‘Interview With The Vampire’ Season 1 Review: An Entertaining And Seductive Adaptation Of A Vampire Classic

I vividly remember one of my aunts renting the 1994 adaptation of Anne Rice’s novel, Interview With The Vampire, when I was a kid. It was my first time coming across the supernatural creatures known as vampires, and even as a child, I was enthralled with the complex and messy relationships these immortal fiends have with each other.

I’ll admit that I’m even one of the very few people who enjoyed the critically panned and box office flop that was the 2002 sequel, Queen Of The Damned. I enjoyed it in large part because it starred R&B singer, Aaliyah, as the titular villain. When I heard the AMC network was not only adapting Interview With The Vampire for television, but creating a shared universe by also adapting Rice’s The Lives Of Mayfair Witches series, I was thrilled. I’m a huge fan of interconnected stories and I was curious to see how the network would bring these stories to life in a way that honors the late and great Anne Rice’s creations. To get to the point, they’ve done a pretty good job so far.

This iteration of Interview With The Vampire sets itself apart from the original novel and movie by making one of its lead characters, Louis de Pointe du Lac, a black man in 1910s New Orleans. Jacob Anderson, who played the much beloved Grey Worm on Game of Thrones, takes center stage and portrays Louis as a successful, somewhat repressed man who wants to do right by his family. Louis is the eldest of three and wants to ensure his mother and siblings live as comfortably as they can. His carefully crafted world begins to crumble when Lestat de Lioncourt (Sam Reid) shows up.

Lestat is seductive and captivating. He walks into every room like he owns it, and that’s because he does. He’s the type of man you know will set your life ablaze, but he’ll make you enjoy the burn. It isn’t long before Louis is pulled into Lestat’s orbit and his life is irrevocably changed when it’s revealed that Lestat is a vampire. Lestat chooses Louis has his eternal love and companion and changes the unsuspecting young man into a blood-hungry creature of the night.

Their family is complete when Lestat turns Claudia (Bailey Bass), a young girl on the verge of succumbing to injuries sustained in a deadly fire, into a vampire. Claudia affectionately refers to their pair as her uncles, and for a while, this immortal family unit is happy. It’s Lestat’s increasingly volatile and controlling nature and Claudia’s growing dissatisfaction with her eternal youth that sow the seeds of destruction for this family.

In modern times, Louis recounts this story to a snarky journalist (Eric Bogosian) who has met up with him several times throughout the decades. This narrative device is true to the novel and brilliantly allows the story to play around with the idea that Louis isn’t the most reliable narrator. It helps infuse the series with a somber and moody feel. However, the true strength of the series is its three leads.

Anderson brings such a sweetness and quiet misery to the role of Louis. You can’t help but love and feel for the character. Yes, he’s an immortal killing machine who has wreaked much misery onto unsuspecting mortals, but he does have a moral compass that existed when he was human and has stayed intact even in immortality. Louis is tortured, haunted, and regretful. Anderson’s sad eyes and regretful expressions perfectly emote how Louis feels on the inside. It’s a joy to watch.

Bass as Claudia is wicked and lovely. She starts her immortal life as naive and innocent, and although she retains some of that girly persona, no one can remain too innocent when being raised by Sam Reid’s Lestat. Watching Claudia verbally and mentally spar with her ‘Uncle Letstat’ is one of the best parts of the show. She learned how to be a devil from the best, and Lestat begins to rue the day he made the dying young girl an immortal. The show wisely ages Claudia up to a teenager, which allows for some delicious youthful rebellion and angst.

Last, but certainly not least, we have to talk about Sam Reid’s portrayal of the deviously fun Lestat. Reid brings the character to life as a romantic, but lethal being who is protective and possessive of those in his life. He is as tender as he is temperamental. Even those he cares about should be wary of his wrath, and both Louis and Claudia find out midway through the season. Reid is having fun in this role and perfectly encapsulates the decadent, but deadly persona that is Lestat de Lioncourt.

The set designs are magnificent, as well. Whether we’re in 1910’s New Orleans or an extravagant penthouse in 2020, the show does an excellent job of immersing the viewers in the world of these characters.

While this show is a deviation from the source material in some ways, it’s sexy, haunting, and includes layered queer representation. Anne Rice, may she rest in peace, would surely find the series to be an entertaining adaptation of her work.

The first season of Interview With The Vampire is currently available to stream on AMC+