Interview with the Vampire (1994)
78%RT Audience Score: 86%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 2 Oscars
24 wins & 36 nominations total
Despite lacking some of the book’s subtler shadings, and suffering from some clumsy casting, Interview with a Vampire benefits from Neil Jordan’s atmospheric direction and a surfeit of gothic thrills
Interview with the Vampire is a movie that will suck you in (pun intended). With a cast of big names like Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt, it’s hard not to be intrigued. Some critics loved it, some hated it, but one thing is for sure: it’s a classic vampire story that will leave you wanting more. Plus, it gave us Kirsten Dunst as a child vampire, which is pretty cool. So grab some popcorn, turn off the lights, and get ready to be seduced by the undead.
Production Company(ies)
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer,
Distributor
Warner Home Vídeo, Warner Bros.
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
Oak Alley Plantation – 3645 Highway 18, Vacherie, Louisiana, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for vampire violence and gore, and for sexuality
Year of Release
1994
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Digital SDDS
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:2h 2m
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Language(s):English, French
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Nov 11, 1994 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 25, 1997
Genre(s)
Horror/Drama
Keyword(s)
Interview with the Vampire, R, Horror/Drama, 2h 2m, directed by Neil Jordan, written by Anne Rice, starring Tom Cruise as Lestat de Lioncourt, Brad Pitt as Louis de Pointe du Lac, Antonio Banderas as Armand, Stephen Rea as Santiago, Christian Slater as Daniel Malloy, Kirsten Dunst as Claudia, produced by David Geffen and Stephen Woolley, box office gross of $104.7M, reviewed by Gene Siskel, David Ansen, Richard Corliss, Todd McCarthy, Geoff Andrew, Janet Maslin, Quentin Crisp, Anne Stockwell, James Croot, Taylor Baker, CJ Sheu, more, MPAA rating R, horror, drama, romance, vampires, gothic, atmospheric, book adaptation, Neil Jordan’s direction, Anne Rice’s writing, Tom Cruise’s performance, Brad Pitt’s performance, Kirsten Dunst’s performance, Antonio Banderas’s performance, Stephen Rea’s performance, Christian Slater’s performance
Worldwide gross: $223,664,608
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $452,501,544
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 331
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 49,345,861
US/Canada gross: $105,264,608
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $212,963,500
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 317
US/Canada opening weekend: $36,389,705
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $73,620,936
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 124
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $60,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $121,387,523
Production budget ranking: 305
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $65,367,181
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $265,746,841
ROI to date (est.): 142%
ROI ranking: 787
Brad Pitt – Louis de Pointe du Lac
Antonio Banderas – Armand
Stephen Rea – Santiago
Christian Slater – Daniel Malloy
Kirsten Dunst – Claudia
Director(s)
Neil Jordan
Writer(s)
Anne Rice
Producer(s)
David Geffen, Stephen Woolley
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 2 Oscars
24 wins & 36 nominations total
Academy Awards
All Critics (58) | Top Critics (13) | Fresh (37) | Rotten (21)
Director Neil Jordan has always had an affinity for underdogs, and he has created a film that can be viewed as empathetic to any oppressed group. Homosexuals may claim it as their emotional story
August 23, 2017 | Rating: 3.5/4
Gene Siskel
Chicago Tribune
TOP CRITIC
It’s about seduction, and either you succumb to its inky entrapments or you resist. When its mojo was working, I was happy to be had.
October 18, 2008
David Ansen
Newsweek
TOP CRITIC
Why would Tom Cruise be playing Lestat, a gaunt, suave European vampire with a taste for young men? Because a big movie star can do whatever he wants.
August 24, 2008
Richard Corliss
TIME Magazine
TOP CRITIC
The leading performances, if acceptable, are not everything they needed to be to fully flesh out these elegant immortals.
August 24, 2008
Todd McCarthy
Variety
TOP CRITIC
The major problem lies with Rice’s own script, which is dramatically repetitive and philosophically banal.
February 9, 2006
Geoff Andrew
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
Interview with the Vampire promises a constantly surprising vampire story, and it keeps that promise.
May 20, 2003
Janet Maslin
New York Times
TOP CRITIC
I simply do not want any more movies about vampires or about Mr. Frankenstein. I thought Interview was rubbish — routine, but illogical rubbish.
April 21, 2022
Quentin Crisp
Christopher Street
Interview With the Vampire sweeps onto the screen with a power and singleness of purpose that’s exhilarating. It’ll grab you by the throat and drain you till you beg for more.
April 5, 2022
Anne Stockwell
The Advocate
Its legacy will be that it gave the world Dunst, turned Pitt into a superstar and reminded us that the seemingly superhuman Cruise definitely had his limitations as an actor.
December 13, 2021 | Rating: 3/5
James Croot
Stuff.co.nz
What works best in Anne Rice’s books are the depth of characters and their psyches. Which is also one of the hardest things to incorporate into film, and notably absent…
August 22, 2021 | Rating: 55/100
Taylor Baker
Drink in the Movies
A lavish adaptation of Anne Rice’s novel with standout performances across the board and just the right amount of camp.
December 30, 2020 | Rating: 4/5
Trace Thurman
Horror Queers Podcast
Death keeps [Louis] human, fangs be damned.
July 1, 2020
CJ Sheu
Review Film Review…
Plot
Against the backdrop of a gloomy San Francisco, the nearly two-century-old vampire, Louis de Pointe du Lac, recounts the unbelievable story of his eternal transformation and a life worse than death to the sceptic reporter, Daniel Molloy. Spanning two hundred years of cruel betrayals, extreme solitude, and unquenched thirst, Louis’ grimly fascinating tale pivots around his perpetually regrettable decision to embrace the dictatorship of blood, and, above all, his maker: the seductive blonde aristocrat of death, Lestat de Lioncourt. Is Louis’ mystical epic of bloodshed genuine? Is this, indeed, an interview with a vampire?
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Tom Cruise’s performance as Lestat is described as “fun and entertaining” by an audience reviewer.
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