9. (tie) Interview with the Vampire
Release Date: November 11, 1994
Director: Neil Jordan
Starring: Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, Kirsten Dunst, Antonio Banderas, Stephen Rea and Christian Slater
Random Cameos: Thandie Newton, Helen McCrory
First Time I Saw It: Back in 1995, my friend and I rode our bikes several miles to the local rental place to grab a few horror movies. My mother had been reading The Vampire Chronicles, so the name stuck out to me when I saw it on the shelf. Being a young girl, Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt were two names I couldn’t pass up, so we grabbed it, went back to her house, made the room as dark and possible and tossed it in. It was love at first sight.
Why I Ranked It So High: Anne Rice’s first few books in her The Vampire Chronicles series had already been released and were huge hits. Filming of Interview with the Vampire had been pushed back over ten years by the time it was released, creating massive hype when it finally came to pass. Besides, Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, Christian Slater and Antonio Banderas were the heart throbs of the time. It was like vampire porn for the housewives of America.
Why I Love It: Interview with the Vampire stays as close to the book as timing permits. Because of the delay in filming, Louis (Brad Pitt) had to be made older to account for the missing time between present day in 1994 and when the book started. Despite minor changes, the movie stayed right on par. To account for a few plot holes you would have only understood from reading The Vampire Lestat, a bit of that book was thrown in as well, which is probably why there hasn’t been a film made of that book. The fact that Anne Rice had some say in it really helped everything come together to create one amazing and beautiful film. In fact, I would place Interview in my top five vampire films of all time without hesitation. –Ann Hale
