Interview with the Vampire (2022)

By: Aliza Coolidge

Interview with the Vampire–the TV show, not the book–is like Dracula, but if you gave Dracula drugs and made him gay in New Orleans. In the 18th century. The story follows an affluent young Black man named Louis De Pointe du Loc as he recalls his life up to the present day to his old friend and reporter, Daniel Malloy. He tells the story of his ‌tumultuous though passionate relationship with his lover, Lestat de Lioncourt, a flamboyant and charismatic Frenchman who also happens to be the man who turned Louis into a vampire. The incredible acting from the leads allows the viewer to be fully immersed in the story, hanging onto every word, needing to know what happens next. It’s angsty, moody, and everything that a queer vampire TV show should be. I say queer because Lestat is, in his own words, “nondiscriminating.” Because it is told from Louis’ point of view, his narration relies solely on his memory of the events, an important distinction to make, since the reality is usually much more nuanced. In his effort to keep the story as true as possible, Daniel offers some pushback. We get to see the story from other characters' points of view as well. Soon after the pilot, for example, Louis and Lestat adopt a vampire daughter named Claudia, whose teenage diaries also provide a great amount of detail for the narrative from her point of view. All of this leads to a diverse and engaging form of storytelling. 5 out of 5 Stars