It’s been nearly three decades since I last watched Neil Jordan’s adaptation of Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire. I’ve always considered it a well-made film, but there’s one thing I’ve never been able to get past: Tom Cruise as Lestat. Cruise is a terrific actor who rarely misses, but for me, the casting has always felt off. Maybe it’s sacrilege to say that, but I’ve just never bought him as the larger-than-life vampire Lestat. It’s one of the reasons I’ve always preferred the sequel, Queen of the Damned, which also gets bonus points for having a much better soundtrack.
The film opens in 1991 San Francisco, where reporter Daniel Molloy (Christian Slater) sits down with Louis de Pointe du Lac (Brad Pitt), who claims to be a vampire and offers to tell him his story. Daniel doesn’t need much convincing. Louis is exactly what he says he is, and his story takes us back 200 years to 1791 Louisiana.
Louis is a wealthy plantation owner who has lost his pregnant wife and their unborn child, leaving him with little desire to continue living. One drunken night on the waterfront, he encounters Lestat de Lioncourt (Cruise), a vampire who immediately recognizes Louis’s desperation and offers him a way out—or at least a different kind of existence.
Louis accepts and quickly realizes he may have made a terrible decision.
Unlike Lestat, Louis has little interest in embracing the vampire lifestyle. He refuses to feed on humans, instead surviving on chickens and rodents. Lestat, concerned that his new companion might eventually leave him, decides to give Louis another reason to stay by turning a dying young girl named Claudia (Kirsten Dunst) into a vampire.
And that’s where things get really complicated.
Claudia is permanently trapped in the body of a child, despite possessing the mind and emotions of someone who continues to mature. She wants to grow up, become a woman and experience the life she’s been denied—but immortality has essentially sentenced her to childhood forever. Her frustration eventually turns into something much darker.
Louis and Claudia eventually escape Lestat and travel to Paris, where they encounter a group of vampires led by Santiago (Stephen Rea) and Armand (Antonio Banderas). Louis believes they may have finally found others who understand what they are, but he soon discovers that Claudia’s existence makes her a target. Among these vampires, children are not accepted, and the consequences of breaking that rule are severe.
Brad Pitt is very good as Louis, bringing the character the melancholy and tortured quality the role requires. Cruise, on the other hand, is still the sticking point for me. He plays Lestat with plenty of energy, but I never completely forget that I’m watching Tom Cruise playing a vampire. Maybe that’s intentional, but it keeps me from fully buying into the character.
Where the movie absolutely knocks it out of the park is its production design.
Interview with the Vampire is a gorgeous gothic spectacle, and Warner Bros.’ new 2160p restoration with Dolby Vision/HDR10 makes it look better than ever. The fire-engulfed plantation, vampire tombs and lavish interiors are spectacular, while the streets of San Francisco, New Orleans and Paris are packed with incredible period detail. Nearly every frame looks like it belongs on a wall.
The restoration also brings out details in the makeup that I don’t remember seeing quite this clearly before. Those blue veins running across Lestat’s face are particularly impressive. It’s the kind of detail that makes you appreciate just how much work went into creating these vampires before digital effects became the default solution for everything.
The new Dolby Atmos remix is another welcome upgrade, adding plenty of depth to the film’s already impressive atmosphere. Elliot Goldenthal’s haunting score also benefits from the presentation, helping give the film that grand, gothic quality that has allowed it to hold up so well visually and sonically.
Interview with the Vampire still isn’t one of my favorite vampire movies, and nearly 30 years later, I’m still not sold on Cruise as Lestat. But there’s no denying that Neil Jordan’s film is a beautifully crafted piece of gothic horror. Between the incredible production design, lavish sets, practical makeup and Goldenthal’s score, this is a movie that was built for a spectacular 4K presentation.
Warner Bros.’ new release delivers just that. If you’re a longtime fan or simply want to revisit the film looking better than it ever has at home this is a release worth sinking your teeth into.
Bonus Features:
- Audio Commentary
- Introduction
- NEW! Eternal Night and Deadly Light
- NEW! Interview With the Vampire: Creating the World
- In the Shadow of the Vampire
- Lestat, Louis and the Vampire Phenomenon
- NEW! Deleted Scenes
