'Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire' Review: The Vampire Flick We Need in 2022

The new AMC series “Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire” reimagines a classic vampire tale modernized in every way. The classic story, first told in Anne Rice's 1976 novel and then the Academy Award-nominated movie starring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt, follows a modern journalist who sits down with a centuries-old vampire to hear the stories of his past. The pilot episode effectively sets the scene for this same premise while making some key changes that improve on the storytelling.

The show begins with seasoned journalist Daniel Molloy (Eric Bogosian) traveling in post-pandemic 2022 to Dubai to meet Louis de Pointe du Lac (Jacob Anderson), a previous interviewee who wants to revisit their incomplete interview from decades back. Daniel agrees to a “do-over,” but not before pointing out that their last encounter had ended violently, as evidenced by a scar on Daniel’s neck and a tape recording of their fight.

From here, the show takes off as Louis narrates his past to Daniel. The modern-day interview simply acts as a framing device as most of the episode takes place in the past and these are the events at the core of the intrigue of “Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire.”

The series makes two major changes from the original novel and film: Louis’s story begins in 1910 rather than 1791, and Louis is mixed race as opposed to white. These changes affect the historical context and allow for a rich plot — the show is half vampire fantasy and half period drama, and its commentary on important themes like race and sexual freedom make the story all the more compelling.

When his story begins, Louis is a self-starter, supporting his family by questionable means as a pimp. Although he participates in high-class society, he is also prone to violent outbursts and deals with racial prejudice from his customers and colleagues.

Enter Lestat de Lioncourt (Sam Reid), a mysterious, rich Frenchman (and vampire) who begins “hunting” Louis, according to the narration. The two develop a friendship at first, but it is unclear exactly what Lestat is looking for until their tension culminates in sex and Lestat biting Louis. Louis is ashamed of the encounter and wants to repress his queerness, but Lestat convinces Louis that vampirism will give him the freedom to be himself.

The show aims to use vampirism as a metaphor for age-old struggles with mortality and depression. Louis struggles with people around him dying and accepting existence as a vampire means being able to become someone above humanity — not having to worry about death and being powerful enough to be less concerned with the human norms of society regarding race and sexuality that oppress Louis. In the present interview, the idea of immortality also appeals to the characters as they navigate the pandemic and it’s revealed that Daniel has Parkinson’s. These themes of existentialism are explored carefully as the writers are able to tie every variant in plot from the original story into deepening the idea that vampirism is more than an overdone cliché. The writing of the show succeeds in being more poetic than soapy or campy, unlike other vampire series from the last decade.

The 1994 film attempted to create a sense of horror, filled with scare tactics and special effects that come off as campy and overly exaggerated, but the show reimagines these moments using modern techniques that are more believable to watch. Rather than ineffective jump-scares, violence is often portrayed through carefully choreographed, gruesome shots similar to those made popular by “Game of Thrones.” Furthermore, the foreboding score and intricate costuming succeed in transporting viewers to a different era, adding to the elegance and seductiveness that the characters are meant to emanate.

Additionally, while there has always been discussion about queer undertones in both Rice’s novel and Cruise’s and Pitt’s portrayals, this subtext is fully realized in the show as Lestat’s and Louis’s romantic relationship is made canonical. Anderson and Reid have great chemistry and are each captivating on their own as attractive vampire heartthrobs.

As well done as it is, “Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire” isn’t a groundbreaking piece of art and will likely appeal only to fans of vampire flicks. Its portrayal of vampires with supernatural abilities inevitably comes off as ludicrous at some points. For instance, the way Lestat speaks to people in their minds is a bit much at times, as well as some of his other vampiric, exaggerated mannerisms. However, for those who have been longing for a vampire romance with the classiness of a period drama, this series is perfect.

Although the series’s premiere is promising, one area for improvement in the coming season is the further development of non-male characters. The story is entirely told by and centered around men — women are only seen through how they affect and relate to the men in the series. Lily (Naja Bradley), a sex worker to whom both Lestat and Louis take a liking, has a particularly alarming arc in the first episode. She is even more sexualized than the queer vampires, even though her sexuality is far less integral to the plot — and she is ultimately killed off simply because Lestat chooses to take his anger at Louis out on her. Based on the original novel and movie, we can anticipate Claudia (Bailey Bass), Lestat’s and Louis’ vampire child, entering the plot at some point this season, likely allowing for a more influential female character.

Overall, the show brings the seduction, murder, and escapism of the vampire genre into the high-quality television landscape of today. AMC may have begun the next vampire dynasty, and drawing an audience should be easy given the show’s successful source material. What’s more, its strong start exceeds expectations and should convince viewers to stick around this new take on the classic story.