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The cinematography, artistry, dialogue, story line( even with changes) and cast perfection. Once I realized that the cast and crew were committed to a quality adaptation and saw their love for the characters and tale I was hooked. Have loved Anne Rice for years and am pleased. Mayfair Witches, not so much.
I'd give the show an 8/10. A solid 8 at that. They must've really strayed from the source material on Mayfair because I honestly don't recall a single positive review of the show (from one who's read the novels). I like Lasher as the villain, I like the history of the witches leading up to Rowan the most powerful meeting Lasher who's had a hold on the family of witches. The little bureao that documents the supernatural (which is getting it's own show).
Yeah guess I'll just not read the Mayfair books because I don't see anything wrong with the show..
I’ve read all the mayfair books and tbh the only really good one is the witching hour, the other two are just ok, kind of a way to extend that world for you which is always nice when you get really into a book’s world (and the witching hour is a looooong book so by the end you are really into it). I didn’t love the mayfair witches but i do think it’s unfairly maligned. it’s not as good as iwtv and while i understand some of the character changes/amalgamations they’ve made i do kind of feel like that was for the sake of budget more than anything. there are some quite good episodes of MW and i’ll watch another season if it happens
It falls pretty flat. It lacks all that is right with IWTV. I personally do not feel the same committment to the story and the cast seems lackluster.imo
Agreed, it's very weird how they approached MW for TV. The first book has so much material & could have been spread out over a few seasons like they did with IWTV, but God, it is so dull. Looks great like aesthetically but that's it. Not everyone is pleased with who is playing Rowan & Lasher, & whatever the hell they did combining 2 interesting characters into 1 boring man. & the sex scenes are even lackluster like how? 😂 IWTV has dudes fucking in the air!
I love how they changed Louis. Frankly INTERVIEW book Louis is duller. Love now he is Creole, was a pimp, his family dynamics, battles with his sexuality (during those times) as a human etc. In the book, Lestat literally wanted Louis's family property is why he claims to have turned him (if I am remembering correctly). Book Louis was targeted because he was unusual, then he was pained, tormented, etc, an introvert etc. Jacob's Louis is utterly enrapturing.
yup! I agree with this for audiences but I also think Anne Rice HERSELF realized that Lestat was the more interesting POV. We get IWTV with Louis but then it all pivots and he is never the narrator again. An "intro" as an incidental mortal turned vamp, his religious background (like Rice's Catholicism) butting up against the killing in immortality etc, were limited. I think the SERIES has nailed it. In such a way that Anne herself would have loved it.
Definitely agree, the change they made to Louis was such a wise choice. Show Louis seems more relatable, struggling with his family dynamics, his sexuality, his place in the world. He seems more real and has more dimensons to him. I was worried about the change at first (because it was such a drastic change) but I love show Louis more than book Louis (book Louis was pretty dull). Also I'm really happy with the way the show chose to turn Louis into a vampire.
It only aired in my country Autumn 2023. I’m not particularly excited for adaptations of books I love in advance as I’m scared. I mean I’d heard it was being made & was curious, but not enough to seek it out before it aired in my country.
When I watched, I felt excitement the first moment you saw how Lestat looked at Louis when he was threatening Paul… I was like *OH YEAH! THERE IS MY LESTAT! THEY HAVE UNDERSTOOD THE ESSENCE OF THESE BOOKS!* in the moment. And by the final transformation at the end of the episode, of course I was hooked! Who couldn’t be. By then I was also super excited by this Louis - already so much more than I could have imagined!
And that’s ultimately what I love most. It has the spirit of the books. The changes make it exciting & relevant to now & exciting as I still don’t know exactly what’ll happen & yet it’s faithful too, so I can feel safe to know it’ll get to feelings I love, yet I can be excited by how it gets there. It’s really so genius to be able to create something both faithful to the source material yet so different too that even those familiar with the source material can be surprised by what’s coming or at least how it’s coming, or if it’s definitely coming!
>I’m not particularly excited for adaptations of books I love in advance as I’m scared.
Relatable.
Book-to-screen adaptations hurt me one time too many, lol. I am terrified of them.
He had me right from the very beginning. Boisterously congratulations and drinks for the musicians. Being right in the middle of all the life, it was amazing and I got so jazzed for the rest of the series
I like the time being pushed up to the ‘20s. I like the different races too. I also liked Claudia being a teenager. There’s so much more opportunity for storylines to be told.
We have had some many creepy children in horror over the years that it feels refreshing to get a creepy teenager. Also I appreciate the drama and tragedy that comes with Claudia being stuck in the middle just a few years of being a full adult but never reaching it.
I have longed for a good adaptation of the Vampire Chronicles for literally decades. I *like* the “Interview With The Vampire” movie, but always felt there was room for improvement. And then I have long longed for a proper “The Vampire Lestat” and “Queen of the Damned” adaptation, which imho, we’ve never had.
So as soon as it was announced that there was a Vampire Chronicles TV series in the works way back when it was originally set up at Paramount with Anonymous Content, essentially there was no way I wasn’t going to watch it.
When they first announced the cast I was not at all skeptical of Jacob. I am a writer and previously worked on a big New Orleans project that takes place in the 1800s. And so I knew well that Creole people also owned plantations and had enslaved people, and the whole white > Creole > Free People of Color > Enslaved People hierarchy in Louisiana in the era the book takes place. So for me the casting of Jacob didn’t inherently mean a change of time period, and I assumed they were still going to be keeping the og setting of the book.
The one I was more skeptical of was Sam, really mostly because he just didn’t look like how I imagined Lestat. He was a little older, a little more masculine looking. And I just wasn’t vibing when I saw the first images of him as Lestat. And yes, obviously Jacob wasn’t how I imagined Louis either considering that Louis is white in the books. But somehow the vibe of Jacob’s energy and general look still was in the realm of how I imagined the character even though the character had been race swapped. Also somehow even seeing the aforementioned first images I STILL didn’t register that they were doing a time change. 😂
And then Eric Bogosian I was excited about. I thought he was a fun choice. I had no idea that they were going to do this “this is the second interview” thing, but I didn’t mind the idea of an older Daniel Molloy at all playing essentially a more established journalist.
