more easily assert itself and become the aggressive vulture that it truly is when unleashed upon all…

All in all, you will find this is not your average, run-of-the-mill Vampire flick for it addresses the metaphysical trueness of Vampirism; looking from the inside out, rather than a look at the physical brutality on the outside alone. We hope that you will enjoy it as much as we did ourselves.

” To face what we are in the end; we stand before the light and our true nature is revealed. Self revelation is annihilation of self.”

Zaar & Moonslight

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