Habit

New York's East Village, filmed in sickly hues and edgy rhythms, forms the heroin-chic milieu for this vision of vampirism as carnal addiction. And the pale, scraggly Larry Fessenden (who wrote and directed) fits right in as the strung-out hero, whose strange new girlfriend (Meredith Snaider) is literally sucking the life from him. The fact that he's a booze-soaked ne'er-do-well — whose father just died and whose old girlfriend just moved out — adds a certain soul-sickness to his sexual obsession. But along with its wasted melancholy, Habit also has a welcome mordant streak. ''This f---ing chick is, like, drinking my blood, like, in a way that's affecting my health,'' moans the oblivious victim. Reserve this creepy sleeper for Halloween — but only watch with someone you know really well. B+