Interview with the Vampire ( film ) - wikipedia Interview with the Vampire ( film ) This article is about the film. For the novel, see Interview with the Vampire. Interview with the Vampire Theatrical poster Directed by Neil Jordan Produced by David Geffen Stephen Woolley Screenplay by Anne Rice Based on Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice Starring Tom Cruise Brad Pitt Stephen Rea Antonio Banderas Christian Slater Kirsten Dunst Music by Elliot Goldenthal Cinematography Philippe Rousselot Edited by Mick Audsley Production company Geffen Pictures Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures Release date November 11, 1994 ( 1994 - 11 - 11 ) Running time 122 minutes Country United States Language English Budget $60 million Box office $223.7 million Interview with the Vampire is a 1994 American drama horror film directed by Neil Jordan, based on the 1976 novel Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice, and starring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt. The film focuses on Lestat ( Cruise ) and Louis ( Pitt ), beginning with Louis 's transformation into a vampire by Lestat in 1791. The film chronicles their time together, and their turning of a ten - year - old girl, Claudia, into a vampire. The narrative is framed by a present - day interview, in which Louis tells his story to a San Francisco reporter. The supporting cast features Christian Slater, Kirsten Dunst, Antonio Banderas and Stephen Rea. The film was released in November 1994 to generally positive reviews, and received Oscar nominations for Best Art Direction and Best Original Score. Kirsten Dunst was also nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the film. Contents 1 Plot 2 Cast 3 Production 4 Release 4.1 Box office 4.2 Critical reception 5 Awards 6 Home media 7 Soundtrack 8 Sequel 9 See also 10 References 11 External links Plot In modern - day San Francisco, reporter Daniel Molloy interviews Louis de Pointe du Lac, who claims to be a vampire. Louis describes his human life as a wealthy plantation owner in 1791 Louisiana. He had lost the will to live following the death of his wife and infant child ; one night he is attacked by the vampire Lestat de Lioncourt while drunkenly wandering the waterfront of New Orleans. Lestat senses Louis ' dissatisfaction with life and offers to turn him into a vampire, which Louis accepts prior to being transformed. But while Lestat revels in the hunt and killing of humans, Louis resists killing them, drinking animal blood to sustain himself. He is disgusted by Lestat 's pleasure in killing and comes to suffer tremendously as a vampire. Wandering the streets of New Orleans, amid an outbreak of plague, Louis can resist his hunger no more and feeds on a little girl whose mother has died in the plague. To entice Louis to stay with him, Lestat makes the girl into their vampire daughter, naming her Claudia. Louis has a pure love for Claudia, but to Lestat, she is a pupil, and she soon proves to be as fierce a killer as he. As thirty years pass, Claudia matures psychologically but still remains a little girl in appearance, and she 's treated as such by Lestat. When she finally realizes that she will never grow old, she is furious with Lestat and tells Louis that they should leave him. She tricks Lestat into drinking the `` dead blood '' of twin boys that she killed by overdosing them with laudanum and she slits his throat. With Louis 's help, she dumps Lestat 's body in a swamp and the two plan a voyage to Europe. However, Lestat returns on the night of their departure, having drunk the blood of swamp creatures to survive. Lestat attacks them, but Louis sets him on fire and, in the ensuing chaos, they are able to escape, safely boarding the ship. After traveling around Europe and the Mediterranean ( but finding no other vampires ), Louis and Claudia settle harmoniously in Paris. Louis encounters vampires Santiago and Armand by chance. Armand invites Louis and Claudia to