Interview with the Vampireis one of those stories in which even people who hate horror are familiar with the narrative’s name and general ideas. It became such a pop culture element that could be argued was the beginning of the comebackfor vampire storiesthat dominated television and the big screen after. FromBuffy the Vampire SlayertoTwilight, many resemblances exist with this modern gothic tale of these immortal beings.
The novelInterview with the Vampirewas released in 1976 and was Anne Rice’s debut as a fictional writer. Not only was her first book a huge success that continues as a part of the conversation regarding the entertainment industry today, she wrote it in only five weeks. Rice wrote 37 books before her passing in 2021, leaving many deeply saddened. As with many gothic tales,Interview with the Vampirehas an open-ended ending — that can lead to confusion about what happened. This, combined with the fact that it is a story told from a character’s point of view, which makes the story unreliable, is no surprise many searched for what really happened at the end of the movie.
Here’s what happened in the movie and how it correlates to the novel and the new adaptation.
Interview with the Vampire Is Based on a Book
Interview with the Vampireis the first book in 13 series calledThe Vampire Chronicles. Her debut novel was the one that placed Anne Rice on the mapas an influential modern horror writer. She wrote the book to deal with her daughter’s death from leukemia when she was only five years old. Fans can see a clear parallel with Claudia, a young girl who is turned into a vampire, and, therefore, never ages. This gothic story is about immortality, life, death, and, most importantly, what makes us humans.
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The story begins when Louis is turned into a vampire by the immortal and ruthless Lestat. Their bloody adventures together, as well as diverging morals, are entertaining to watch and give a new perspective on these creatures. The end of the book, as the movie, leaves room for the story to continue. Therefore, it can be confusing as it doesn’t close all its plot points and start new ones.
There was a sequel to the movie, calledQueen of the Damned, that tried to combine the second and third books of the series. With a completely different cast, many don’t even consider it a sequel to the beloved vampire story. So, the 1994 adaptation remains with an open end and can make viewers wonder exactly what it means.
How Interview with the Vampire Ends
Interview with the Vampirehad mixed reviews when it first came out, but since then, the film has gained a cult following. Nevertheless, it was one of the highest-grossing R-rated horror movies of 1994, and with two of the biggest stars at the time, Brad Pittand Tom Cruise, it was no surprise how big it became. It was also nominated for two Academy Awards. This movie was the first time Cruise played a villain, and many were curious how the actor, who usually went for the heart-of-gold type of characters, would portray the immortal Lestat.
The movie ends differently from the book. Daniel (Christian Slater), the reporter recording Louis' (Brad Pitt) life story, begs Louis to turn him into a vampire. Louis gets violent, as he can’t believe anyone wants to become what he is after everything he shared. Daniel drives away, escaping from the vampire that disappeared. He then plays the tape of Louis' story and can’t believe what happened to him.
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However, in a shocking turn of events, Lestat appears inside the car and attacks Daniel. Lestat then bites Daniel. That’s how the audience finds out that Lestat is actually quite well, and is implied that he has followed Louis. It is also hinted that the journey of these characters is only beginning and that Lestat is even more powerful and dangerous than we, and Louis, might have thought.
There Is More Interview with the Vampire to Watch
For fans of this gothic vampire tale, be it the book or the movie, this epic story was turned into a television show last year. Doing a serialized version of this story allows more room to explore the events of the books andcreate new ones. That’s one of the main reasons book fans usually prefer a series, even a miniseries when adapting their favorite stories. But, still, it was a bold bet to readapt this particular story after the movie because of its many loyal fans and the timeline: it hasn’t been that long since the movie was released. This may not have been the sole cause for the new wave of new adaptations of well-known movies, such asHarry Potterand evenTwilight, but the positive reception and becoming Certified Fresh with an almost perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes definitely helped.
The show’s first season ended halfway through the book’s story. The series was renewed for a new season, but there hasn’t been much information besides the announcement. Speculations indicate that it will be released at the end of this year or the beginning of 2024. However, Anderson has not confirmed toE!Onlinewhere in Europe the characters are going. “I think it’s safe to say that Claudia and Louis are heading for the European region of the world. They’re heading towards Europe.”
