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Unlike the down and dirty True Blood, Interview depicts the life of being a vampire as horrid. Lestat is the only character in the whole film who manages to still carry a smile, enjoying the game he plays of seducing and then biting down on human flesh.

Kirsten Dunst in her first major role is also a standout as the “adopted by vampire bite” daughter of Lestat and Louis who is faced to spend eternity in her girlhood body. Given the challenge to act decades old at such a young age, Dunst speaks with intelligence and grace, wowing me with her aplomb, being 11 or 12 years old at the time of shooting.

If there is any weak spot, the title of dishonor belongs to Pitt. There are parts where his character’s solemn nature just seemed due to lazy acting. Pitt in a later interview expressed his dissatisfaction being on-set and even tried to seek a way out once filming began. His disinterest unfortunately translates on screen here and there.

Obviously the cast continued to have stunning careers, each starring in some of the biggest blockbuster franchises of all time. Director Neil Jordan continues to make films (all much smaller and none particularly successful at the box office) and Anne Rice’s writing career hit an even higher stratosphere of book sales. Unfortunately the Vampire Chronicles franchise hit a standstill. While successful, a sequel never got off the ground immediately (but to be fair, Rice’s screenplay for Interview was floating around since the ‘70s before finally hitting theaters in ’94). With the film rights about to revert back to Rice, Warner Bros. made a slapdash sequel (combining the second and third books of the series into one movie), Queen of the Damned, which was a critical and box office flop that Rice disowned.

Released November 11, 1994, Vampire sucked an impressive $36.4 million from audiences (the highest opening weekend for any film in 1994 – especially impressive given its R-rating). However, the dark nature during the Holiday season made the film crumble, wrapping up with a $105.3 million total ($202 million today) with an additional $118.4 million from overseas, against a $60 million budget. The surprising lack of award nominations the film received also probably played a factor.

Critics were divided on the film, ranking at 60% on Rotten Tomatoes (and sits at an even lower 40% among top critics). Much of the criticism is directed at the story itself. I can agree that at times the interest wanes, but the acting and the visuals kept me captivated to get over the hump until Louis’ story moves on to the next decade.

Christian Slater is given little to do besides sit and listen to Pitt’s monologue of a story, and I feel like that was a missed opportunity. Being a reporter, if he could ask a question, it could keep the story on a narrower track. Slater is the agent for the audience while Pitt is the person allowing us to enter the unknown world of vampires for reasons that seem superficial and unsatisfying.

The best praise I can give the film is that it has a unique identity that is still different from the dark-yet-fun vampire tales that we are used to seeing nowadays. Jordan makes the film stay true to its solemn tone, and makes it come off as cold as the vampire’s dead bones. While a dividing choice, it is a firm one.

Less of an interview and more of a poetic monologue, Anne Rice’s literary sensation is given an honorable translation to the big screen that is still an entertaining study. Bloody, but still beating, Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles has bite, but could sharpen its fangs.

Verdict: With Us
8 out of 10

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