Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire

If The Newsreader didn’t already do so, then Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire is about to put Sam Reid on the international stage.

Elevated into the enigmatic role of Lestat, in AMC’s new take on a modern horror classic, Reid is at his theatrical finest: slinking, sexy, pirouetting with panache in the extravagance of 1910s New Orleans.

But make no mistake, Anne Rice’s 1976 novel gets a 2022 update, commencing mostly in Dubai in the middle of a pandemic.

It’s here that journalist Daniel Molloy (Eric Bogosian) comes face to face with the vampire Louis (Jacob Anderson), 49 years after their last encounter. If you’ve seen the hit Tom Cruise film then those roles were played by Christian Slater and Brad Pitt, respectively.

In the AMC version, Louis is of African-American heritage, born into a wealthy black family, but hustling hookers in Liberty Street’s red light district. This contrasts considerably with his brother Paul (Steven Norfleet), a Christian zealot who struggles with his brother straying from the path righteousness. As Louis 2022 recounts meeting Lestat, we relive it all from his perspective.

When the French vampire sets his sights on the handsome young Louis, he immbolizes his conquest so that it becomes impossible for him to resist. It will prove to be the start of a very long, very torrid and very bloody relationship between the two, acting as killer puppetmasters in New Orleans and steaming up the screen in the process.

The chemistry between Sam Reid and Jacob Anderson is electric, imploding in passion and violence in ways the film never dared to tread.

As Louis recalls, an encounter with Lestat ignited, “feelings of intimacy it awoke within me” and the flaws that would follow…

But in a new move by writer Rolin Jones, were also the dangers of being recognised as an “openly gay negro man in New Orleans.” Is it worse than being the undead…?

It’s no wonder Reid was cast in this role, debonair, sexy, frightening, yet you can’t help but empathise with Louis who is hypnotised by his allure.

They make it difficult for others to bask in the same daylight, but Eric Bogosian, tied by necessity to his laptop as Louis recounts his tale, is every bit as dynamic… grounded, inquisitive, cynical and without fear. It’s the best thing he’s done in a long time.

The production design is indulgently handsome, full of French Colonial buildings, lush and pristine wardrobe and props. Themes of lust, guilt, terror abound.

As a premium drama it ticks all the adult boxes… sex, gore, alluring sets, vivid performances, spirited humour and just the right amount of shocks, spills and victims.

The series follows from another AMC+ vampire saga, the Indigenous Australian Firebite, which not enough people saw due to the platform’s more limited access. AMC+ is available in Australia as an add-on channel through Apple TV and Amazon Prime Video and Interview with the Vampire could well be the one to drive more subscriptions, if gothic horror is your thing.

Devilishly entertaining, this one is more layered and more satisfying than the feature film which preceded it.

Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire begins Sunday October 2 on AMC+