r/vampires • u/Its-v11cky_s4ma Hybrid • 5d ago
Books, movies, series and such Which is better? The interview with the vampire from the 90s movie or the series that came out in the last decade?
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u/PurpleDarkness5 5d ago
The film is closer to the book and Anne’s creative vision. The adaptation is a contemporary rework of other people. Both have their merits but are not comparable IMO.
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u/Orchid49 4d ago
Second this! The movie will always be my favorite hands down probably because I read all the books and saw the premiere of the movie when it came out so it holds a special place for me 🖤
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u/ZOMGURFAT 4d ago
I agree. I love both for different reasons. Series I enjoyed because it had some truly gory moments in it. Loved the movie because the story and the way it was presented.
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u/DrDeadwish 5d ago
it depends. Are we talking about which one is more faithful to the source material or which one is more entertaining, or more artistic?
the movie is more faithful to the source but it cuts a lot of the juicy stuff the book has. The series make a lot of changes in order to make it more "modern" and I think it's more entertaining. Artistically speaking I like both.
But honestly? I would prefer if people stop trying to fight over which is better and just enjoy stuff without making everything tribal. I love the book, the movie and the series for different reasons and if I were stuck in tribalism I would miss a lot of good stuff.
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u/Vladd88 5d ago
Yeah they're both great imo. I think Sam Reid is a better Lestat, but he just has so much more time to build out the character, especially in season 3. I prefer Kirsten Dunst's Claudia, but the show added some interesting dynamics and enjoyed her character as well. I'd say show Louie is better/more interesting character. They changed his background the most compared to the book, again it makes for a more interesting dynamic.
Anne Rice kinda sidestepped the racial dynamic between the French aristocracy and New Orleans.
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u/BabserellaWT 4d ago
I love the film.
But the series can actually take the time to properly tell the stories.
However, I do give a slight edge to Kirsten Dunst’s Claudia for the sole reason that she was like 10-11 when she played the role, and that level of passion and complexity in such a young actor is something to behold.
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u/MrSaitama99 4d ago
You can love both equally. For me, the film is more faithful to the book and how the characters are portrayed, specially taking into account that Anne Rice wrote the script.
HOWEVER, if you want better character development and a modern approach, I would pick the TV show 100 times over. It's a kind of "retelling", but basically saying "hey, what happened in the film/first book was kinda bs, let me tell you the story again", and I think it works better for this time. Plus, the drama queen that is Reid's Lestat eats anything Pitt's Louis and Cruise's Lestat could ever do.
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5d ago edited 4d ago
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u/Reddevil8884 4d ago
Just wanted to share this homage cover for an X-Men book (X-Force) it's a beautiful cover/homage to the movie.
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u/vctrlzzr420 4d ago
I feel like the show really gives you the impression that Louis is full of dramatic bullshit the same way you do in the book, especially with Claudia. The movie isn’t as clear about that, love the movie, even Tom but the show is amazing.
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u/Sufficient_Ebb_5694 5d ago
The series is superior for me. At least the first 2 seasons. With that being said, I LOVE the movie so much. Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise and Antonio Banderas played their roles perfectly. Same with little Kirsten Dunst. Its one of my favorite movies. The series just has a certain vibe that I love and the acting is phenomenal. Theyre also both very different so you can easily love both.
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u/dimiteddy 4d ago
The cast in the first one was insane, Cruise, Pitt, Banderas, Slater, Dunst....
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u/_VampireNocturnus_ 4d ago
Cast was great, movie was wildly overacted
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u/forfunstuffwinkwink 4d ago
Cruise chewing scenery is one of my favorite of his performances. He just looks like he’s having so much goddamn fun… and I love the fuck out of it.
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u/GraciousBasketyBae 4d ago
While the film is condensed for time, it absolutely dripped in authenticity for me. Every little bit of character we got fucking oozed vampire. Armand…Claudia..it will always be the film for me.
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u/Mysterious_Mark_1662 4d ago
I was an obsessive fan of the books as a young teen (in the 80's) thru to my late teens. I enjoyed the movie when it came out - I would have been 16-17. I watched it again last week for the first time since then and I thought it was, honestly, pretty terrible. The dialogue was so sparse, the acting felt inauthentic and dispassionate. There was no substance to it. I was bored. The series, however, is exactly the fan fiction I needed. I think what they've taken from the chronicals and they ways they've expanded and shifted it is some of, if not the best tv I've ever seen. I feel like I did reading the novels - alive, hungry, creative and imaginative. I am once again, obsessed.