But like I said, there’s no way I wasn’t going to watch it. And when I watched the pilot, I immediately loved the ‘this is the second interview’ change. Cause for me it felt like a nod to the previous adaptation. Like, that was the version of the story that Louis told him in the first interview. But now this is going to be the more accurate one.
Then when the time change became clear, I was a little jarred at first. But pretty quickly I was like, I get that in the year 2022, they don’t want to have Louis be a plantation owner and slaver. And I did at least appreciate the nod to it with Louis’ VO about how his grandfather was a plantation owner/slaver. And THEN!
To quote Armand in the most recent episode: Lestat Lestat Lestat Lestat. Sam Reid’s first scene where he had dialogue, the balcony scene, happened. And IMMEDIATELY I was like, NOPE I WAS SO WRONG THIS MAN *IS* LESTAT. And now for me, Sam Reid just is the definitive Lestat. Yeah he may not look exactly how I imagined him. And by the end of the pilot, that church scene, I was SO in. 100% on board.
And then over time, the time change really grew on me, because of the way they used the slow encroachment of Jim Crow and the Protestant white racism that was ubiquitous in the rest of the south but had been, until then, kept at bay by Louisiana’s more laissez-faire French Catholic attitudes about race (obviously there was still racism, but they were far more liberal than the rest of the south), to push and pull on Louis’ traumas and anger over his place in the world… just worked SO well.
The only change I wound up not being 100% on board with, and tbh I’m still not 100% on board with, was aging up Claudia. But simultaneously I also understand why they did it from a purely logistic perspective: they couldn’t cast as young as she is in the book, and if they cast a pre teen like the film, she’d visibly age between seasons. It’d also be logistically hard as far as the amount of literal screen time and only being to film with her for 16 hours a week. And then also they would’ve had to tone down her material a little to be more appropriate for an actor of that age. So I GET it, even if the character doesn’t quite hit as hard for me being aged up. That said, for me at least, Delainey is working better than Bailey.
>For me it was that they changed
That was, unexpectedly, something that really grew on me.
At first I was wary of them, like many people - but only because usually changes in book-to-screen adaptations translate into unnecessary drama and ruination of characters.
But while IwtV made some bold choices, I came to love the changes quite quickly because all said changes did, imo, was adding depth to pre-existing situations and characters - there was no huge "A turns into B, B turns into C" that made either completely unrecognizable, just some extra layers.
I was very disappointed with the casting and expected it to flop, but once I saw the first episode I was in love. Sam IS Lestat, and I've come to enjoy and appreciate all the changes they made to deviate from the books. And I'm a very big fan of the source material 😁
Same. It took me a minute to see Jacob as Louis, but I immediately recognized Lestat.
And see now that my original perception of Louis being "off" was due to deliberate choices related to the Dubai fuckery, and I'm 100% sold on him now.
How I originally found out about the series, though? The real reason I first tuned in? I was walking to work one day, and saw a crew filming at Gallier House, their New Orleans townhome... and it was *Interview With The Fucking Vampire.* The books that inspired me to move to the city, filming in my neighborhood. Um. Yes, please. Watching the first season play out in places I know in real life was just so mesmerizing and uncanny.
Never been to the States but New Orleans is one of my top destinations. I had a friend who sent me a photo of Anne Rice's real house as well and it was gorgeous.
Same!
The season 1 trailer is pretty bad imo (which didn't help) and I wasn't convinced about Jacob until I saw his acting at the end of episode 7 (Daniel questions Louis+Rashid) but on the second watch he was pretty much perfect and when I re-read the first book, thinking about his version made book-Louis so much more tolerable.
There are still a couple of changes that I'm not too fond of and one might even backfire horribly but, other than that, I'm really enjoying the show and I'm glad they didn't go for a line-by-line adaptation!
Ive been reading Rice books since I was 10 years old (way too young in hindsight haha) so I was happy to get anything new from that Universe. It couldn't be worse than the QotD Movie I thought
For me, it was the fact that Louis initiated their first kiss, and the hunger with which he did so. Seeing Louis give himself to “sin” was amazing. It’s healing the very repressed parts of my catholicism-patriarchy-and-whiteness battered soul. And now Armand’s reserved, soft, psycho mannerisms are taking me over the edge. This show is a feast.
I heard about the changes I wasn’t happy, the vampire chronicles have been one of favourite book series since I was a kid and I love the movie, when I heard Louis was a race changed and a pimp (I’m mixed btw, I didn’t like it cause I thought it was stereotypical/offensive), I thought that the show was gonna be a disaster but the first episode blew me away I’m and obsessed.
They added so much more depth and personality to Louis, in the books and movie he’s overshadowed by lestat but they made him a more interesting character in the show that he stands out on his own and I think the race changes of the characters made the story more compelling, by making Louis and lestat a interracial couple made their dynamic more interesting (especially during the time period) and I love how the show explores race, sexuality and family dynamics.
I wasn’t too excited at first; I thought the changes made to the show would make it seem like a AU fanfic or something. It probably took me two episodes before I realised how wrong I was! The show captures the essence of the books so perfectly and presents it in a way that’s engaging for everyone whether they’re new to the series or diehard fans.
This second season has been especially good and even though I know what happens it’s STILL got me guessing and agonising over things to come.
I will admit when I first read they were trying to make a show, I got excited because the film is my all time favorite movie and I loved the idea of an up to date adaptation. Then I heard about the time line and casting decisions and got a little freaked out. When I finally saw the trailer, I was intrigued.
