Episode 13: The Addiction (1995) with Kathryn Horan and Danielle Aubuchon.

Vampires, philosophy, and a cup of coffee that might just save your soul. This week Ben sits down with Reel Beans regulars Kathryn Horan and Danielle Aubuchon to dig into Abel Ferrara's The Addiction (1995), the blood soaked, black and white meditation on addiction starring Lili Taylor and Christopher Walken, paired with Addictive Coffee Roasters' Morning Fix.

In This Episode 00:00 Introduction to The Addiction 02:47 Initial Reactions and Themes 06:08 Philosophical Undertones and Allegories 08:59 Character Development and Transformation 11:54 The Vampire Allegory and Addiction 15:03 The Shift to Bloodlust 18:04 Consequences of Addiction 21:00 The Climactic Party Scene 23:57 Final Reflections and Ambiguity 29:19 The Metaphor of Death and Renewal 32:12 The Party Massacre, a Turning Point 34:03 Critique of the System, Philosophy and Addiction 37:54 The Art of Filmmaking, Low Budget High Impact 41:19 The Significance of Black and White 42:30 Coffee and Cinema, a Perfect Pairing 51:20 Halloween Movie Recommendations and Wrap Up

Links Watch The Addiction: https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/the-addiction This episode's coffee, Addictive Coffee Morning Fix: https://addictivecoffee.com/products/morning-fix Kathryn Horan, Cinescare: https://cinescarehorror.com/ Danielle Aubuchon: https://www.danielleaubuchon.com/

More Reel Beans Website: reelbeans.com | Support the show: reelbeans.com/support | Merch: reelbeans.com/merch | Instagram: @reel_beans | YouTube: @reelbeans

#ReelBeans #Podcast #FilmPodcast #CoffeePodcast #HorrorPodcast #TheAddiction #AbelFerrara #ClassicFilm #CoffeeAndFilm

Sip. Watch. Repeat.

A woman arrives in a sleepy California beach town looking for her missing father and finds the locals waiting for the blood moon. Ben is joined by Danielle Aubuchon and Kathryn Horan to kick off the Halloween season with Messiah of Evil (1973), the surreal, Lovecraftian cult oddity from the husband-and-wife team who went on to write American Graffiti.

Paired with Peet's Big Bang, the medium roast Peet's built for their 50th anniversary in honor of founder Alfred Peet. Another stranger who turned up on the California coast with something nobody there had tasted before, with considerably better results for the locals.

CHAPTERS

0:00 Welcome to the Halloween Party 2:50 Exploring Recent Films and Nostalgia 6:04 Diving into Messiah of Evil 8:58 Initial Reactions and Confusions 12:00 Cinematography and Visual Style 14:55 Plot Analysis and Character Development 17:58 Soundtrack and Its Impact 21:11 Setting and Atmosphere 23:57 Character Dynamics and Relationships 32:23 Unraveling the Mystery of the Diary 39:13 The Ominous Journey to Town 49:44 The Horror Unfolds in the Grocery Store 55:50 The Tension Builds in the Movie Theater 57:35 The Transformation Begins 1:00:19 Confronting the Past 1:02:05 The Climax at the Beach House 1:04:31 The Aftermath and Reflection 1:06:50 The Artistic Choices and Production Challenges 1:08:52 Exploring the Cast and Their Backgrounds 1:13:22 Final Thoughts and Future Discussions 1:14:36 Coffee Pairing: Peet's Big Bang 1:19:31 What's Next: Vampire & Halloween Specials

THE COFFEE

https://www.peets.com/products/big-bang

GUESTS

Danielle Aubuchon: https://www.danielleaubuchon.com/ Kathryn Horan, Cine Scare Horror: https://cinescarehorror.com/

RESOURCES

Messiah of Evil is in the public domain, so you can watch it free: https://archive.org/details/messiah-of-evil-1973_202404

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messiah_of_Evil Rotten Tomatoes: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/messiah_of_evil Radiance Films Blu-ray, with Kim Newman and Stephen Thrower commentary: https://www.radiancefilms.co.uk/products/messiah-of-evil-se The History of Peet's Coffee: https://peets.com/blogs/peets/the-history-of-peets-coffee

REEL BEANS

Website: https://reelbeans.com Episodes: https://reelbeans.com/podcast Merch: https://reelbeans.com/merch Support the show: https://reelbeans.com/support Instagram: https://instagram.com/reel_beans YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@reelbeans

Sip · Watch · Repeat

Ben is joined by Danielle Aubuchon for Shadow of a Doubt (1943), paired with Land and Water Coffee's Godspeed Blend.

Charlie Newton wishes for something to shake up sleepy Santa Rosa, and gets her beloved Uncle Charlie, the man she was named for, who may also be the Merry Widow Murderer. Ben and Danielle get into Hitchcock's gift for turning a safe small town menacing, what kind of man Uncle Charlie actually is, the dark comedy running underneath the tension, and how one bad summer can end a girl's childhood for good.

The pairing fits three ways. Land and Water roasts in Santa Rosa, about two miles from the house Hitchcock shot in. Godspeed is a 50/50 blend of Zambia and Honduras, two origins under one name, which is the two Charlies exactly. And Godspeed is what you say to someone leaving on a hard journey, which this film has plenty of.

The Coffee Godspeed Blend: https://landandwater.coffee/products/godspeed About the roaster: https://landandwater.coffee/pages/about

Resources AFI Catalog: https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/657 Deep Focus Review: https://www.deepfocusreview.com/definitives/shadow-of-a-doubt/ Press Democrat on Hitchcock's Santa Rosa: https://www.pressdemocrat.com/2026/05/20/in-shadow-of-a-doubt-hitchcock-found-evil-in-small-town-santa-rosa/ The Alfred Hitchcock Wiki: https://the.hitchcock.zone/wiki/Shadow_of_a_Doubt_(1943) Brenton Film on the Wilder collaboration: https://brentonfilm.com/writing-on-a-classic-shadow-of-a-doubt-1943 Beyond Doubt: The Making of Hitchcock's Favorite Film (Blu-ray)

Our Guest Danielle Aubuchon: https://danielleaubuchon.com

Reel Beans https://reelbeans.com https://instagram.com/reel_beans https://youtube.com/@reelbeans Merch: https://reelbeans.com/merch Support: https://reelbeans.com/support

Sip. Watch. Repeat.