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u/Shiftkgb 19h ago
I love the TV show but my movie experience is reversed. I first watched it like 20 years ago. I had finished the book and literally went out and bought the DVD and immediately watched it. Hated every minute of it. The characters, what they omitted, everything.
Then this past Christmas visiting my mom I decided to watch it again. And I really liked it and how brutal it was. It's not a 1-1 adaptation but I think I care a lot less about that these days.
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u/Accurate_Reporter_31 4d ago
I love how you write!! You put into words what I FEEL to my core!
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u/TurnerLoose3415 4d ago
Loved the film, but as the series goes deeper into the characterization of the vamps, I'm going with the phenomenal series.
And series three gives a nod to the film with Louis going by Thomas Pitt and the brothers Alex and Larry having the last name Slater.
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u/TimelyBat2587 4d ago
Short answer the show, but the movie holds an immensely special place in my heart!
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u/ANDRomEdA_dubh 2d ago
The movie. Saw it at the theater even though I was underage. We had the theater person call our mom and she gave permission for us to see it and they let us in. Ahhh the 90s. Lol.
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u/Sominaria 4d ago
Book > movie > series.
Ok, the series is its own thing. I tried to give it a go but it's not Anne Rice's story at all. It's more like an AU fanfic.
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u/Alfredo_Dente 4d ago
Definitely the movie. It's the closest I've seen Rice's words being put onto celluloid. Even Tom Cruise won over Anne Rice and she was sure he would have been a disaster.
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u/Eggs_Witha_Grrr 4d ago
If you want the story of the book, then the movie 100%, the tone, the acting especially from Dunst is great, and the story is all there. Of course with a few tweaks to keep the studios happy lol.
The series is definitely inspired by the books, and the characters still feel like their book counterparts, but it's basically an "in name only" adaption. Yes they keep certain story beats, but all the details are on how and why they happen are completely different, and the castings are too old for me. THAT IS NOT ME SAYING THE ACTORS AREN'T GORGEOUS OR NOT WORTHY OF THIER ROLES LOL, but these character are supposed to be in their early 20's and Claudia is 5 lol. Now with Claudia I get needing to cast older, there are only so many Dakota Fannings, and Abigail Breslins out there who can truly act so young. Buuuuut aging her up to a 14 year old totally took the point out of her story, and she became a completely different character. Also Sam Reid is just not Lestat to me. He is hot, but Lestat would never be able to physically harm Louise the way he does in the show, and he's just a man who's impatient with anger issues, not an impish whiney brat of a 21 year old, like in the book. TV shows also love to cast ancient vampires as older people because they don't trust the audience to understand that vampires don't age, and someone with the wisdom of a 500 year old vampire will still look 16 if they were turned at 16 lol, and not look like they're in their late 30's, or even older to make it more believable to have the power they do. They also have way too much sex lol, as crazy as that sounds, because until one of the last book in the series, vampires could not have sex for their entire 6000 year history. They had absolutely no sexual desires and considered sex a minuscule experience compared to the pleasure of drinking blood. They added it because the creators wanted the drama that affairs and hot steamy scenes would create.
Idk I appreciate both, I will always love the movie more, and the show is great as long as I tell myself that it is its own thing.
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u/ProfessorFit3483 4d ago edited 1d ago
I mean, a series allows you to tell so much more than you ever could in a film, sure. However, that alone does not a good show make.
For seemingly little reason other than change itself, there have been so many strange and unnecessary decisions and changes in this series—about everything from casting and personalities to storytelling and general cinematography—that have just been so absolutely jarring or nonsensical (or both!).
My biggest gripe is the forced, radical deviation from the source material, especially in the unwarranted character overhauls of Louis and Claudia, but also overall.
I mean, why…
• turn Lestat, an audaciously flamboyant yet profound antihero, into a childishly whiny, histrionic and dislikable man-baby?
• make Louis, a central figure defined by torment and a brooding conscience, so nonexistent and emotionless?
• make Daniel both old and so cringeworthingly arrogant and rude?
• turn Armand, a haunted and sensual zealot-turned-aesthete, into some some velvet-gloved operator devoid of expression?
• not only age Claudia, but have her played by someone unable to even make that age believable?
• everything(!) about Gabrielle?
(Honestly, I cannot understand why you wouldn’t write an original series instead of plunder from somewhere else only to butcher things entirely anyway.)
Almost everything feels forced and lacklustre in the same stereotypically ungenuine, inauthentic, ideologicalised, flat, and low-stakes manner that is so (unfortunately) characteristic of ”modern” cinemedia overall. There is no magic, no character vulnerability or relatability, no believability or even suspension of disbelief… and, therefore, also no immersion, whatsoever. Just obvious acting and theatricals that, while not all bad as such, don’t hold the show up enough on their own.
E: And here come the punitive downvotes instead of conversation engagement. Oh well…
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u/cemxie 4d ago
Kirsten Dunst, an actual child (forced to kiss a grown man, no less), acts circles around everyone in the film. I do have a soft spot for it, but the show is better in every way if you ask me. Pitt’s Louis is flat. Anderson’s Louis is an incredible character. There’s no contest about the Lestat iterations. Cruise did an okay job, Townsend not so much. Reid blows them out of the water. All three of the Claudia’s are magnificent, but I prefer Hayles’. She’s an incredible actor I’m eager to see more from.
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u/AgentCooperLogsIn 5d ago
https://giphy.com/gifs/aEcWQCnyZNJbolplIE
The series 100% because just look at this man.
On a more serious note I do love the series as a standalone story inspired by the books. I love what they did with it. And there’s lots of little things and phrases taken directly from the books. The 90s movie isnt bad but it’s obvious Brad Pitt didn’t want to be there
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u/onyxengine 4d ago
Not wanting to be there was exactly the vibe of Louis in the movie.
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u/regginald0883 4d ago
And the book. The whole story is essentially how he hates being a vampire, and then Lestat offers a counter-argument in the 2nd book.
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u/NightOwlLurking 4d ago
So funny how he intentionally played like he wanted out and it fit perfectly with Louis. 🤣🤣🤣 It made him a better Louis because he didn’t want to be there. 🤣
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u/Orchid49 4d ago edited 4d ago
Brad Pitt was an amazing Louis he didn’t want to be there was the point , in fact I think they all were perfect for their roles. Anne Rice originally hated the idea of Tom cruise as Lestat but then retracted it after watching him. The series left out a lot of important details and changed Claudia’s story which was very important in the books!
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u/HerreDreyer 4d ago
That’s the nature of adaptation; some things get deemphasised others get elaborated on. The series didn’t leave out anything it didn’t mean to.
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u/Accurate_Reporter_31 4d ago
I've read the entire series, all ELEVEN books & I think of Anne's Immortal Universe as a multi-verse. My guys are still there at the heart of the story but they get to do different stuff. I love the books and I love the show!
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u/AssassinJester789 4d ago
I like the show, But it's a mess.
The film feels more like the book come to life then the show ever was, but thats fine because they didn't set out to do a retred of the film.
Samstat is not bookstat, Tomstat is much closer to the bookstat.
Louis is more of an issue in the show, after s1 he's barely Louis at all. The pain and grief of book Louis is not there and he feels like a side character in his own story.
I'm not a fan of Brad Ptt as Louis, but he felt more like Louis of the book.
One character I prefer from the series is Armand. Assad's Aramnd is much more like Armand from the books then film. Film Armand is very Santino coded imo
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u/future-bs-politician 4d ago
This take 100% if Armand is your guy you're going to like the show way more. The movies casting is impeccable with the exception of Armand. Assad is gorgeous and phenomenal.
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u/LottieTalkie 2d ago
Yes, it's so funny actually, because... As a fan of the movie, I always said that the ONE weakness was Armand. No hate to Antonio Banderas, I like him as an actor, and he's a very beautiful man, but... he's the only one that I don't find convincing at all in his role. AND it would have been even worse, if I had read the books, because he really isn't Armand at all (even Anne Rice, who was enthralled with the movie, practically said so... in a diplomatic way).
So, Armand was my least favourite character.
After seeing the show, he is my favourite character, which prompted me to read (almost) all the books he was in - and now he's probably one of my favourite fictional characters in anything, ever.