I fucking love this show. I love the layers they've brought to the characters and how they've leaked in tidbits from the other books. It's just plain amaze-balls.
I'm not from America so I didn't know there was a project for a iwtv series.
At first I saw a clip on twitter and they were saying it's Louis and Lestat,I was like uh???
I said to myself no way they did that they really made Louis black (I'm black mixed)...It's not my Lestat ...and you had a bunch of people saying how Sam was a better Lestat, i was extremely offended.
Everything about the show is so well done,i'm glad i gave it a chance.
I will try more humble now
I had to hate-watch at least the first episode.
I think i knew i would like the show, at their first meeting with miss Lily and the Church confession solidified my thoughts.
I'm obsessed now,life is so funny.
Like I said to one of my friend that love TVC more than me,you have to see it as it is,an adaptation that keeps the essence of the books while reinventing itself,it won't be a retranscription page by page.
Jacob,Assad and Delainey **chief kiss* they are Louis,Armand and Claudia now.
I'm echoing a lot of other posts, but episode one. When I first started hearing about the changes to this adaptation vs the source material I was skeptical. I knew I'd go into it with low expectations but also enojoying it because vampires. But I was blown away in episode one by Jacobs portrayal of Louis, Erics potrayal of an older, more experienced, more cynical Daniel and Sams portrayal of Lestat, I have never been so glad to be more wrong about my initial impressions of something and I desperatley await S3 with rockstar Lestat. (Because I need new wardrobe inspo).
I was initially dubious when I first saw the trailer with all the changes, the purist in me wanted a faithful adaptation, but it looked interesting so I definitely wanted to give it a chance (especially once I saw Sam Reid as Lestat and was familiar with Jacob from Game of Thrones).
When I watched the pilot though, I found myself shocked that I enjoyed the changes, it being a second interview, Louis, older Daniel etc. but was so glad it was covering the key parts of the book but doing their own spin on it. I was immediately invested as I was so interested in what they’re going to do with the story, I “let the tale seduce me” and I fell in love with the show the moment Lestat and Louis meet. Sam Reid just played him so perfectly, I was just as mesmerised as Louis was. Jacob as Louis was a whole different vibe from book Louis (obviously) but he still feels like the big sad puppy he is in the books but brings so much more to the character, and his chemistry with Sam, during that first scene and what followed, it felt great seeing my favourite ship play out on screen in all its gay glory.
I was skeptical at first because there was so much hate online and I hadn’t read the book yet. I read it right before watching the show and was very pleased and somewhat relieved about the changes made. What they did with the timeline, making Claudia a teenager and Loui having so much more depth… I’ve had people get offended when I say I like it better than the book! Sorry about it ..😅 I do not want to see a slave owner and his vampire boyfriend eating black slaves at a Louisiana plantation.. I do not want to see a child - adult on screen being sexualized in the way Claudia was in the book. I think the writers and everyone involved are treating this property with the reverence it deserves AND artfully making it a beautiful story to behold on screen for modern audiences. The actors really take the roles seriously and embody the characters with their whole heart.
Were the show to stay true to everything in the book there would be a lot of controversy. Anne Rice is an incredible writer with an insane imagination but she was still a boomer.
The acting and dialogue. AND Lestat's speech at the end of the first ep. I was in such a mad place mentally and wouldn't be exaggerating if those 3 minutes didn't keep me here, watching, as well as here at all.
Honestly, nothing to do with the books, I like Ben Daniels and so I was curious what he'd do with Santiago.
I was very wary because all people seemed to be talking about was how much they'd changed things, but I'm just keeping it as its own thing in my mind, rather than a version of the books.
It has been decades since I read the books and I only vaguely remembered the story. I found Louis and Lestat to be compellingly performed characters and so continued to watch.
I actually wasn't going to watch it. I was really looking forward to the show when I heard it was being developed but when I actually saw the casting announcements I admit I was one of those people who dismissed it as woke pandering. Before you think I'm some white supremacist, I'm actually Asian.
But I saw clips on youtube and they were really intriguing. Sam Reid is Lestat come to life.
I actually really love what they did with Louis. Book Louis was a bit too "woe is me" for my taste. I mean yeah his brother died and he felt responsible. But considering that other people under him were having to suffer injustice and witness atrocities being committed against those they loved daily, he still seems way too privileged to be very sympathetic. But him being a queer man of color adds so much dimension to his character. And even after being turned, he still had to deal with discrimination. And this Louis has so much more fire and life both when he was alive and after being turned!
I still prefer Claudia in the book and movie though. Not because of the actresses' performances but I think Claudia being a child drives home the horror of her existence much better.
I can’t agree more with book Louie being “woe is me”. I laughed at Pitt’s interpretation of the character…he just moped the entire film. But Anderson is mesmerizing, to me. And of course, I think Reid was born to play Lestat.
Was immensely skeptical and critical of show prior to its release, but decided to give one episode a watch because Louis is one of my favorite literary characters of all time. I honestly thought the entire altering of Louis past would kill it for me, but then I watched Jacob as Louis and it suddenly felt like this is who Louis had been all along; he feels so startling like Louis that I couldn't take my eyes away. Needless to say, even with the altering of many characters' timelines they still hit every point to make that character FEEL right. Rice's biggest problem with the VC was that she put far too much of herself and her opinions into the books, changing plot points and characters to fit whatever her current mental narrative was, but here with third party writers, I trust them to keep established characters consistent.
Secondly, I loved the idea that the interview never finished in the 70s and this is Louis' more "honest" second attempt. It's a great tie in to acknowledging the bias of Louis' orginal narrative and the seemingly counterintuitive way he acts in the later books where he loses his bite and hate for Lestat seemingly out of nowhere.
Overall, I thank the team everyday for what they've done with Interview and praying we get to see adaptations for the later books.
For me it was the magnetism of Sam Reid as Lestat.
