The Addiction

An introverted philosophy doctoral student at NYU who is violently changed after an attack by a vampire. Her transformation brings daylight aversion, heightened aggression, and a rush of predatory behavior that clashes with her scholarly persona. Over the course of the film she evolves from a cautious student to a deadly participant in a campus-wide bloodbath, culminating in a tragic suicide.

Kathleen’s fellow doctoral candidate who notices the drastic change in her friend. She becomes a witness to the transformation and eventually part of the same nocturnal circle, reflecting the complicity and shared complicity in the vampiric awakening. She represents a grounding, rational perspective that is slowly eroded by the surrounding violence.

A vampire who calls herself Casanova and introduces Kathleen to a hedonistic, predatory world. She exudes danger and manipulation, guiding or at least steering Kathleen toward embracing her new appetite. Casanova embodies the seductive menace at the heart of the vampiric circle.

A veteran vampiric figure who claims to have conquered addiction and remains oddly human at times. He attempts to guide Kathleen toward restraint and knowledge, recommending reads like Naked Lunch as a path to self-control. His fluctuating humanity highlights the tension between addiction and recovery.

A streetwise acquaintance Kathleen encounters who becomes a victim of her bloodlust. His presence grounds the violence in the urban social sphere, illustrating how the transformation spills into everyday life. He is propositioned and attacked in a dark, dangerous world.

The hospital staff member who refuses Kathleen's plea to die, representing the last vestige of ordinary ethics. The nurse’s refusal preserves Kathleen’s life long enough for the story to reach its climactic, fatal conclusion. Her actions frame the boundary between mercy and mortuary fate.

A priest who visits Kathleen in the hospital and administers Viaticum, underscoring the film’s religious and existential dimensions. His presence embodies traditional ritual in a story about self-destruction and transformation. He offers a final, somber counterpoint to the vampiric crisis.