A Preview of ‘Interview with the Vampire’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Truly, one of horror’s most beloved and feared monsters, is the vampire. In large part because this is one of the oldest monsters in the genre’s rich history and of course, the various on-screen performances that have come forth regarding this character, from Lugosi to Oldman, were chilling and haunting, and their abilities strike terror in our hearts and fascinate our morbid curiosity at the same time. And this creature is so popular and so engrained that a bevy of franchises have popped up from them, some are supremely fluffy, while others… are far more gothic and horrifying and revolutionary in nature. Such as Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire saga. Since that story explored corners of the vampire’s world that few did, and it was so popular a saga that it brought forth a powerful mainstream adventure with top-tier names attached.
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For both Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise and other juggernauts were eager to be part of the 1994 film adaptation of the same namesake and well, while that edition was indeed quite faithful to the book and featured some fine performance across the board, it felt lacking as a whole and rightfully so. For in retrospect, it is supremely tame from a horror perspective, undoubtedly, to appeal to the masses and like many films from that era, it missed the opportunity to do something brave and bold both with diversity, since it features a predominantly Caucasian cast, and it also missed out from a representation standpoint. Since the homoerotic undertones present in Anne’s story, were extremely watered down in the finished product. Making this movie nothing more than a flawed attempt to properly bring this iconic story to life. But thankfully, a proper adaptation of this story is about to hit the airwaves.

For Monday will see the debut of AMC’s iteration of Interview with the Vampire, and we here at NTG have seen advance episodes and thought it would be best to share with you why this adaptation will be worth your while. Because this one really is special and the first thing that makes it of note, are the horror elements present here. For this really is a hardcore vampire story through and through, one that holds nothing back in its presentation of both the life of the vampire and terrifying themes that Anne featured in the original source material. Since there are wonderful nods at our collective fear of death and the horrors of immortality and of course… the gore isn’t too shabby either. All of which allows for a wonderfully terrifying experience, one that really does leave one uncomfortable and on edge and holds true to the gothic nature of the books. 

But where this story truly shines, is in diversity and representation. Since this cast makes up more of what America and the world looks like, and some of the twists and updates to the plot regarding diversity, better serve the story and add depth to Louis’ plight and desire to become a vampire. But what matters most here, is the representation aspect. Because this is a story that does not shy away from the homoerotic undertones of the novel. In fact, it embraces them in full and allows for LGBTQIA+ individuals to take the center stage in a vampire story, and that’s important and this show deserves a round of applause for not shying away or watering anything down in such matters. For that is simply revolutionary in nature for a television series.

Not to mention, the acting is of course, top notch here as well, with Jacob Anderson (Louis de Pointe du lac) and Sam Reid (Lestat de Lioncourt) leading the charge with their wonderful performances that captivate and engage and Eric Bogosian’s (Daniel Molloy) incredible skill set as an actor also adds to the show, since his performance here grounds the story and of course, he steals every scene he is in. Plus, the production values are stunning and well, all of these elements make this a must-see series. For it is brave, it is bold, and it is everything we’ve ever wanted from an adaptation of Anne’s iconic work and thankfully we don’t have to wait much longer to enjoy it. Since Interview with the Vampire arrives on AMC and AMC+ this Sunday, October 2, 2022… and we here at NTG hope you give this magnificent series a look.

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