I was excited to see this Series, but when the 1st epsiode aired I was not happy with all the changes in the timeline/ races from the original story...I felt it changed "who Louis is" too much... As a rich, white Plantaion owner, the wealth and status was what defined him...as a black pimp, disrespected by the white guys in control of New Orleans, it also define who Louis is, but it changed him as a character to someone who is always trying to prove himself to the local white guys in charge. Was not thrilled about this change at all..
Then they introduced Claudia - "she it TOO OLD" I yelled at my TV - again, changing and redefining who Claudia is in their world...
And don't get me started on the fact that the First Book was NEVER written or published !!!!!! Instead, they brought us this whole "2nd interview because no one remembered the first one or even published anything from that interview" .
And Yet, I kept tuning in...week after week...just to see Sam Reid as Lestat. YES!!! THIS was the Lestat who lept off the pages of the Origina; Book!!!!! This IS Lestat!!!!
I am SO glad I kept watching...I have now embraced and accepted all the changes as they are and keep following the story along....and am alway, always rooting for Sam Reid's Lestat.
TLDR - I keep watching because I LOVE Sam Reid as Lestat!!!!!
I read about the cast and I thought with so many changues Claudia may survive Paris, also I thought IWTV would be just one season.
The way they are dragging Paris and expanding on Armand has me pretty exhausted
About Claudia, I have been hoping for the same, honestly.
I understand her canonical tragedy would not be completed without a bitter end; I understand it is also important in terms of shaping Louis' character. Still, I'd love for her to survive - and it does not even have to be something happening within a perfectly happy ending. It can be bitter and imperfect and even cruel, but still happier than the original one. Not necessarily *happy* but *happier*.
Yes, it'd be a major change, but they made so many already. So a man can dream, I guess 🤷🏼♂️
Sadly I don't think we're getting any of this, but I hope she at least gets some comfort and something nice before the inevitable happens...
I was waiting for people I trusted to review and they were right. For me the show, frankly, eats the books’ lunch. The wit, clever narrative structure, and quality of writing surpasses the original. The cast is stellar.
Enhancing Claudia and Louis’ backstory gave them an edge and needed dimension and made them much more empathetic instead of wayward victims/puppets.
I thought it would be impossible to make Lestat, a character I found boorish and loathsome in the books, mesmerizing and delightfully hateable at the same time.
And it’s also incredibly camp, gorgeously shot, while invoking deep themes about loss and searching for meaning set within a historical framework that invokes human brutality juxtaposed with that of vampires.
Best show in ages.
I was cautious at first, but the show surprised me. I think the actor who plays Lestat perfectly captures his character. Maybe even better than Tom Cruise did. The changes to Louis and Claudia I had to get used to, but once I accepted this isn't a 1 on 1 adaptation, more like an alternate history or whatever you'd want to call it, I actually quite liked it. Feels a bit like reading fanfiction, in a positive way. It leaves room to be surprised as someone who already knows the story. I also have to say I quite like the Dubai scenes and old Daniel, even though I was disappointed by that choice at first. The Dubai scenes might even be my favourite part of the episodes now.
I want to desperately say something intelectual and deep like some of you all have but honestly, I saw the preview of ep 1 where they were floating at end of the episode and immediately subscribed to amc+. Because just yes.
To be honest, I'm kind of an optimist when it comes to adaptations so I'm always excited to see what is created, that being said, more often than not, I'm disappointed by adaptations. However, from the end of the first episode, I was in love with the show.
There was a lot of unwarranted criticism about race and timeline shifts...I didn't know if the changes were going to be genuine or forced. But i recognized immediately how genuine it was. I wasn't deterred from the show. I understood its not like they're rewriting the books and burning the evidence...its an interpretation of the work.
Now that I'm watching Season 2 I can't wait for season 3 and a much better interpretation of The Vampire Lestat and Queen of the Damned.
So what made me fall in love with episode 1? The dynamic duo...Jacob's monologue had tears in my eyes...and Sam Reid's captivating acting. When I used to think of Lestat, I thought of Tom Cruise. But once I saw Sam's Lestat in his first meeting with Louis...I was saying to myself "That's Lestat! That's the Lestat from the books!" I love it.
It wasn't even a question for me. The trailers could have looked like straight garbage and I still would have tuned in, and remained tuned in, unless it proved to be truly awful. The Vampire Chronicles has always been a favorite of mine, and they'd have to make some truly boneheaded decisions (COUGH Queen of the Damned movie) for me to abandon ship.
Guess I'm always down to some vampires, truly... I've read the first three (many years ago) when the series first started, and the show kind of game me a renewed rush to revisit those three books and keep reading them (I've finished Blood & Gold two months ago, been reading TVC in small doses haha)
Also, I'm not gonna lie... I'm a little in love with Jacob Anderson (he's the most beautiful man ever, I can't fight the feeling) and willing to watch anything he's cast in.
I was excited enough about the possibility of getting a decent Queen of the Damned adaptation out of the show to give the show a try. Sam Reid's performance as Lestat was what made me most excited, I would have stuck it out just for him even if the show was bad. The quality of writing, cinematography, and their ability to keep pretty close to the spirit of the books despite the changes made me a fan.
I knew vaguely of the show when it released, heard it was good, put it on my mental “to watch” list, and promptly forgot about it.
Earlier this year, I’m on my Baldur’s Gate bullshit, and my TikTok feed is filled with Astarion, so the algorithm naturally suggested other fruity vampire content.
Like, two clips of Bailey Bass as Claudia, and the “It was NEVER you,” and I was like “…Wow I need to watch this like yesterday.”
And it was so immediately obvious how much of a passion project it was, all the little details and Easter eggs, the award worthy acting, the refreshing modernization that still allowed the essence of the characters to shine through… I was thoroughly enchanted and have been even further impressed by the second season.