his coven, the Théâtre des Vampires, where the vampires stage theatrical horror shows for humans, similar to the real Grand Guignol which existed in Paris from 1897 -- 1962. On their way out of the theater, Santiago reads Louis ' mind and suspects that Louis and Claudia murdered Lestat. Louis is tempted to remain with Armand and learn from him in a way he could never have done with Lestat. Claudia demands that Louis turn a human woman, Madeleine, to be her new protector and companion, and he reluctantly complies. The Parisian vampires abduct all three and punish them for Lestat 's murder : imprisoning Louis in a metal coffin, and trapping Claudia and Madeleine in a room where sunlight burns them to ash. Armand does nothing to prevent this, but the next day he frees Louis. Louis returns to the Theater, killing the vampires including Santiago as vengeance. Armand arrives in time to help Louis escape the sunrise and once again offers him a place by his side. Louis, however, refuses Armand and leaves for good. As decades pass, Louis explores the world dejectedly alone and eventually returns to the United States and New Orleans. One day he comes across Lestat, a shadow of his former self who has n't adapted to the modern world. Lestat asks Louis to rejoin him, but Louis rejects him and leaves. Louis concludes the interview, prompting Molloy to offer to be his new vampire companion. Louis is outraged that Molloy has n't understood the tale of suffering he has related and attacks him. When Louis vanishes, Molloy runs to his car and, while driving away, listens to his interview tapes. Just then, Lestat appears and attacks him, taking control of the car. Revived by Molloy 's blood, Lestat offers him the option that he `` never had '' to become a vampire, as they drive over the Golden Gate Bridge. Cast Tom Cruise as Lestat de Lioncourt Brad Pitt as Louis de Pointe du Lac Christian Slater as Daniel Molloy Kirsten Dunst as Claudia Antonio Banderas as Armand Stephen Rea as Santiago Domiziana Giordano as Madeleine Thandie Newton as Yvette George Kelly as Dollmaker Marcel Iureş as Paris Vampire Sara Stockbridge as Estelle Production Author Anne Rice adapted her 1976 novel Interview with the Vampire into a screenplay with French actor Alain Delon in mind for the role of Louis. Later on, when the film was made, British actor Julian Sands was considered to play the role of Lestat by Rice, but because Sands was not a well - known name at the time ( being only famed for his performance in A Room with a View ), he was rejected and the role was given to Tom Cruise. This was initially criticized by Anne Rice, who said that Cruise was `` no more my vampire Lestat than Edward G. Robinson is Rhett Butler '', and the casting was `` so bizarre ; it 's almost impossible to imagine how it 's going to work ''. Nevertheless, she was satisfied with Cruise 's performance after seeing the completed film, saying that `` from the moment he appeared, Tom was Lestat for me '' and `` that Tom did make Lestat work was something I could not see in a crystal ball ''. Due to Rice 's perception of Hollywood 's homophobia, at one point she rewrote the part of Louis, changing his sex to female, in order to specifically heterosexualize the character 's relationship with Lestat. At the time, Rice felt it was the only way to get the film made, and singer - actress Cher was considered for the part. A song titled `` Lovers Forever '', which Cher wrote along with Shirley Eikhard for the film 's soundtrack, got rejected as Pitt was ultimately cast for the role, though a dance - pop version of the song was released on Cher 's 2013 album, Closer to the Truth. Originally, River Phoenix was cast for the role of Daniel Molloy ( as Anne Rice liked the idea ), but he died four weeks before he was due to begin filming. When Christian Slater was cast in his place as Molloy, he donated his entire salary to Phoenix 's favorite charitable organizations. The film has a dedication to Phoenix