With 'The Vampire Lestat' Looming, This Anne Rice Adaptation Is Stalking Up the Free Streaming Charts

AMC's Interview With the Vampire is about to rise from the grave as The Vampire Lestat, but it looks like Anne Rice's undead legions of fans can't wait. Interview With the Vampire, the 1994 movie that first brought Rice's Vampire Chronicles to life, is becoming a hit on free streaming. It's currently #8 on Tubi's streaming charts.

Interview With the Vampire was a film almost twenty years in the making; Paramount Pictures purchased the rights to the book before Rice had even published it in 1976, but it lingered in development hell for decades, eventually ending up at Warner Bros. Neil Jordan, fresh off the success of The Crying Game, was tapped to direct, while Tom Cruise was cast in the coveted lead role of Lestat. Both Rice and her fans were publicly critical of Cruise's casting; however, upon seeing the film, Rice was thrilled with Cruise's performance and apologized. The role of Daniel Molloy, the journalist who has the titular interview with the vampire, was initially to be played by River Phoenix; after Phoenix's tragic death, Christian Slater was cast in the role, and donated his entire salary to Phoenix's favorite charities.

What Is 'Interview With the Vampire' About?

Slater stars as Daniel Molloy, a writer who's found a fascinating interview subject: Louis (Brad Pitt), a 200-year-old vampire. His tale is told in flashback: He was a wealthy and successful plantation owner in 18th century Louisiana, until he was suddenly widowed. The vulnerable Louis was then set upon by the ancient vampire Lestat (Cruise), who transformed him into his vampiric companion. Unlike the hedonistic Lestat, Louis tried to defy his blood-drinking curse; to keep Louis by his side, Lestat made a young girl, Claudia (an unsettling Kirsten Dunst), into a vampire to save her from the ravages of disease. The trio soon form a twisted surrogate family, but Claudia's resentment over her never-ending childhood eventually boils over, threatening their immortal lives when they encounter a pair of European vampires, Armand (Antonio Banderas) and Santiago (Stephen Rea).

The film was a substantial box office success, especially for an R-rated horror film; it grossed $223.7 million USD on a $60 million budget. However, a sequel proved difficult to make, and eventually resulted in 2002's Queen of the Damned, which was rejected by critics and audiences alike. Rice's Vampire Chronicles remained sealed in its crypt until AMC adapted Interview With the Vampire for TV; it is now set to return for a third season next year. It has also spawned two spin-off series based on Rice's work: Mayfair Witches and Talamasca: The Secret Order.

Interview With the Vampire is now streaming for free on Tubi. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates.

Release Date

November 11, 1994

Runtime

123 minutes

Director

Neil Jordan

Writers

Anne Rice

Producers

David Geffen