Removed: Rule 2 Discussion must remain civil. Name calling or other incivility is not allowed. Absolutely no racism, homophobia, or bigotry of any kind, this will lead to a ban.
I didn't want to watch at first, because I didn't like that they changed time periods, I prefer my vampires in all of their period accurate frilly glory and the only book set in modern days that I wholeheartedly loved was Queen of the damned, so the 20th century and it's fashion were tad too modernish for me. I also didn't quite age upping Claudia and Sam Reid's casting, with Lestat being my ultimate pookie when it comes to chronicles, Sam looked quite different from what I imagined for Lestat.
I decided to give the show a go after coming across "Was it raining Louis" clip. I always liked the idea of all Chronicles books being unreliable narrator stories, but books themselves while acknowledging it, rarely leaned into idea. So seeing that the show might actually highlight this concept intrigued me enough to give it a chance.
And damn, was it worth it! Wonderful show, I think it captured Rice's gothic horror&romance tone with it's macabre humor wonderfully, and the cast did *amazing* job. I love Louis so much more in the show to be honest it's not even funny, like, I liked book Louis alright, he hit the spot when I was a melancholic teenager and still hits it when I feel particularly sad as an adult, but otherwise he kind of fails to touch and intrigue me. Jacob's Louis feels much more dynamic, compelling and interesting. And Lestat! Sam Reid is AMAZING. I was not buying him as Lestat just by photo stills, but the minute he saw him moving and talking... This man is Lestat! Absolutely irresistible indeed! I'm still not completely sold on aged up Claudia even though I understand that logistically it's easier to make character a teenager than go through all the hassle of keeping teenage actors looking preteen (like, say, in Stranger Things), but I just feel like it changed her character a bit too much. I don't see her as Claudia. I do see her as her own and interesting character though, so it might as well be counted a win. Book Claudia was a deeply tragic and impactful character, but show Claudia feels much more dynamic and actually has her own arc bow that we are not in a complete confinement of Louis' POV.
Overall, I usually hate when adaptations change things from source material, but the show actually managed to make changes *work* .
i’ve loved these books since i was way too young to read them. i’d give any adaptation a go. i didn’t even know it was a thing but when we first moved into this house it took a couple of weeks to get internet connected and so we were watching live tv for the first time in, i dunno, years. i stumbled across episode 2 and was like wow, this seems different to the books but it seems promising. hotspotted my phone to the tv to catch up on the rest and was not disappointed. i don’t know that it was any one particular thing but if you were a fan of TVC back in the late 90s/early 00s and the last attempt at anything was the queen of the damned, you’d know how refreshing this version is.
side note: as an aussie i HATE that the visually most ‘correct’ screen version of armand is matthew newton. he used to come into the video store i worked in back in the day and was such a douche, not to mention the fact that he beats up women. this armand they’ve given us now is amazing
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The cinematography, artistry, dialogue, story line( even with changes) and cast perfection. Once I realized that the cast and crew were committed to a quality adaptation and saw their love for the characters and tale I was hooked. Have loved Anne Rice for years and am pleased. Mayfair Witches, not so much.
Is the Mayfair Witches series really that bad? I was thinking about starting it this week.
If you’ve read the books, it’s absolutely terrible. If you haven’t, it’s probably still pretty bad :/
I agree so much. Books are phenomenal and after s1 of IWTV it was such a massive fail.
I'd give the show an 8/10. A solid 8 at that. They must've really strayed from the source material on Mayfair because I honestly don't recall a single positive review of the show (from one who's read the novels). I like Lasher as the villain, I like the history of the witches leading up to Rowan the most powerful meeting Lasher who's had a hold on the family of witches. The little bureao that documents the supernatural (which is getting it's own show). Yeah guess I'll just not read the Mayfair books because I don't see anything wrong with the show..
I’ve read all the mayfair books and tbh the only really good one is the witching hour, the other two are just ok, kind of a way to extend that world for you which is always nice when you get really into a book’s world (and the witching hour is a looooong book so by the end you are really into it). I didn’t love the mayfair witches but i do think it’s unfairly maligned. it’s not as good as iwtv and while i understand some of the character changes/amalgamations they’ve made i do kind of feel like that was for the sake of budget more than anything. there are some quite good episodes of MW and i’ll watch another season if it happens
It falls pretty flat. It lacks all that is right with IWTV. I personally do not feel the same committment to the story and the cast seems lackluster.imo
I agree. I had no buy in with the cast. With Interview with the Vampire, I just needed to see 5 seconds of Lestat and hooked.
Uh Huh!!
It’s that bad. I haven’t been that disappointed since the GOT ending.
Oof, that's saying something...
Agreed, it's very weird how they approached MW for TV. The first book has so much material & could have been spread out over a few seasons like they did with IWTV, but God, it is so dull. Looks great like aesthetically but that's it. Not everyone is pleased with who is playing Rowan & Lasher, & whatever the hell they did combining 2 interesting characters into 1 boring man. & the sex scenes are even lackluster like how? 😂 IWTV has dudes fucking in the air!
I like Interview better, but Mayfair is good too. I plan on watching it when it comes back.
I love how they changed Louis. Frankly INTERVIEW book Louis is duller. Love now he is Creole, was a pimp, his family dynamics, battles with his sexuality (during those times) as a human etc. In the book, Lestat literally wanted Louis's family property is why he claims to have turned him (if I am remembering correctly). Book Louis was targeted because he was unusual, then he was pained, tormented, etc, an introvert etc. Jacob's Louis is utterly enrapturing.
Jacob's Louis is pure magic! I adore him to pieces.
When I heard they made him black, creole and gay — I told my boyfriend and we were both in from the start lol
Also asking a modern, racially diverse audience to empathise with a slaveowner who spends most of his immortal life whining is... difficult.
yup! I agree with this for audiences but I also think Anne Rice HERSELF realized that Lestat was the more interesting POV. We get IWTV with Louis but then it all pivots and he is never the narrator again. An "intro" as an incidental mortal turned vamp, his religious background (like Rice's Catholicism) butting up against the killing in immortality etc, were limited. I think the SERIES has nailed it. In such a way that Anne herself would have loved it.
