Movies I have seen too many times: Interview with the Vampire

I remember I was so excited when I first went to see Interview with the Vampire at the theatre. Being a huge Anne Rice fan, I could not wait to see what my favourite vampires would look like on the big screen. I have to say, unlike many bad book to movie adaptations, Interview with the Vampire did not disappoint.

Since then a lot has changed, I am no longer such an Anne Rice fanatic, nor am I obsessed with vampires. I still like the genre though and I still put this movie in my DVD player now and then and it never disappoints.

For those of you not familiar with the movie, it tells the story of a vampire named Louis (played by Brad Pitt), who is interviewed about his life by a young reporter (played by Christian Slater). In the film, we get to relive some of the adventures Louis experienced during his 200-year life as a vampire.

Louis’ story begins in 1791, when he was a young mortal plantation owner living in New Orleans. He is very depressed and unhappy with life, blaming himself for the death of his wife and daughter. That is when he meets a vampire named Lestat (played by Tom Cruise), who is after his plantation.

Lestat turns Louis into a vampire and the two become immortal companions. Louis has a hard time being a vampire, as he cannot seem to disconnect himself from his mortal morals and engage in murder. Therefore, he tries to quench his bloodlust by feeding on animals.

When people are starting to get a little too suspicious of Louis and Lestat’s true identities, they are forced to leave the plantation. Louis is getting more and more used to being an evil vampire and finally starts feeding on humans. One night he drinks from a little girl, only to find out that Lestat has turned her into a vampire daughter for them named Claudia (played by Kristin Dunst).

Louis is horrified by this, but he cannot resist her charms. They both dote on her and for the next 65 years they all live together as a family. However, Claudia begins to hate Lestat for making her into a vampire once she realizes she will never grow up and have a woman’s body.

She thinks of a plot to get rid of Lestat to which Luis reluctantly agrees. They then leave for Europe to find others like them.

Then lots of other stuff happens, but some of you might actually want to rent this movie, so I won’t give away the rest of the plot.

I loved this movie, mainly because I have always been a great fan of Anne Rice, and I have read all of her books. It is a great adaptation of the book, unlike the second Anne Rice vampire movie Queen of the Damned.

If you do not care about horror, vampires, or bloody scenes, this probably is not a movie for you. But if you like the genre, you are definitely going to enjoy Interview with the Vampire.