after the end credits. Eleven - year - old actress Kirsten Dunst was spotted by talent scouts and was the first girl tested for the role of woman / child Claudia. Release Box Office Interview with the Vampire : The Vampire Chronicles opened on November 11, 1994. Opening weekend grosses amounted to $36.4 m, placing it in the number one position at the US box office. In subsequent weeks it struggled against Star Trek Generations and The Santa Clause. Total gross in the United States was $105 million, while the total including international gross was $224 million, with an estimated budget of $60 million. Critical reception The film received mixed to positive reviews among film critics. Review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes reports the film as holding an overall 61 % approval rating based on 51 reviews, with a rating average of 5.9 out of 10. The site 's consensus reads : `` Despite lacking some of the book 's subtler shadings, and suffering from some clumsy casting, Interview with the Vampire benefits from Neil Jordan 's atmospheric direction and a surfeit of gothic thrills. '' The film holds a 59 / 100 on Metacritic. Praise from The New York Times 's Elvis Mitchell and the Chicago Sun - Times 's Roger Ebert was tempered by poor reviews in The Washington Post and Time magazine. Awards The film was nominated for two Academy Awards -- for Best Art Direction / Set Decoration ( Dante Ferretti, Francesca Lo Schiavo ) and for Best Original Score, but lost to The Madness of King George and The Lion King, respectively. This film won a Razzie Award for Worst Screen Couple for Pitt and Cruise, tied with Sylvester Stallone and Sharon Stone in The Specialist. Home media The film was released on VHS on November 21, 1995 and LaserDisc on June 6, 1996 DVD on June 6, 2000 and on Blu - ray Disc on October 7, 2008. Soundtrack Main article : Interview with the Vampire ( soundtrack ) The film 's musical score was written by Elliot Goldenthal and received an Oscar nomination for Best Original Score. `` Sympathy for the Devil '' was performed by Guns N ' Roses. Sequel Almost a decade after this film, an adaptation for the third book in the series, The Queen of the Damned, was produced and distributed once again by Warner Bros. Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt did not reprise their roles as Lestat and Louis. Many characters and important plotlines were written out of the film, which actually combined elements of The Vampire Lestat with The Queen of the Damned. The film was negatively received by critics, and Rice dismissed it completely as she felt the filmmakers had `` mutilated '' her work. During pre-production, Rice had pleaded with the studio not to produce a film of the book just yet as she believed her readers wanted a film based on the second book in the series, The Vampire Lestat. Rice was refused the cooperation of the studio. In February 2012, a film adaptation of The Tale of the Body Thief, the fourth book in the series, entered development with Brian Grazer and Ron Howard 's film production company, Imagine Entertainment. It was reported that screenwriter Lee Patterson was going to pen the screenplay. However, Rice 's son, Christopher, apparently had drafted a screenplay based on the novel that was met with praise from those involved in the developmental stage. Rice later confirmed that creative differences that were beyond those involved resulted in the dismissal of the project in April 2013. In August 2014 Universal Pictures acquired the rights to the entire Vampire Chronicles. Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci have been named as producers and the deal includes the aforementioned screenplay for The Tale of the Body Thief, written by Christopher. A new film adaptation of the book has been written by Josh Boone and was announced in May 2016, with Boone suggesting actor Jared Leto play the role of Lestat. In November 2016, all plans for a theatrical reboot were scrapped as Rice announced she had regained the rights to her novels and intends to create a television series starting with The Vampire Lestat. See also Vampire film References Jump up ^ `` INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE ( 18 ) ''. British Board of Film Classification. November 16, 1994. Retrieved May 30, 2013. ^ Jump up to : Interview with the Vampire ( 1994 ) at Box Office Mojo Retrieved May 30, 2013 Jump up ^ `` Interview with the Vampire ''. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved May 25, 2011. ^ Jump up to : `` The 67th Academy Awards ( 1995 ) Nominees and Winners ''. oscars.org. Retrieved August 5, 2011. Jump up ^ `` Marcel Iures - Biography - Movies & TV ''. NYTimes.com. August 2, 1951. Retrieved March 3, 2016. ^ Jump up to : Katherine Ramsland ( December 22, 2010 ). Anne Rice Reader. Random House Publishing Group. pp. 170 --. ISBN 978 - 0 - 307 - 77563 - 4. ^ Jump up to : Benshoff, Harry M. ( 1997 ). `` Monsters in the closet : homosexuality and the horror film ''. Manchester University Press. ISBN 0 - 7190 - 4473 - 1. Jump up ^ Cher On ' Closer to the Truth ' : I Took Some Chances on This Album. Billboard.com, June 19, 2013. By Phil Gallo. Jump up ^ Alan W. Petrucelli ( September 29, 2009 ). Morbid Curiosity : The Disturbing Demises of the Famous and Infamous. Penguin Publishing Group. pp. 41 --. ISBN 978 - 1 - 101 - 14049 - 9. Jump up ^ Natale, Richard ( November 14, 1994 ). `` Love at First Bite : ' Vampire ' Tears Into Box Office : Movies : Warners film looks to be the fourth largest debut ever. ' Santa Clause ' sleighs into the No. 2 spot with a solid take ''. The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 22, 2010. Jump up ^ `` Interview with the Vampire ( 1994 ) ''. Box Office Mojo. Jump up ^ `` Interview with the Vampire ( 1994 ) ''. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved January 15, 2011. Jump up ^ `` Interview with the Vampire : The Vampire Chronicles Reviews ''. Metacritic. Retrieved January 16, 2017. Jump up ^ Maslin, Janet ( November 11, 1994 ). `` FILM REVIEW : INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE ; Rapture and Terror, Bound by Blood ''. The New York Times. Retrieved April 17, 2017. Jump up ^ Corliss, Richard ( November 21, 1994 ). `` CINEMA : Toothless : Interview with the Vampire falls flat, despite Tom Cruise ''. Time. Retrieved December 22, 2010. Jump up ^ `` Interview with the Vampire ''. Washington Post. November 14, 1994. Retrieved December 22, 2010. Jump up ^ `` Interview with the Vampire ''. Chicago Sun Times. Retrieved December 22, 2010. Jump up ^ http://www.lddb.com/laserdisc/09154/13176/Interview-with-the-Vampire-%281994%29. Missing or empty title = ( help ) Jump up ^ `` Interview with the Vampire : The Vampire Chronicles ( 1994 ) ''. Retrieved April 15, 2012. Jump up ^ `` Interview with the Vampire ( Blu - ray ) ''. Retrieved April 15, 2012. Jump up ^ Kit, Borys. `` Anne Rice 's ' Tale of the Body Thief ' In Development With Imagine, Kurtzman / Orci ''. The Hollywood Reporter. Jump up ^ McNary, Dave ( August 7, 2014 ). `` Anne Rice 's Vampire Chronicles Takes Flight at Universal ''. Variety. Retrieved August 10, 2014. Jump up ^ Iman Amrani. `` Universal buys rights to Anne Rice 's Vampire Chronicles book series ''. The Guardian. Jump up ^ `` Interview with the Vampire remake : Jared Leto is screenwriters pick to play Lestat ''. news.com.au. May 7, 2016. Retrieved October 10, 2016. External links Wikiquote has quotations related to : Interview with the Vampire ( film ) Interview with the Vampire : The Vampire Chronicles on IMDb Interview with the Vampire at Box Office Mojo Interview with the Vampire at Rotten Tomatoes Interview with the Vampire at Metacritic The Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice Novels Interview with the Vampire ( 1976 ) The Vampire Lestat ( 1985 ) The Queen of the Damned ( 1988 ) The Tale of the Body Thief ( 1992 ) Memnoch the Devil ( 1995 ) The Vampire Armand ( 1998 ) Merrick ( 2000 ) Blood and Gold ( 2001 ) Blackwood Farm ( 2002 ) Blood Canticle ( 2003 ) Prince Lestat ( 2014 ) Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis ( 2016 ) New Tales of the Vampires Pandora ( 1998 ) Vittorio the Vampire ( 1999 ) Film adaptations Interview with the Vampire ( 1994 ) Queen of the Damned ( 2002 ) Musical adaptations Lestat ( 2006 ) Characters Lestat de Lioncourt Aaron Lightner Armand Claudia Daniel Molloy Jesse Reeves Khayman Louis de Pointe du Lac Maharet and Mekare Marius de Romanus Nicolas de Lenfent Santiago Talamasca Caste List of characters Related works Lives of the Mayfair Witches ( 1990 -- 1994 ) Films directed by Neil Jordan Angel ( 1982 ) The Company of Wolves ( 1984 ) Mona Lisa ( 1986 ) High Spirits ( 1988 ) We 're No Angels ( 1989 ) The Miracle ( 1991 ) The Crying Game ( 1992 ) Interview with the Vampire ( 1994 ) Michael Collins ( 1996 ) The Butcher Boy ( 1997 ) In Dreams ( 1999 ) The End of the Affair ( 1999 ) Not I ( 2002 ) The Good Thief ( 2002 ) Breakfast on Pluto ( 2005 ) The Brave One ( 2007 ) Ondine ( 2009 ) Byzantium ( 2012 ) The Widow ( 2018 ) Saturn Award for Best Horror Film Blacula ( 1972 ) The Exorcist ( 1973 ) Young Frankenstein ( 1974 / 75 ) Burnt Offerings ( 1976 ) The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane ( 1977 ) The Wicker Man ( 1978 ) Dracula ( 1979 ) The Howling ( 1980 ) An American Werewolf in London ( 1981 ) Poltergeist ( 1982 ) The Dead Zone ( 1983 ) Gremlins ( 1984 ) Fright Night ( 1985 ) The Fly ( 1986 ) The Lost Boys ( 1987 ) Beetlejuice ( 1988 ) Arachnophobia ( 1989 / 90 ) The Silence of the Lambs ( 1991 ) Bram Stoker 's Dracula ( 1992 ) Army of Darkness ( 1993 ) Interview with the Vampire ( 1994 ) From Dusk till Dawn ( 1995 ) Scream ( 1996 ) The Devil 's Advocate ( 1997 ) Apt Pupil ( 1998 ) The Sixth Sense ( 1999 ) Final Destination ( 2000 ) The Others ( 2001 ) The Ring ( 2002 ) 28 Days Later ( 2003 ) Shaun of the Dead ( 2004 ) The Exorcism of Emily Rose ( 2005 ) The Descent ( 2006 ) Sweeney Todd : The Demon Barber of Fleet Street ( 2007 ) Hellboy II : The Golden Army ( 2008 ) Drag Me to Hell ( 2009 ) Let Me In ( 2010 ) The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo ( 2011 ) The Cabin in the Woods ( 2012 ) The Conjuring ( 2013 ) Dracula Untold ( 2014 ) Crimson Peak ( 2015 ) Do n't Breathe ( 2016 ) Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Interview_with_the_Vampire_(film)&oldid=805598545 '' Categories : 1994 films English - language films 1994 horror films 1990s drama films American films American horror films American drama films Films based on horror novels Films directed by Neil Jordan Films set in 1988 Films set in Louisiana Films set in Paris Films set in New Orleans Films set in San Francisco Films set in the 1790s Films set in the 1870s Films set in the 1980s Films shot in England Films shot in New Orleans Films shot in San Francisco Films shot at Pinewood Studios Southern Gothic films The Geffen Film Company films Vampires in film Warner Bros. films Works based on The Vampire Chronicles Film scores by Elliot Goldenthal Hidden categories : Pages with citations lacking titles Pages with citations having bare URLs Use mdy dates from October 2016 All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from November 2014 Articles with unsourced statements from October 2012 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Wikiquote Azərbaycanca Български Català Čeština Dansk Deutsch Eesti Emiliàn e rumagnòl Español Euskara فارسی Français Galego 한국어 Հայերեն Hrvatski Bahasa Indonesia Italiano עברית Lietuvių Magyar Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Polski Português Română Русский Shqip Simple English Српски / srpski Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Suomi Svenska Türkçe Українська 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 16 October 2017, at 12 : 40. 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Question: who played lestat in interview with a vampire
Answer: Cruise