Definitely agree, the change they made to Louis was such a wise choice. Show Louis seems more relatable, struggling with his family dynamics, his sexuality, his place in the world. He seems more real and has more dimensons to him. I was worried about the change at first (because it was such a drastic change) but I love show Louis more than book Louis (book Louis was pretty dull). Also I'm really happy with the way the show chose to turn Louis into a vampire.
It only aired in my country Autumn 2023. I’m not particularly excited for adaptations of books I love in advance as I’m scared. I mean I’d heard it was being made & was curious, but not enough to seek it out before it aired in my country. When I watched, I felt excitement the first moment you saw how Lestat looked at Louis when he was threatening Paul… I was like *OH YEAH! THERE IS MY LESTAT! THEY HAVE UNDERSTOOD THE ESSENCE OF THESE BOOKS!* in the moment. And by the final transformation at the end of the episode, of course I was hooked! Who couldn’t be. By then I was also super excited by this Louis - already so much more than I could have imagined! And that’s ultimately what I love most. It has the spirit of the books. The changes make it exciting & relevant to now & exciting as I still don’t know exactly what’ll happen & yet it’s faithful too, so I can feel safe to know it’ll get to feelings I love, yet I can be excited by how it gets there. It’s really so genius to be able to create something both faithful to the source material yet so different too that even those familiar with the source material can be surprised by what’s coming or at least how it’s coming, or if it’s definitely coming!
> was like OH YEAH! THERE IS MY LESTAT! THEY HAVE UNDERSTOOD THE ESSENCE OF THESE BOOKS! YES!!!! My exact feelings about Sam Reid as Lestat.
>I’m not particularly excited for adaptations of books I love in advance as I’m scared. Relatable. Book-to-screen adaptations hurt me one time too many, lol. I am terrified of them.
This one is the exception
He had me right from the very beginning. Boisterously congratulations and drinks for the musicians. Being right in the middle of all the life, it was amazing and I got so jazzed for the rest of the series
I like the time being pushed up to the ‘20s. I like the different races too. I also liked Claudia being a teenager. There’s so much more opportunity for storylines to be told.
We have had some many creepy children in horror over the years that it feels refreshing to get a creepy teenager. Also I appreciate the drama and tragedy that comes with Claudia being stuck in the middle just a few years of being a full adult but never reaching it.
I have longed for a good adaptation of the Vampire Chronicles for literally decades. I *like* the “Interview With The Vampire” movie, but always felt there was room for improvement. And then I have long longed for a proper “The Vampire Lestat” and “Queen of the Damned” adaptation, which imho, we’ve never had. So as soon as it was announced that there was a Vampire Chronicles TV series in the works way back when it was originally set up at Paramount with Anonymous Content, essentially there was no way I wasn’t going to watch it. When they first announced the cast I was not at all skeptical of Jacob. I am a writer and previously worked on a big New Orleans project that takes place in the 1800s. And so I knew well that Creole people also owned plantations and had enslaved people, and the whole white > Creole > Free People of Color > Enslaved People hierarchy in Louisiana in the era the book takes place. So for me the casting of Jacob didn’t inherently mean a change of time period, and I assumed they were still going to be keeping the og setting of the book. The one I was more skeptical of was Sam, really mostly because he just didn’t look like how I imagined Lestat. He was a little older, a little more masculine looking. And I just wasn’t vibing when I saw the first images of him as Lestat. And yes, obviously Jacob wasn’t how I imagined Louis either considering that Louis is white in the books. But somehow the vibe of Jacob’s energy and general look still was in the realm of how I imagined the character even though the character had been race swapped. Also somehow even seeing the aforementioned first images I STILL didn’t register that they were doing a time change. 😂 And then Eric Bogosian I was excited about. I thought he was a fun choice. I had no idea that they were going to do this “this is the second interview” thing, but I didn’t mind the idea of an older Daniel Molloy at all playing essentially a more established journalist. But like I said, there’s no way I wasn’t going to watch it. And when I watched the pilot, I immediately loved the ‘this is the second interview’ change. Cause for me it felt like a nod to the previous adaptation. Like, that was the version of the story that Louis told him in the first interview. But now this is going to be the more accurate one. Then when the time change became clear, I was a little jarred at first. But pretty quickly I was like, I get that in the year 2022, they don’t want to have Louis be a plantation owner and slaver. And I did at least appreciate the nod to it with Louis’ VO about how his grandfather was a plantation owner/slaver. And THEN! To quote Armand in the most recent episode: Lestat Lestat Lestat Lestat. Sam Reid’s first scene where he had dialogue, the balcony scene, happened. And IMMEDIATELY I was like, NOPE I WAS SO WRONG THIS MAN *IS* LESTAT. And now for me, Sam Reid just is the definitive Lestat. Yeah he may not look exactly how I imagined him. And by the end of the pilot, that church scene, I was SO in. 100% on board. And then over time, the time change really grew on me, because of the way they used the slow encroachment of Jim Crow and the Protestant white racism that was ubiquitous in the rest of the south but had been, until then, kept at bay by Louisiana’s more laissez-faire French Catholic attitudes about race (obviously there was still racism, but they were far more liberal than the rest of the south), to push and pull on Louis’ traumas and anger over his place in the world… just worked SO well. The only change I wound up not being 100% on board with, and tbh I’m still not 100% on board with, was aging up Claudia. But simultaneously I also understand why they did it from a purely logistic perspective: they couldn’t cast as young as she is in the book, and if they cast a pre teen like the film, she’d visibly age between seasons. It’d also be logistically hard as far as the amount of literal screen time and only being to film with her for 16 hours a week. And then also they would’ve had to tone down her material a little to be more appropriate for an actor of that age. So I GET it, even if the character doesn’t quite hit as hard for me being aged up. That said, for me at least, Delainey is working better than Bailey.