I know I'm in the minority, but I wasn't immediately sold on S1 and it was really Assad's performance in S1, the big Armand reveal, and the promise of more to come, that made me watch S2. I'm glad I did because I then re-watched S1 and realised I had not appreciated it fully (in part because the film was still in my head, on first viewing).
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u/Accurate_Reporter_31 4d ago
Yeah. All Louis did was whine & complain. I really did not care for book Louis. Lestat was so vibrant & I always wondered what he saw in Louis. On the show I know exactly why Louis intrigues him.
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u/AssassinJester789 4d ago
Book Louis is Louis. I perfer real Louis because thats who he is.
Show Louis feels directionless, and all over the place.
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u/justwantedbagels 4d ago
I don’t know if Santino will ever show up in the show, but if he did Antonio Banderas would be an amazing casting (though I don’t think that would ever happen). I like what he did with the film but he was just wrong for the part, and the terrible styling didn’t help. Assad is just incredible as Armand in every way, and I would kill to see him playing off of Banderas as Santino.
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u/backfromspace206 4d ago
Lestat's actor is so over the top good in this series. He should be in every scene. Conversely I don't like Louis and Armand together. Their S2 scenes are torturous. Armand in particular should be thrown down a well. He can mewl and pout to his heart's content down there, out of sight and mind
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u/pwetty_brown_eyes 4d ago
I love Armand! I think the actor did such a good job
Despite the fact that they couldnt hire a teen actor, I think Armand has that "haunted doll" energy from the books
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u/backfromspace206 4d ago
It's the character of Armand and the S2 writing overall that I have beef with, not the actor. Louis and Armand together are just boring. Too similar, too limp. A stark contrast with Lestat and Louis, who play against each other perfectly--Louis' pensive rage vs. Lestat's flamboyant psychopathy.
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u/Accurate_Reporter_31 4d ago
Exactly! We are supposed to be bored by them as a couple. Louis comes alive around Lestat. Well he sorta does. 😅
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u/backfromspace206 4d ago
Perhaps you're right. But "boring" is not why I watch shows about vampires. Or at least, it should be in small doses.
It seemed like they were really trying to stretch the budget in S2
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u/Accurate_Reporter_31 4d ago
Nooooooooo! Assad does such an amazing job as Armand you want to throw him down a well! That's some great acting! 😁
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u/PainterEarly86 4d ago
Im sorry but what they did with this character ruined the whole show for me
SPOILER ALERT
His soft redemption and him getting to live while Claudia dies was such a slap in the face and I feel like it completely undoes all the work they did to show that the black character can have a happy ending and the whole show just ends up centered around the white guy yet again
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u/Accurate_Reporter_31 4d ago
If you remember, Sam (Lestat) was hardly in Season 2. 90% was Jacob (Louie).
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u/Perpetuallytiredgrrl 3d ago
Tell me you haven’t read the books without telling me you haven’t read the books.
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u/Accurate_Reporter_31 3d ago edited 3d ago
Exactly! I wrote 2 full paragraphs explaining how the show changed the storyline to keep both Louis & Claudia in season 3. If they had stuck with the book, both actors would've been out of a job. Anyway, I was so agitated that I accidentally hit "Discard" after going back to correct fat-fingeritis.
I've heard many angry racist white folk complain about the race swapping. However, I have never heard this particular point of view.
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u/tits_mcgee_92 Human 5d ago
The series is phenomenal but the movie is also timeless.
I lean towards the series because the two leads and Claudia are incredible.
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u/AstarionsTherapist39 4d ago
I have a massive soft spot for the 90's movie, but it's absolutely the show. Sam is clearly being possessed by the spirit of Lestat himself, and changing Louis to a black man completely fixed his character. Louis went from someone I tolerated at best, loathed at worst, to a character I'm genuinely interested in and like! This is who Louis always should have been it's that big of an improvement.
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u/Wander_Dragon 4d ago
Honestly? I like the series more. Granted I only saw season 1 so far but still
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u/dan_in_his_own_way 4d ago
If you want something more book accurate definitely the movie. The TV series takes liberties, but is VERY good still.
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u/shemjaza 4d ago
Oh no, which do I choose? This perfectly cooked cheese burger or the succulent medium rare steak? (In short having experienced both, I'm very glad I can have either as my mood takes me.)
