Interview with the Vampire

Look no further if you like vampires, violence, or voluminous hair! A somewhat malnourished-looking Brad Pitt – and, boy, does he look anaemic – stars alongside an unsettlingly-blond Tom Cruise in this tale of carnal carnivores and their century-long escapades. Notable for its Victorian aesthetic, Interview with the Vampire is based on the ‘76 novel by Anne Rice, a critically-acclaimed heavyweight in the SFF sphere. (And if you’re unfamiliar with Anne, you may have heard of the recent BBC adaptation.) But, audiences, beware – Interview with the Vampire is no stranger to violence, eclipsing pleasure with pain in the old-fashioned vampire way. Featuring Machiavellian manoeuvres and lascivious affairs, Interview with the Vampire chronicles the life/death of Louis and anti-hero Lestat, two beings bound eternally by blood – whether they like it or not.

The life of the damned is a lonely one, and Louis de Pointe Du Lac knows this best. Interview with the Vampire recounts the trials and tribulations of Louis’ hollow life – of innocence lost – coalescing tales of ‘love, betrayal’ and ‘loneliness’ in this chronicle of a fate “worse than death.” This grim gothic-horror, traversing seduction, sorrow, and century-long regret, earned two Oscar nominees (for ‘Best Score’ and ‘Best Art Direction’ respectively) and was also a successful commercial hit. Therefore, it is unsurprising that Interview with the Vampire continues to live on in adaptations and remakes, and it is certainly a story that you should sink your teeth into.

Martha Gibbs