Review of Interview with the Vampire (1994) by Leonard D — 11 Nov 2017

One of the more beloved vampire flicks of the 90s.

Adapted by the books by Anne Rice Neil Jordan tells the tragic story of Louis played by Brad Pitt.

His whole eternal journey is narrated to Christian Slater as a reporter; from 1721 to present day Louis recounts being turned by Tom Cruise's Lestat and how living off human blood has damned his soul.

It seems back then they were inseparable in order to survive although the guilt of leaving so much carnage tore Louis apart each day.

Lestat is the only teacher Louis ever knew but what else was there for him?

Later they come across a young girl played by Kristen Dunst who loses her mother to the Black Plague and at first she's saved but the choice it seems was taken from her so she's doomed to remain the way she is forever; who is the real monster here?

These vampires enjoy human blood but at the expense of leaving so much bloodshed and sentenced to a life of misery, the rest of the world changes while they stay the same, maybe survival is their only path if not their regrets.

I like that they make these vampires sympathetic but not to the point of brooding too much.

There's great blood to spare as well as keeping some of the old mythology while having new elements such as dying from drinking blood from dead bodies to actually having reflections to some fascinating biological restraints.

The cast is terrific even if it doesn't match the book's original context as well as the emotion.

Neil Jordan still succeeds in directing a vampire story of what it truly means to be burdened with eternal loss.

The struggle with the savage beast is in all of us so the only thing left is to go on.

It's also easy to be seduced by a magic such as vampirism.

The attention to detail of the costumes, the sets, and the mood fit splendidly.

Not a perfect adaptation but Cruise, Dunst, and Pitt make it a worthwhile endeavor into the tortured soul.