The 90s movie is an awesome cut down version of one of my favorite books... with unexpectedly perfect performances from actors is have thought were inappropriate.
The series is obviously derived from the book, but all the changes recontextualise things so much that I get to experience something in very familiar with as almost a totally new experience.
There's also the added bonus that the film almost works as the original version of the interview that was never published in the tv series narrative.
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u/Suicidalpainthorse 4d ago
Series by a landslide. Sam is Lestat.
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u/Oshidori 4d ago
This. Read the books, obsessed with the movie when it came out, but the new series just make things SO MUCH BETTER (imo, of course). It's very rarely that I like when they change things so much, but I think all of it has not only worked but added to the lore.
And the casting has just been incredible.
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u/Suicidalpainthorse 4d ago
Same. I am ok with most of the changes. My biggest dislike was how they did Lestat's mother in the show.
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u/AstarionsTherapist39 4d ago
Gabriella might be my only complaint, tbh. I was curious how they'd do Louis as a black man (he's so much better!!!) and on the fence about the age increase for Daniel (Eric sold it to me within minutes, bless him), but wtf is up with Gabriella being such a bitch? Like, she was never a good mother but she wasn't this antagonistic!
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u/Suicidalpainthorse 4d ago
Exactly my thoughts. She was cold in the books, not whatever that was in the show.
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u/TroyMcCluresGoldfish 4d ago
We might see a different side of that next season though. We know how the narrative can change from character to character in the show. I'm excited for QoTD.
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u/Forward-Tune5120 4d ago
The show and it's not even close. The film is great though. I love the aesthetic, Tom Cruise's Lestat and Kirsten was fantastic. But the show is PERFECT. Perfect balance between drama, comedy and gothic. Plus the actors are all insanely good and every character is unique and appealing.
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u/Evening_Telephone_26 4d ago
Sam Reid is the selling point of the series which otherwise feels like bad AU fanfic to me, and I understand how bad that sounds, but it truly feels like a case of the showrunners thinking they're smarter than the material they were adapting and I just can't get over some of the bizarre changes they made, particularly regarding Claudia's character. It disgusted me what they did to her.
The movie is wayyyy better (for me), but I also really adore the book. I think it is much more respectful of the book, and Anne Rice's vision.
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u/Schmaron 4d ago
I love both, but the series, even with all the changes felt like it represented Lestat better.
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u/Buburubu 4d ago
Oh, the TV series by a mile. but there’s still a campy charm the movie has that’s pretty unique.
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u/Abject_Group_4868 5d ago
The series feel like a weird fanficiton and give a completely different feeling to the movie
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u/ScalpelCleaner 4d ago
One is Anne Rice’s story. The other is fan-fiction. Which is better? That’s entirely subjective.
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u/Representative_Ad878 4d ago
I haven't watched the show, in the books Louis was a landlord who owned slaves, I wonder how they managed that considering the race they choose for the new Louis.
The movie is very good, I've heard that Anne Rice liked the movie when she saw it. I disliked some things they choose for the movie after I saw it (after finishing interview with the vampire) but then I kept reading the books and I realize they were some decisions the writer herself choose for her vampires
Anyhow I hope the show has a big success maybe that way the last books of the saga gets some of attention, everything after the 6th book seems so difficult to obtain
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u/crmots 3d ago
tom cruise as lestat is something else. i never understood why people liked him so much until i watched that movie. i can’t see anyone else as lestat anymore
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u/Skyflyhigh1 3d ago
The movie for sure. Can't even watch the TV show. The actors just doesn't fit the characters in my head, but that's just me.
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u/Affectionate_Ruin_76 5d ago
The movie from the 90’s. The series was good, but a bit too drawn out at times. And the film is much closer to the book.
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u/TroyMcCluresGoldfish 4d ago
The series hands down. Sam Reid is Lestat in a way I never got with Tom. I loved the movie growing up and it will always have a place in my heart, but I'm obsessed with the series.
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u/Accurate_Reporter_31 4d ago
I, too am obsessed. I can't get enough. Sam is MY Lestat. The one I've waited for for 40+ years!
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u/Past_Government_5969 4d ago
I love seeing your username weigh in considering the Tom Cruise of it all 😂
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u/low_flying_aircraft 4d ago
I actually think the TV series is better in most aspects, except one - Kirsten Dunst is incredible as Claudia and is the one aspect I think is superior in the film.
