Abel Ferrara’s The Addiction (1995) is a haunting and cerebral exploration of human nature, morality, and the overwhelming power of addiction, cloaked in the allegorical trappings of a vampire film. Clocking in at a taut 82 minutes, the film eschews conventional horror tropes to deliver an existential meditation on sin, self-destruction, and redemption. Its moody black-and-white cinematography and philosophical musings make it a standout entry in both Ferrara’s filmography and the vampire genre at large. At its core, The Addiction follows Kathleen Conklin (played by Lili Taylor), a New York City philosophy graduate student, whose life takes a nightmarish turn after she is attacked and bitten by a mysterious woman (Annabella Sciorra) late one night. This encounter marks the beginning of Kathleen’s transformation into a vampire—a shift that mirrors her descent into addiction. What sets The Addiction apart is its treatment of vampirism not as a supernatural curse or gothic romance, but as...