Habit (1997 film)
| Habit | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Larry Fessenden |
| Written by | Larry Fessenden |
| Produced by | Dayton Taylor Robin O'Hara |
| Starring | Larry Fessenden Meredith Snaider |
| Cinematography | Frank G. DeMarco |
| Edited by | Larry Fessenden |
| Music by | Geoffrey Kidde |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Glass Eye Pix |
Release date |
|
Running time | 112 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $200,000 |
Habit is a 1997 vampire horror film starring Larry Fessenden, who also wrote and directed the film.[1]
Plot
Sam is a self-destructive, vaguely artistic New York bohemian who has recently lost his father and his long-time girlfriend. At a Halloween party he meets a mysterious, beautiful, androgynous woman named Anna (Meredith Snaider). He embarks on a kinky, sex-charged relationship with her; but soon he develops a mysterious illness, and eventually comes to believe that Anna is a vampire.
Cast
- Larry Fessenden as Sam
- Meredith Snaider as Anna
- Aaron Beall as Nick
- Patricia Coleman as Rae
- Heather Woodbury as Liza
- Jesse Hartman as Lenny
- Kelly Reichardt as Partygirl on Phone
Production
Habit was based on a short film by the same name, also by Fessenden, which he created in 1981 as a film student in New York University. Filming took place in New York City during 1994. The film was shot on 16mm film and on a budget of approximately $60,000. According to Lost Reels, Fessenden did not have filming permits for all of his scenes.[2]
Of the film, Fessenden has stated that he wanted to make "the scariest movie since Night of the Living Dead" and that "in a strange, perverse way I succeeded - not in making a scary movie, but in making one that was perverse beyond my dreams."[3]
Release
Habit premiered at the Chicago International Film Festival on October 15, 1995.[4] It went on to screen at several film festivals and was released on to VHS and DVD.[5][6] Vinegar Syndrome has released the movie both as a solitary release as well as part of a two-pack with Fessenden's film No Telling.[7][8]
In 2022 Habit was screened at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, New York as part of a retrospective of both Fessenden's career and his production company, Glass Eye Pix.[9] That same year it was also screened in the United Kingdom through the organization Lost Reels, which stated that it was the movie's United Kingdom premiere.[2]
Awards
| Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Austin Film Festival | Feature Film Award | Larry Fessenden | Nominated |
| Independent Spirit Awards[10] | Producers Award | Robin O'Hara | Won |
| Best Cinematography | Frank G. DeMarco | Nominated | |
| Best Director | Larry Fessenden | Nominated | |
| Someone to Watch Award | Larry Fessenden | Won | |
| Williamsburg Brooklyn Film Festival[11] | Feature Film | Larry Fessenden | Won |
| Best Actor | Larry Fessenden | Nominated | |
| Best Editing | Larry Fessenden | Nominated |
References
- ^ Meyer, Andrea (November 17, 1997). "Fessenden's "Habit"". Indiewire. Archived from the original on April 19, 2013.
- ^ a b Badger, Gregory (October 2022). "Introducing Habit" (PDF). Lost Reels.
- ^ Dumpert, Hazel-Dawn (November 6, 1997). "The Reluctant Auteur". LA Weekly (Newspapers.com).
- ^ "A guide to this weekend's Film Festival features". Chicago Tribune (Newspapers.com). October 13, 1995.
- ^ "Habit (DVD)". WorldCat.
- ^ "Habit (VHS)". WorldCat.
- ^ Fessenden, Larry. The Films of Larry Fessenden: Volume 1 - Habit & No Telling, Vinegar Syndrome (2012).
- ^ Fessenden, Larry. (1995, 2025) Habit, Vinegar Syndrome.
- ^ "Oh, the Humanity! The Films of Larry Fessenden and Glass Eye Pix". The Museum of Modern Art. Retrieved March 13, 2026.
- ^ "Spirit Awards - Nominees and Winners" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on June 29, 2012. Retrieved June 1, 2012.
- ^ "Williamsburg Brooklyn Film Festival". Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved June 1, 2012.