This highly anticipated TV series, based on the first novel in the series, is now debuting on AMC. It features a macabre and sexually-charged retelling of Louis and Lestat based on Rice’s novel, while maintaining a much closer relationship to Rice’s novels than the 1994 film, while adding new layers of depth to the story of a vampire pondering a century of change. Essentially, this retelling is a modernized version that restores a lot of what was stripped from its previous version and sets the stage for a broader universe of Rice adaptations to come in the future. I got a chance to watch AMC”s Interview with the Vampire’s first four episodes last month. Here are my thoughts.
This modern-day adaptation follows vampire Louis de Pointe du Lac (Jacob Anderson) as he interviews Daniel Molloy (Eric Bogosian) about his life as a bloodsucker. The story is now set in the 21st century, with the pandemic being an integral part of the overall narrative while the updated flashbacks shift the beginning of the story from 1791 to 1910.
In addition to Louis being a Creole, there is also a subtext of racism and bigotry surrounding the vampires. Despite the fact that Lestat, played by Sam Reid, is one of the last remaining relics of the 19th century, he is still a debonair and foppish aristocrat. The first thing that becomes apparent from the onset is that Brad Pitt plays Louis in this film differently from the version of Louis that our attention was wowed by when he played the forlorn landowner before he became a vampire. In Anderson’s portrayal of his character, he depicts him as a pimp and hustler who works to provide for the family. It is evident that Louis’ and Lestat’s relationship begins very differently from what is depicted in the movie when Louis meets Lestat.
We get a more layered look at Louis and his family in the first two episodes, which are directed by Alan Taylor (Game of Thrones). The evolution of Jacob Anderson’s character from man to monster is accentuated by the way he portrays his contemporary and flashback performances in different styles.
Eric Bogosian gives a more mature performance in the role of Daniel Molloy, through which he asks questions of Louis, who fawns over the love/hate relationship between him and Lestat, and gives his best performance to date. Throughout the next three episodes of the show, we continue to follow Claudia, who is an older version of Kirsten Dunst’s child vampire, as decades pass and we learn more about her relationship with Craig, played by Bailey Bass, who also plays Craig’s father. As familiar as this relationship has always been between Lestat, Louis, and Claudia, the relationship here is just as demented as ever, but somehow even more believable given that there has been a greater investment in developing the relationships in this series.
Whether you’re a fan of the novels or not, this series does a great job setting up the world, along with the other supernatural creations of Anne Rice. In spite of the fact that only the first four episodes were available for this review, there is a richness and grandness to this world that exceeds anything in the movie. This story’s queer undertones make little sense to those unfamiliar with the source material it draws from and somehow manages to improve upon. There is a lot of nudity in the series, something I wasn’t expecting from an AMC show, but not the least of which is the gore. The erotic side of vampire stories has been brought back to life on the screen in this series.
Unlike the film adaptations of Rice’s novels, this show has better actors and is difficult to top Cruise, Pitt, Banderas, and Dunst. It never ceases to intrigue and horrify while making each episode of this series look eerie and ethereal. Directed by Taylor, Keith Powell, Levan Akin, and Alexis Ostrander, it never ceases to look enticing and absolutely beautiful.