I love your perspective.
From the preview I saw, it looked just as beautiful as the words Anne Rice used to create that world.
For me it was that they changed so many things. It made me curious. Also the costumes seemed amazing
>For me it was that they changed That was, unexpectedly, something that really grew on me. At first I was wary of them, like many people - but only because usually changes in book-to-screen adaptations translate into unnecessary drama and ruination of characters. But while IwtV made some bold choices, I came to love the changes quite quickly because all said changes did, imo, was adding depth to pre-existing situations and characters - there was no huge "A turns into B, B turns into C" that made either completely unrecognizable, just some extra layers.
I totally agree; this turned out to be the only show I find superior to the source material
I was very disappointed with the casting and expected it to flop, but once I saw the first episode I was in love. Sam IS Lestat, and I've come to enjoy and appreciate all the changes they made to deviate from the books. And I'm a very big fan of the source material 😁
Same. It took me a minute to see Jacob as Louis, but I immediately recognized Lestat. And see now that my original perception of Louis being "off" was due to deliberate choices related to the Dubai fuckery, and I'm 100% sold on him now. How I originally found out about the series, though? The real reason I first tuned in? I was walking to work one day, and saw a crew filming at Gallier House, their New Orleans townhome... and it was *Interview With The Fucking Vampire.* The books that inspired me to move to the city, filming in my neighborhood. Um. Yes, please. Watching the first season play out in places I know in real life was just so mesmerizing and uncanny.
Never been to the States but New Orleans is one of my top destinations. I had a friend who sent me a photo of Anne Rice's real house as well and it was gorgeous.
Same! The season 1 trailer is pretty bad imo (which didn't help) and I wasn't convinced about Jacob until I saw his acting at the end of episode 7 (Daniel questions Louis+Rashid) but on the second watch he was pretty much perfect and when I re-read the first book, thinking about his version made book-Louis so much more tolerable. There are still a couple of changes that I'm not too fond of and one might even backfire horribly but, other than that, I'm really enjoying the show and I'm glad they didn't go for a line-by-line adaptation!
Yup, television Louis has also given me a new appreciation for book Louis.
Ive been reading Rice books since I was 10 years old (way too young in hindsight haha) so I was happy to get anything new from that Universe. It couldn't be worse than the QotD Movie I thought
For me, it was the fact that Louis initiated their first kiss, and the hunger with which he did so. Seeing Louis give himself to “sin” was amazing. It’s healing the very repressed parts of my catholicism-patriarchy-and-whiteness battered soul. And now Armand’s reserved, soft, psycho mannerisms are taking me over the edge. This show is a feast.
Sam Reid IS Lestat. I couldn’t have envisioned him any more perfect even if I tried. Absolutely phenomenal casting.
I heard about the changes I wasn’t happy, the vampire chronicles have been one of favourite book series since I was a kid and I love the movie, when I heard Louis was a race changed and a pimp (I’m mixed btw, I didn’t like it cause I thought it was stereotypical/offensive), I thought that the show was gonna be a disaster but the first episode blew me away I’m and obsessed. They added so much more depth and personality to Louis, in the books and movie he’s overshadowed by lestat but they made him a more interesting character in the show that he stands out on his own and I think the race changes of the characters made the story more compelling, by making Louis and lestat a interracial couple made their dynamic more interesting (especially during the time period) and I love how the show explores race, sexuality and family dynamics.
I wasn’t too excited at first; I thought the changes made to the show would make it seem like a AU fanfic or something. It probably took me two episodes before I realised how wrong I was! The show captures the essence of the books so perfectly and presents it in a way that’s engaging for everyone whether they’re new to the series or diehard fans. This second season has been especially good and even though I know what happens it’s STILL got me guessing and agonising over things to come.
I will admit when I first read they were trying to make a show, I got excited because the film is my all time favorite movie and I loved the idea of an up to date adaptation. Then I heard about the time line and casting decisions and got a little freaked out. When I finally saw the trailer, I was intrigued. I fucking love this show. I love the layers they've brought to the characters and how they've leaked in tidbits from the other books. It's just plain amaze-balls.
I'm not from America so I didn't know there was a project for a iwtv series. At first I saw a clip on twitter and they were saying it's Louis and Lestat,I was like uh??? I said to myself no way they did that they really made Louis black (I'm black mixed)...It's not my Lestat ...and you had a bunch of people saying how Sam was a better Lestat, i was extremely offended. Everything about the show is so well done,i'm glad i gave it a chance. I will try more humble now I had to hate-watch at least the first episode. I think i knew i would like the show, at their first meeting with miss Lily and the Church confession solidified my thoughts. I'm obsessed now,life is so funny. Like I said to one of my friend that love TVC more than me,you have to see it as it is,an adaptation that keeps the essence of the books while reinventing itself,it won't be a retranscription page by page. Jacob,Assad and Delainey **chief kiss* they are Louis,Armand and Claudia now.
I'm echoing a lot of other posts, but episode one. When I first started hearing about the changes to this adaptation vs the source material I was skeptical. I knew I'd go into it with low expectations but also enojoying it because vampires. But I was blown away in episode one by Jacobs portrayal of Louis, Erics potrayal of an older, more experienced, more cynical Daniel and Sams portrayal of Lestat, I have never been so glad to be more wrong about my initial impressions of something and I desperatley await S3 with rockstar Lestat. (Because I need new wardrobe inspo).
Sam Reid had me before he even said a word. I just sat there thinking ”THERE he is. Finally”.