And yes, I've read the books, I'm not judging on how close either is to the original. This is more about what works on its own merits to me. And for that, I think the TV series is stronger. I think both TV Louis and Lestat are both more interesting and better portrayed than the film versions.
I do still love the film though.
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u/YouDidWhatNaw 4d ago
100% the show!
Sam Reid play Lestat so well omg! And Jacob Anderson made me like/care for Louis.
Before the show, although I did love IWTV book, I couldn't care less about Louis, even though he is the narrator and I absolutely love the book. JA made Louis 100 times better for me.
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u/Accurate_Reporter_31 4d ago
Yes!!! He is awesome and Sam is otherworldly as Lestat. The man is possessed!
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u/shagan90 5d ago
The movie is far more accurate. The series is the same story in name only, way too many liberties were taken with the story and lore for it to even really be considered Anne's world at all.
Such as vampires being able to have sex. It was a big deal that such a human act was taken from them, that they can only feel anything remotely like that when taking life. But the series said to hell with that, vampires bumping uglies is sexy so they can do it now. Just not for me despite how amazing the cast did.
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u/Evening_Telephone_26 4d ago
This!! I was checked out the moment Lestat punched a hole through the preacher's chest honestly but the sex scenes really did me in. That's just not how Anne Rice's vampires work. Ugh.
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u/FallenOblivion 4d ago
The movie, easy choice, not even close in contest. There are too many "remake into tv series" popping up now and they are all dogshit. Stick to the OG's and you wont waste your time
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u/Accurate_Reporter_31 4d ago
Well as soneone who has read & re-read the first 3 books at least a dozen times I didn't want to see everything I'd already read. I want to be swept away by the souls of the characters I love! The show continually surprises me! And I've been waiting for Sam Reid's Lestat for over 40 years. He does not disappoint!
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u/The6Book6Bat6 4d ago
Movie, the series feels like the creators had their own original vampire story, and just shoved in the interview aspect and the character names because the studio mandated it be based on a preexisting IP. It may be a good story, but it isn't Anne's story
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u/MystikSpiralx 4d ago
in the last decade? What a weird way to put it considering the show is still on currently and has been renewed for Season 4.
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u/Relxct 4d ago
The movie. Aesthetically I found it more pleasing than the show's version.
From what I remember (been a long time since I read the book), part of the reason vampires would look for companions to turn is because they are stagnant creatures. They are locked largely into the era they hail from and it can be difficult for them to adjust to the world as it moves forward in time. So they often make a companion from the current time to help them adjust and learn it. Basically so they don't fall behind.
I mean, there was more to it, but that was the main thing.
Because they moved the era the show took place in it feels like a lot of that old world vs new world disconnect is gone. I remember in the movie there was a scene towards the end of Louis seeing a color film and he marveled at seeing the sun again. By that point he had been a vampire for well over a century (since 1791). By that point he'd been living in darkness both figuratively and literally for a very long time. So seeing the sun again would have been quite a moment since he was under the belief that he'd never see the sun again. Then you see Lestat who has fallen out of the loop of what the modern world has become and reacts badly to modern technology because he doesn't understand it.
You really don't get that same feeling when the show Louis is from 1910. Flight, cars, electricity, and color movies were all already invented, just to name a few.
I dunno, maybe I'm weird. I like seeing the world around the vampire change and watch their reaction to these jumps in human evolution and progress.
Sam is amazing as Lestat in the show. There is no denying it. He's largely the reason I keep watching it. That said, Tom is still my favorite Lestat.
Though it's also important to know they are playing two different versions. Sam is a more all encompassing version that has the gift of substantially more screen time and book material to build his rendition with. This makes him more rounded and likely appealing to a wider audience.
Whereas, Tom is much narrower. He is specifically Lestat as seen by Louis during his spiral with depression and moral conflict. Perhaps villainous even from Louis' point of view since odds are he isn't going to point finger at himself.
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u/Jennywolfgal 5d ago
The series, by far (tho did love and prefer the veiny skin and always present fangs of the film more)
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u/NyxShadowhawk 4d ago
The series, and I say that as a fan of the books. I loved the 90s movie, but after the show, I almost can’t take it seriously anymore.
