Interview With The Vampire Special Edition DVD Review: A Blood Thirsty Halloween Favourite

Director: Neil Jordan

Starring: Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, Antonio Banderas, Kirsten Dunst, Christian Slater

Running Time: 123 mins

Rating: 18

Release Date: Original: 1st October 1994 – New Special Edition available on DVD and Blu-ray now

It feels just like yesterday that both film and television screens were dominated by the beautiful mystery behind vampires. With sparkly TWILIGHT and sex-vamped TRUE BLOOD taking over entertainment consumption from 2008, vampires became a talking point for viewers of all ages as the mixture of sex appeal and danger brought back this classic genre with a tweeny-bopper twist. Still, vampires didn’t always sparkle in the Sun or look like Abercrombie & Fitch models and in 1994 THE CRYING GAME director Neil Jordan took on the Vampire genre with a dramatically Gothic flair. 

Starting in modern-day San Francisco, vampire Louis (Brad Pitt) meets with reporter Daniel Molloy (Christian Slater) in order to tell his extraordinary story of creation and soon transports us back to Eighteenth Century Louisianan where at just twenty-four, he has lost both his wife and daughter. With death on his mind, Louis is stalked by mysterious vampire Lestat (Tom Cruise) and given the choice of death or eternal youth. With the promise of better times, Louis succumbs to Lestat’s seduction and he finds himself as a newly born Vampire, experiences a hunger like no other; a hunger for fresh, warm blood. 

At first, Louis declares he will not cause death through drinking and refuses to fatally harm any human, opting instead to drink from rats; much to Lestat’s dismay, who revels in the torture of his victims. When the desperate hunger becomes too much, he finds a small child, Claudia (Kirsten Dunst), whose Mother has passed from the plague. He bites her, draining her of much of her blood until Lestat arrives, ecstatic with Louis actions. Lestat turns Claudia into their own vampire child in a low attempt to keep Louis with him. Louis and Claudia quickly form a genuine loving bond and soon they find themselves in need of separation from Lestat, leading to a dark and blood drenched journey of self exploration. 

The film doesn’t waste anytime in throwing itself into the mindset of our vampire narrator, there is no mystery or dreaded confusion as to what monster may plague our screens. Instead, we’re wholeheartedly engulfed by the genres centre; making for a refreshing take on the well versed subject matter. Within the ghoulish setting of crumbling grey tombstones, Louis is violently transformed into one of the un-dead at the hands of Lestat; and with it, a truly marvellous cinematic duo is born in their joining. Louis and Lestat begin their journey of blood and debauchery with a flair of understated intensity that’s rarely seen within contemporary ‘transformation’ scenes. 

The narrative includes many of the typical codes and conventions that one expects within a vampire film. The coffins, crucifixes, blood and decay are all well represented and thanks to the eighteenth century setting it steers clear from it all being too cliche; instead taking on a real Gothic, classic mise-en-scene. The costume and make up all help to wash the screen with a sense of pure luxury. The rich, velvety clothes that adorn our central vampires, the gold trims, flowing cravats and wonderfully feminine jewellery all combine with the rich red of cascading blood, helpiing to indulge our macabre necessity for beautiful violence. 

Both Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise give wonderfully dramatic performances as these beautifully ghoulish Vampires, making a duo that is at times both comical and dramatic. There’s an intensity between them that drives the narrative as a special kind of dark love forms between them, a bond unbreakable and yet damning to their infinite existence. Pitt’s impossibly expressive eyes help to portray the unbearable pain he experiences, while Cruise’s darkly jovial humor lays out a disturbing structure of deception.

Kirsten Dunst does such a brilliantly job in one her first major roles at the tender age of seven. She plays forever young Claudia with a real sense of disturbing menace that she often becomes more frightening than Lestat. With those immaculate ringlets, frilly dresses and impossibly porcelain skin Claudia is desperately hungry for both blood and change. Her feverish anger towards Lestat at her inability to grow-up fuels Louis’ desperation at finding redemption for his sins and she gives a menacingly convincing performance as this petulant vampire child. 

The electrifying score from Elliot Goldenthal, which earned itself a well deserved Golden Globe nomination, blends a mixture of beautiful musical techniques and styles to create a truly atmospheric listening experience. The creeping strings and than explosive bursts sets up the narratives darker so brilliantly, edging into a disturbing, thrilling and intense film soundtrack. 

While the film holds a suitable stunning aesthetic and wonderful characters, it’s not without its faults. The narrative suffers slightly with pacing within the films third act, things become ever slightly drawn out and scenes are kept that appear somewhat self indulgent on Jordan’s part. Alongside this, some of the dialogue does creep into the realms of cringey and over dramatic, but perhaps this is merely an issue of dated material.

The flimsy and rosy glow of contemporary vampire franchise’s such as TWILIGHT has perhaps dulled viewers acceptance of such blood and gore, and if so INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE may appear outdated and often comedic. However, those who prefer their vampires classically Gothic and dripping with murder, lust and greed; this is the Halloween classic for you. 

Please follow and like us: