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About the Production
Throughout the myth, literature and film of the past century, the image of the vampire has proved one of the most enduring. From Victorian novel to classic horror film, the vampire's vicious figure of power and immortality has captivated audiences worldwide. In the mid-1970s, a new, highly evocative, elegant and original incarnation of the vampire myth was born in a novel set amid the languid sensuality of New Orleans.
The best-selling first volume of Anne Rice's acclaimed "Vampire Chronicles," Interview With The Vampire was published in 1976 and is considered both a popular triumph and a cult classic. It tells of one man who finds himself seduced by a diabolical creature so charismatic and compelling that he succumbs to an evil he cannot truly imagine. The reminiscences of this man, born Louis de Pointe du Lac, cover 200 years and weave an erotically charged history centered around one of contemporary literature's most magnetic creations -- the vampire Lestat, who leads Louis past death into everlasting life and darkness.
The provocative nature of Rice's work, which has kept it a widely read work of fiction for nearly 20 years, immediately stimulated the film world's desire to realize the book as a motion picture. But it was not until recently that Rice's written imagery and the vision of acclaimed filmmaker Neil Jordan were combined to bring "Interview With The Vampire" to the big screen.
Jordan's work frequently explores themes he describes as "impossible passion and, especially, the violence of emotion. " And although his work has common themes, Jordan says, "I like to do things that have not been done before. I want to see images and emotional moments that I haven't seen before ... and I'm interested in a story that can strike very deep in areas of human nature."
"Interview With The Vampire" provides Jordan an ideal opportunity to explore those depths of emotion in human -- and inhuman -- nature. "It's a disturbing movie, because it's told from the point of view of monsters," Jordan explains. "These are people who live off other people's blood and kill to live. They are the 'heroes' of this movie, which is a really horrifying, but very original, perspective."
Counting on fans'
familiarity with the fantasy-thriller genre, the filmmakers recognized
the need to be original. "There are things within our film which I have
never seen on the screen anywhere before," says Jordan. "We want it to
be a great horror film that will scare people, but we also want it to be
a great fantasy movie and to have things that are not just violent and
savage but also gentle and subtle and perhaps unique. However, the mood
of the film follows Louis' journey, and it's a journey from light into
darkness.
This
section last modified 11-11-99
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