Abel Ferrara, 1995, USA, 82 min

The Thirst for Blood

Christopher Walken, Lili Taylor (THE CONJURING), and director Abel Ferrara (MS. 45) team up for THE ADDICTED—a stylized triumph of 1990s indie horror that mashes up Godard, Bram Stoker, and East Coast hip-hop. As the “Disneyfication” of New York City takes root, a morbid grad student (Taylor) is bitten by a vampire seductress (Annabella Sciorra) and must navigate the shadows while tempering her growing addiction to blood. In the midst of his most prolific, hard-hitting burst of filmmaking (basically that whole decade), Ferrara crafted this loving portrait of New York and a hellish portrait of heroin filtered through the darkest poetic lens. Filmed beautifully in black and white, THE ADDICTION sees Ferrara on his own terms and at his very best: raw, shocking, intelligent, and masterful.

Stephanie Rothman, 1971, USA, 80 min

The Thirst for Blood

Directed by Roger Corman protegee Stephanie Rothman and laced with an addictive psych score, this endearing cult item remains best experienced on the big screen in all its gaudy, color-coded glory.

Dune buggies, rattlesnakes and hippies aren’t common staples of your average vampire movie, but then again, there’s never been anything like this outrageous desert paean to bloodsucking and partner-swapping. Michael Blodgett (BEYOND THE VALLEY OF THE DOLLS) is caught between his vanilla girlfriend Sherry Miles (THE TODD KILLINGS) and smokin’ exhibitionist/art gallery devotee Celeste Yarnal, but soon it looks like he might be out of the picture once the two ladies develop eyes for each other.

Jess Franco, 1971, Spain, 89 min

The Thirst for Blood & Drag of Genre

From the filmmaker whom the Vatican once called “the most dangerous director in the world”, this retelling of the "Dracula's Guest" story has gained a following over the decades via its erotic flights of surreal imagery, psychedelic soundtrack, and iconic performance by Franco muse Soledad Miranda as the Countess.

Ewa Stoemberg (SHE KILLED IN ECSTASY) stars as Linda, a woman with recurring dreams about a woman seducing her. When Linda’s sent to an island off the coast of Istanbul, she meets the very Countess of those dreams. After quickly falling under the woman’s spell, Linda finds she’s not the only one with an obsession for the Countess. With a thin plot to roll with, Franco creates dazzling scenes of arty softcore bliss infused with psycho-sexadelic tunes.