Movie Mondays

Interview with the Vampire

Book, 1976 by Anne Rice

In the now-classic novel Interview with the Vampire, Anne Rice refreshed the archetypal vampire myth for a late-20th-century audience. The story is ostensibly a simple one: having suffered a tremendous personal loss, an 18th-century Louisiana plantation owner named Louis Pointe du Lac descends into an alcoholic stupor. At his emotional nadir, he is confronted by Lestat, a charismatic and powerful vampire who chooses Louis to be his fledgling. The two prey on innocents, give their "dark gift" to a young girl, and seek out others of their kind (notably the ancient vampire Armand) in Paris. But a summary of this story bypasses the central attractions of the novel. First and foremost, the method Rice chose to tell her tale--with Louis' first-person confession to a skeptical boy--transformed the vampire from a hideous predator into a highly sympathetic, seductive, and all-too-human figure. Second, by entering the experience of an immortal character, one raised with a deep Catholic faith, Rice was able to explore profound philosophical concerns--the nature of evil, the reality of death, and the limits of human perception--in ways not possible from the perspective of a more finite narrator.

While Rice has continued to investigate history, faith, and philosophy in subsequent Vampire novels (including The Vampire Lestat, The Queen of the Damned, The Tale of the Body Thief, Memnoch the Devil, and The Vampire Armand), Interview remains a treasured masterpiece. It is that rare work that blends a childlike fascination for the supernatural with a profound vision of the human condition.

Movie, 1994 directed by Neil Jordan

Features: Brad Pitt, Christian Slater, Tom Cruise, Kirsten Dunst

Tagline: Drink from me and live forever.

Awards: Nominated for 2 Oscars but won neither: Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Best Music-Original Score.

Did you know? River Phoenix was originally cast for the role of Daniel but he died four weeks before he was due to begin filming. Christian Slater was cast in his place and he donated his entire salary to Phoenix's favorite charities. The film has a dedication to Phoenix after the end credits.

Have you read or seen it? What did you think?


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