Queen of the Damned: Impact of a Legend

On this day 23 years ago the vampire fantasy thriller Queen of the Damned hit theaters world wide. Directed by Michael Rymer and based on the novel The Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice, this film played a big role in shaping some of the most memorable vampire movies of the 21st century.

Based on the novel The Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice, Queen of the Damned tells the story of the charismatic vampire Lestat De Lioncourt and his journey to living beyond the shadows of vampiric eternity that was taught to him by his vamp sire mentor, Marius de Romanus. Lestat is an outgoing spirit who has been sired into the life of a vampire by Marius, who teaches Lestat that a vampire’s eternal life is meant to be one of discretion. This revelation comes as a disappointment to Lestat who craves a life where he lives in the light of the beloved.

Lestat eventually uncovers the tomb of Akasha, portrayed by R&B sensation Aaliyah, who is the matriarch of the vampire race. The discovery of this forbidden tomb prompts Marius to abandon Lestat out of disappointment. In response Lestat goes forward and makes his own fate by joining a 21st century nu metal band and becoming a worldwide sensation, much to the disgust of vampires, including his mentor Marius. Lestat’s prominence also awakens Akasha from her tomb seeking Lestat as her modern day companion, who with she is hellbent on terrorizing the world of humanity. All of this is witnessed by a human girl named Jessy, portrayed by Marguerite Moreau, who is a descendant of a vampire ancient known as Maharet portrayed by Lena Olin.

Queen of the Damned was an instant hit with vampire and horror fans because of the legendary Anne Rice’s take on vampirism. In contrast to other vampire films from the 80’s and 90’s like Fright Night, From Dusk Till Dawn and Blade, which portray vampires as the outsiders of human society who exist solely for the destruction of mankind when encountered, Queen of the Damned gives the audience a first person, empathetic view of vampires.

In Queen of the Damned we as the audience get to see what the average day to day life of a vampire is like. We see their hopes, dreams, fears and inhibitions. What makes this so unique is we see it from the first person point of view of the vampires themselves, so in a way the vampires are the most human characters of the story. It’s safe to say that this style of vampire storytelling pave the way for future vampire shows and movies like True Blood, The Vampire Diaries and the Twilight series.

Without a doubt the most captivating trait of this movie was Aaliyah as Akasha. The incomparable beauty, talent and charisma of Aaliyah made her perfect for the role of Akasha, the seductive and deadly queen of the damned. Aaliyah’s role in this film is in part attracted by heartbreak as Aaliyah unfortunately loss her life in her infamous plane crash six months before the film’s release. Stuart Townsend who portrays Lestat made note that the film would be an enjoyable but bittersweet send off for her fans. As a die hard Aaliyah fan myself I have to say that he couldn’t have been more right.

Two decades later Queen of the Damned is still cult classic and one of the most loved vampire films ever due to its deep personal take on vampirism and the captivating cast that rounded it out. This movie is also most complimented by the incredibly talented Aaliyah who left us with this film as one last part of her amazing legacy.