Interview with the Vampire premieres on AMC
The first two episodes of Interview with the Vampire have premiered on AMC+ welcoming the first show in AMC’s new Immortal Universe. While only one episode was broadcast, the streaming service saw the first two episodes, greatly expanding our first taste into this new interruption of Anne Rice’s work.
Many questions were answered with the first two episodes, however a lot can be enjoyed in the premiere episode. Before we get to the spoilers, it’s worth reviewing the differences from the film that stage this new version. (That said, everything below can be a spoiler).
The internet was awash in headlines that this would be a gayer Interview, a very queer retelling. In fact, Louis admits as much. Unlike the movie, this version is a love story. Lestat falls for Louis, and offers him the dark gift out of love.
We know know that this interview is the second Louis and Daniel conducted. Set in 2022, the new interview acknowledges the previous one that was mired in mistakes. And it was an interview Daniel never published. But in case Daniel’s memory is fuzzy, or the tapes degraded, Louis tells the story again from the beginning.
This is a new Louis not seen in the book or film, but one fitting of the later time. This Louis is gay, a man who has built a fortune in the red light district, providing for his family left near bankruptcy by his father.
There are many wonderful choices in the way the series is staged, and just as many symbolic scenes. Lestat has many more powers, such as the ability to stop time. And he is fast. But instead of speeding his movements up, the human world slows down so he moves at the proper pace. This is a story about the vampires told from their perspective, not that of the humans who witness it. (Then again, most don’t seem to survive to tell their side of the story).
Louis is turned on the church alter, in an act of love after he fights his desires. He goes willingly, the transformation taking hold immediately. Lestat then takes Louis under his wing, a fledgling to be taught. The first episode ends with Lestat offering to share his coffin, and inviting Louis to be on top. The second episode rolls out the story over the next few years as Louis comes to accept his home with Lestat, taking his own coffin, and learning to feed properly.