Who’d have thought another adaptation of Anne Rice’s seminal Interview With the Vampire would become such addictive television.
Under the banner of AMC, the story which was last adapted in the 90s as an uneven but watchable feature, with memorable turns from Tom Cruise and Kirsten Dunst, but also Brad Pitt phoning it in.
Here, from the outset it is clear that no one is phoning it in. Most of all, Sam Reid as the devilish Lestat and his cursed lover, played with such depth by Jacob Anderson, who you may recognise from Game of Thrones.
Yes it is extremely gory in parts, they are vampires after all, but the story is given such care and adapted to help suit modern audiences. Louis, for example, is holed up in Dubai in the modern day, whilst being interviewed by Daniel, who is looking for a hit book, despite having a seemingly, terminal illness.
I have to say, while they fit together as one full story, the first season is the stronger of the two, but this is mainly due to how the story itself is structured, with more Lestat in the first part.
Reid is clearly having an absolute ball here, and his performance, while funny, violent and devilish, has some depth to it, which matches up to Louis’ broken soul. This is a truly messed up love story.
Finshing this now felt quite poetic, with The Vampire Lestat just making it to UK shores for its premiere. So even if you’ve seen Interview With The Vampire, now is the perfect time to sink your teeth into it one more time before going on another blood soaked adventure with Lestat and co.
Interview with the Vampire season 1 and 2 are available now on physical media platforms.
Bloody Flicks 