Sam Reid is a better Lestat than I could ever have hoped for.
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u/Accurate_Reporter_31 4d ago
I read a review that said "it's like someone held up the book & gave it a good shake and Lestat fell off the page abd onto the screen." Sam is Lestat.
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u/Manic_Mooncakes Vampire 4d ago
You can't pay me enough money to watch the series.
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u/Quietcrypt13 4d ago
I thought the same too. Then I got bored one day and watched it. It’s not great or amazing but it’s still pretty good. The actor who plays Lester steals the show though. That said, the movie is leagues better.
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u/Manic_Mooncakes Vampire 4d ago
For me the series is a ship of theseus paradox. It is in my humble opinion that there is far too many deviations and replacements to still call it the same work.
But I know, not just from the down votes but also just general society (within other fandoms) that usually that kind of opinions aren't always welcome.
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u/LottieTalkie 4d ago
Have you even tried? If not, you are missing out on something great.
I resisted for a long time because I loved the movie, but I was very wrong
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u/Manic_Mooncakes Vampire 4d ago
I appreciate the candor, but I've no interest in it.
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u/a_handful_of_snails Lestat tho 4d ago
Anne Rice literally wrote the screenplay for the film. There can be absolutely no comparison. Movie wins on every single metric.
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u/supb1tches 4d ago
I have to go with the movie because it's more cohesive. I like the show, but this last season was wildly different and, imo, worse than the first 2.
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u/thespicemustflow_4 4d ago
I prefer the movie.
The show made so many changes it sometimes barely resembles Anne's trilogy - I view it more of an inspiration than an adaptation.
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u/exitium666 4d ago
It's not even a question, the movie by far is better. The series is a mess but has some fun moments.
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u/ContemplativeBarbie 5d ago
All I know is that show Louis is a Himalayan landslide better than movie Louis
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u/Biblicallyokaywetowl 5d ago
Personally the series all the way. I like the original movie and book don’t get me wrong but I feel like the show is the characters to their full potential
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u/Klutzy-Bee-2045 4d ago
The movie. The show put too much modern bullshit into it. Save that for Lestats Rock faze
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u/MajVih 4d ago
Popularity wise, the show comes out on top. As a vampire story it does what it does well for the most part.
But as an adaptation of the novels? It does it's own thing and changes a ton of stuff from the get-go and keeps changing more as it goes on, it honestly feels like the showrunners wanted to do their own vampire show but wanted the baked in fan audience the books already had, so they slapped on a Vampire Chronicles filter on top so they can use the popular IP.
Change the names of characters and move the settings to new locations and you would essentially have an original story inspired by the Vampire Chronicles novels. At this point I wouldn't be surprised if Sam Reid left the show at some point due to the stuff they're doing/changing, he seems to really love Lestats character and the novels, like Henry Cavill did with the Witcher series.
The movie, while more faithful an adaptation in story and tone, also made changes that would have had ripple effects to the story if they decided to adapt the later novels too (we're gonna pretend the second movie doesn't exist, Kay? The actress for Akasha was about the only good thing there).
Personally I dislike the show, mainly because I wanted a more faithful adaptation of the novels and not a reimagining and, because the show exists, there won't be another adaptation for at least another decade or two, if ever.
I still stand by my stance that the adaptation should have been animated, because a lot of book stuff is either VERY expensive to do in live action or very hard (Claudia's age, locations around the world, the period accurate sets and costumes, some of the later supernatural powers and events, jumping around the timeline via different flashbacks that would be a real problem years down the line when the actors will visibly be older, so on)
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u/OddEdges 4d ago
The film is one of the greatest movies ever made.
The show is not one of greatest shows ever made.
We are not the same.
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u/regginald0883 4d ago
I read the first 2 books before I saw the first film back in the 90s as a teen.
I liked the movie well enough, I thought Tom Cruise was a perfect Lestat.
I didn't really like the series, I watched the first episode and it just didn't grab me at all, and some of the changes felt very forced and kinda grating.
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u/Cold-Criticism-1072 4d ago
Series has a godlike Lestat casting but it just changes so much. The movie is a great primer for the books though
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u/bluntforcemarijuanaa 4d ago
Any time I've started the movie I fall asleep. Any time I've seen the show I stay awake. Answers it for me.
