Interview with the Vampire (1994)

Introduction

One of my all-time favourite novels is Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire. I remember pre-ordering every single one of her books after Blood Canticle and honestly, the movie to Interview with the Vampire is much better than the film to Queen of the Damned in my opinion. Starring Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, Antonio Banderas, Stephen Rea, Kirsten Dunst and Christian Slater - this film is an excellent example of the modern gothic blended with the cool-fragrant feel of the older state of the USA. As time moves along, we witness the story of Louis, a man turned into a vampire by the Brat Prince Lestat as he states that he has not been human for two hundred years.

Plot

Louis is disatisfied with his life after losing his wife and child, he finds he cannot eat or sleep properly and then one night he is accosted by Lestat, a vampire who gives Louis an entirely new lease on life. As Lestat embraces the vampiric lifestyle, he notices that Louis has a problem with taking human life, often finding Louis drinking the blood or rats and chickens.

After seeing a young girl named Claudia bothered by the death of her mother, Louis decides to turn her into a vampire with him and Lestat taking care of her, buying her dolls and teaching her the ways of the vampire. Little does she know that she will remain a little girl in her appearance forever. Claudia takes revenge on Lestat before she and Louis escape to Paris and find the oldest vampire alive - Armand.

The Theatres des Vampires are "vampires pretending to be humans pretending to be vampires" and perform horror-comedy-tragedy shows to the public. Santiago is a vampire who can read minds and states to Louis that there is only one crime in the vampire world: kill your own kind. Armand tells Louis that he must send Claudia away but he refuses and the results are catastrophic.

When Louis meets Lestat again, both are changed men but both remain the same in age and style.

Appraisals and Awards

"The vampire Lestat, the most commanding and teasingly malicious of Ms. Rice's creations, brings out in Mr. Cruise a fiery, mature sexual magnetism he has not previously displayed on screen. Except for a few angry outbursts here, there are no signs of the actor's usual boyishness. Instead, adopting a worldly manner and an exquisite otherworldly look, he transforms himself into a darkly captivating roue who's seen it all." - Janet Maslin, The New York Times (2010)

Though it was nominated for the Academy Awards in various stylistic categories, it did not actually end up winning any. Interview with the Vampire (1994) would win awards in other ways through a BAFTA, Critics Awards and of course, Fangoria. It was further included in many lists that looked at the best films of the year of 1994 - averaging anywhere for 6 to 10. Unfortunately though, some lists even named it as the worst movie of the year. Those are called publications we ignore.

Legacy

The legacy of Interview with the Vampire (1994) has mostly been perpetuated by social media and the interest with horror literature, vampire fiction and the anti-Twilight vampire movie subgenre. It has become something of a phenomenon with the culture of vampire fiction and has gained a cult following. Though it made a healthy amount of money upon its release, I do have to say that its legacy has been mainly based on everything that happened with the film afterwards - including the reprise regarding the newer TV adaptation (which I am not too keen on if I'm honest though it looks alright. I have no interest to watch it).

My Personal Opinion

In my list of my favourite films of all time, Interview with the Vampire (1994) would come in at a possible second or third place. It is however, definitely in my top five. I love the film's art direction, its editing and cinematography, its costumes and its soundtrack. I love how it blends the old world with the new and how it moves through time and also, I love Tom Cruise's portrayal of Lestat.

In my lifetime, Interview with the Vampire (1994) has been that film that I go to when I'm upset, suffering from sickness or even just under the weather. It is one of those films that really just does feel like a hug.

Conclusion

I know that this film is divisive and many people do not actually like it including star Brad Pitt, who portrays Louis in the movie. However, I think it is one of the greatest films ever made because of its ability to remain timeless. It is not a movie that looks almost thirty years' old but it is.