Widely considered to be an allegory for drug addiction, The Addiction - directed by Abel Ferrara of Bad Lieutenant fame - is one vampire film that you won't shake in a hurry. This is a difficult and uncomfortable picture, and it has more in common with, say, Requiem for a Dream than any of the other vampire films included on this list. The Addiction centres on a philosophy major named Kathleen, who - one night - unwittingly finds herself bitten by an attractive woman and thus begins her transformation into that of a vampire-like creature. Vampirism is dealt with in the same way as drug addiction here; those inflicted with the disease have an unstoppable craving for blood, but things get really interesting when Kathleen meets a guy who claims to have stopped his killer urges. Shot in black and white, this is a dense and intelligent exploration, packed with allusions to philosophers (hence Kathleen's university major), and featuring a great, underrated performance from Christopher Walken as the vamp who tries to help Kathleen.
Sam Hill is an ardent cinephile and has been writing about film professionally since 2008. He harbours a particular fondness for western and sci-fi movies.