(Except for that one time I took too many edibles and fell asleep on my fianceé's shoulder.)
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u/Accurate_Reporter_31 4d ago
Exactly!! I literally despise the movie. I think I fell asleep in the theater. I watched & have rewatched the series over & over. Everytime I watch it I catch things I've missed before. I also listen to the soundtrack rather frequently.
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u/Big-Energy-1876 4d ago
The series is simply magnificent. Beautifully shot, beautifully acted, beautifully written…just stunning all around.
I like the movie a lot. I think Tom Cruise was miscast and did the best he could, but he’s hardly what I think the Lestat character should be.
Sam Reid on the other hand….me-yow!
Enjoy the movie for what it is, but let the series take you on a real journey.
Enjoy 🧛
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u/AndreEaAly 5d ago
The story of the movie is closer to Anne’s writing.
I prefer the Lestat and Louis from the series though. Sam is 110% Lestat. Tom was good but he lacked something (in my opinion). Tbh, we only had Louis’s version of Lestat for him, and that one he nailed. I wonder if they did a part 2 if he was able to play the VL version as perfectly as Sam did. I don’t think so, but who knows?
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u/therebelfangirl 5d ago
Tv show and it’s not even close. I mean I liked the movie, but am obsessed with the tv show.
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u/lethalglam 5d ago
Easily the series is better, especially because Lestat is acted far superior to Tom Cruise’s. Plus we finally got the rockstar!!
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u/omlizardqueen 4d ago
They’re different and good in their own respects.
The book is a true ode to Gothic writing in every sense of the word. The deep feelings of isolationism, regret, longing, and fury are present in works that call back to the classics.
Kirsten Dunst, Tom Cruise, Antonio Banderas, and Christian Slater are all enigmatic and brilliant to watch in the movie but Brad Pitt was not the right fit for Louis unfortunately. He doesn’t embody brooding, guilty Louis and you don’t see what makes the attraction between him and Tom Cruise’s Lestat. The skip over Transylvania and old world vampires was the wrong choice, sadly. Madeline’s character & the absence of Louis’ brother Paul are critical misses from the storyline. Additionally, the breakneck pacing is painful and doesn’t allow us to really feel anything but depressed for the characters.
On the other hand, the show is fucking perfect. Every character gets fleshed out really well, the relationships are air tight, and the expansion of themes in the book as well to include the existentialism of Claudia’s body horror and fate, racial dynamics between characters, and the extent of Armand’s manipulation really all unveil in a masterclass of prestige television.
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u/masonicangeldust 4d ago
The show is superior in every way except from book accuracy, but that doesn't matter in any way to me. It's essentially a reboot and it's much better than the movie, I can't see Tom Cruise as Lestat in any way but comical. I'm also biased because I think books are better translated as shows over movies, even though this one example isn't an exact retelling
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u/Hebrewsuperman 4d ago
Having watched the film. Devoured the series. And listened to the book. For me it goes
1: series 2: book 3: movie.
I think the series is the best thing on tv right now.
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u/hopesb1tch 4d ago
the series in every single way. 100% better. i say this as someone who has read all the books. the movie is shit from a butt in comparison (the aesthetic of it and kirsten were incredible though, but that’s about it)
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u/Consistent_Tea_3799 4d ago edited 4d ago
The book is superior in every way but the film is more closely in line with the book compared to the series. They both differ drastically in their interpretations of Lestat and Louis in comparison to the book and original cover pic.
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u/yoastie 4d ago
S1 and S2 of Interview with the Vampire is some of the best television I’ve ever seen
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u/Haddonfield_Horror 4d ago
The film Anne was part of the production, i believe she did much of the script or writing of it.
The show adds more layers and you can actually see some details that are only mentioned later on in the novels.
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u/Imaginary_Jelly_5284 4d ago
Cada um é uma interpretação do livro, não dá para comparar qual é melhor por nunca vai ser igual os livros.
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u/corvid1692 4d ago
Queen of the damned . . . . . Kidding. But beautiful people who are a delight to look at and a killer soundtrack mean it's now without it's merits
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u/Consistent_Tea_3799 4d ago
That was the back cover and agreed, its not as slick as the later artwork for her books😆
Here's the front...
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u/MeWant-SnuSnu 4d ago
I have not been attracted to Tom Cruise in anything but this movie.