A New York philosophy grad student (Lili Taylor) turns into a vampire after getting bitten by one (Annabella Sciorra),and then tries to come to terms with her new lifestyle and frequent craving for human blood.

The film has been considered an allegory about drug addiction, as well as an allegory of the theological concept of sin. It contains philosophical, theological and other intellectual content, including references to Husserl, Nietzsche, Feuerbach, and Descartes. The film also features a vampire quoting the highly conservative Reformed Theologian R. C. Sproul, who is a critic of Roman Catholicism.

Its connection to drug addiction and the parallels it draws are obvious, and it is not alone in doing so. Notably, Larry Fessenden's "Habit" also covered this ground. But the philosophy angle is new, especially with how far it goes. The references are not subtle at all, and as a philosophy graduate I appreciated them... I would love to see an analysis of the topics discussed and see if there is something deeper here, or just a superficial use of more profound thoughts.

Abel Ferrara does a great job of capturing New York City in all its gritty goodness. While not quite "guerilla filmmaking", most (if not all) of the scenes are uncontrolled -- no actors, no direction. Just Lili Taylor walking through real life, which makes this something of a time capsule in a way.

Abel Ferrara's cooperation with Nicholas St. John is a smack in the face for everyone who keeps on claiming that horror is a lamebrain and inferior cinema-genre! The Addiction is Ferrara's most stylish achievement to date and he also came a long way - when it comes to subtleness - since ‘The Driller Killer'. The Addiction is a brilliant piece of philosophical horror…one of the most intelligent screenplays I ever beheld, and it easily mixes both historical topics (the Holocaust) and modern concerns (AIDS, drugs…). Ferrara's direct and raw approach raises the feeling you're watching a traditional B-movie. The stunning black and white cinematography even increases this feeling as you're being catapulted straight into an unknown setting where different cultures and social classes get involved with each other. Key figure in all this is Kathleen Conklin (magnificently portrayed by Lili Taylor) …Once a devoted college student, now a confused `undead' with an uncontrollable need for blood. She was bitten down a dark alley and quickly turned into a vampire herself. Note that the word `vampire' isn't used in this film once, by the way. After recovering from the trauma a bit, Kathleen goes through a complete metamorphosis and ‘contaminates' quite a lot persons herself and she even bumps into some sort of mentor who clarifies her she's facing eternity. This character is given image by the almighty Christopher Walken, who's ruling the screen with his powerful charisma.

Everything in The Addiction is pretty much perfect according to me! The majority of Abel Ferrara's films are pretty personal, and even then, this very well might be his least accessible film… Atmosphere, tension, satire, acting, directing…all perfect! Under normal circumstances, I totally loathe rap-soundtracks but it didn't bother me here and I even thought it was appropriate and essential in order to create the right image. This whole production is intriguingly weird and uniquely eccentric, a must for fans of non-mainstream cinema. I'll do my best and recommend this to as many people as possible since it's one of the greatest B-movies I ever saw and easily one of the few cult treasures of the nineties!

i have watched this movie repeatedly since it was released on video. it is not a vampire movie! it is in black and white. the blood is not red, the blood is a symbol.

we must accept the fact that we are imperfect beings. the more we attempt to help ourselves, the more we are lost, without an outside source.

i love this movie.

a key moment in the movie is when kathleen (lili taylor) sees the image of Christ, rips her clothing while she yells "I WILL NOT SUBMIT!!!!". it is a powerful moment. in the end she submits. she understands that she cannot, by herself, be fulfilled. losing herself in the addiction is simply a distraction from what is inevitable.

awesome freaking movie!