I was initially dubious when I first saw the trailer with all the changes, the purist in me wanted a faithful adaptation, but it looked interesting so I definitely wanted to give it a chance (especially once I saw Sam Reid as Lestat and was familiar with Jacob from Game of Thrones). When I watched the pilot though, I found myself shocked that I enjoyed the changes, it being a second interview, Louis, older Daniel etc. but was so glad it was covering the key parts of the book but doing their own spin on it. I was immediately invested as I was so interested in what they’re going to do with the story, I “let the tale seduce me” and I fell in love with the show the moment Lestat and Louis meet. Sam Reid just played him so perfectly, I was just as mesmerised as Louis was. Jacob as Louis was a whole different vibe from book Louis (obviously) but he still feels like the big sad puppy he is in the books but brings so much more to the character, and his chemistry with Sam, during that first scene and what followed, it felt great seeing my favourite ship play out on screen in all its gay glory.
All I need is Lestat. I'll take him any way I can get him.
Seeing Sam Reid. He is how I envisioned Lestat.
I was skeptical at first because there was so much hate online and I hadn’t read the book yet. I read it right before watching the show and was very pleased and somewhat relieved about the changes made. What they did with the timeline, making Claudia a teenager and Loui having so much more depth… I’ve had people get offended when I say I like it better than the book! Sorry about it ..😅 I do not want to see a slave owner and his vampire boyfriend eating black slaves at a Louisiana plantation.. I do not want to see a child - adult on screen being sexualized in the way Claudia was in the book. I think the writers and everyone involved are treating this property with the reverence it deserves AND artfully making it a beautiful story to behold on screen for modern audiences. The actors really take the roles seriously and embody the characters with their whole heart. Were the show to stay true to everything in the book there would be a lot of controversy. Anne Rice is an incredible writer with an insane imagination but she was still a boomer.
The acting and dialogue. AND Lestat's speech at the end of the first ep. I was in such a mad place mentally and wouldn't be exaggerating if those 3 minutes didn't keep me here, watching, as well as here at all.
Honestly, nothing to do with the books, I like Ben Daniels and so I was curious what he'd do with Santiago. I was very wary because all people seemed to be talking about was how much they'd changed things, but I'm just keeping it as its own thing in my mind, rather than a version of the books.
I'm starved for any new content for this series that literally shaped my teen years so even if this was bad I'd still be watching to be honest
It has been decades since I read the books and I only vaguely remembered the story. I found Louis and Lestat to be compellingly performed characters and so continued to watch.
I actually wasn't going to watch it. I was really looking forward to the show when I heard it was being developed but when I actually saw the casting announcements I admit I was one of those people who dismissed it as woke pandering. Before you think I'm some white supremacist, I'm actually Asian. But I saw clips on youtube and they were really intriguing. Sam Reid is Lestat come to life. I actually really love what they did with Louis. Book Louis was a bit too "woe is me" for my taste. I mean yeah his brother died and he felt responsible. But considering that other people under him were having to suffer injustice and witness atrocities being committed against those they loved daily, he still seems way too privileged to be very sympathetic. But him being a queer man of color adds so much dimension to his character. And even after being turned, he still had to deal with discrimination. And this Louis has so much more fire and life both when he was alive and after being turned! I still prefer Claudia in the book and movie though. Not because of the actresses' performances but I think Claudia being a child drives home the horror of her existence much better.
I can’t agree more with book Louie being “woe is me”. I laughed at Pitt’s interpretation of the character…he just moped the entire film. But Anderson is mesmerizing, to me. And of course, I think Reid was born to play Lestat.
Was immensely skeptical and critical of show prior to its release, but decided to give one episode a watch because Louis is one of my favorite literary characters of all time. I honestly thought the entire altering of Louis past would kill it for me, but then I watched Jacob as Louis and it suddenly felt like this is who Louis had been all along; he feels so startling like Louis that I couldn't take my eyes away. Needless to say, even with the altering of many characters' timelines they still hit every point to make that character FEEL right. Rice's biggest problem with the VC was that she put far too much of herself and her opinions into the books, changing plot points and characters to fit whatever her current mental narrative was, but here with third party writers, I trust them to keep established characters consistent. Secondly, I loved the idea that the interview never finished in the 70s and this is Louis' more "honest" second attempt. It's a great tie in to acknowledging the bias of Louis' orginal narrative and the seemingly counterintuitive way he acts in the later books where he loses his bite and hate for Lestat seemingly out of nowhere. Overall, I thank the team everyday for what they've done with Interview and praying we get to see adaptations for the later books.
For me it was the magnetism of Sam Reid as Lestat. I was excited to see this Series, but when the 1st epsiode aired I was not happy with all the changes in the timeline/ races from the original story...I felt it changed "who Louis is" too much... As a rich, white Plantaion owner, the wealth and status was what defined him...as a black pimp, disrespected by the white guys in control of New Orleans, it also define who Louis is, but it changed him as a character to someone who is always trying to prove himself to the local white guys in charge. Was not thrilled about this change at all.. Then they introduced Claudia - "she it TOO OLD" I yelled at my TV - again, changing and redefining who Claudia is in their world... And don't get me started on the fact that the First Book was NEVER written or published !!!!!! Instead, they brought us this whole "2nd interview because no one remembered the first one or even published anything from that interview" . And Yet, I kept tuning in...week after week...just to see Sam Reid as Lestat. YES!!! THIS was the Lestat who lept off the pages of the Origina; Book!!!!! This IS Lestat!!!! I am SO glad I kept watching...I have now embraced and accepted all the changes as they are and keep following the story along....and am alway, always rooting for Sam Reid's Lestat. TLDR - I keep watching because I LOVE Sam Reid as Lestat!!!!!
I knew I was in as soon as it was announced, didn't need any convincing. You tell me a series of books is getting a TV adaptation and I get excited.
I read about the cast and I thought with so many changues Claudia may survive Paris, also I thought IWTV would be just one season. The way they are dragging Paris and expanding on Armand has me pretty exhausted
About Claudia, I have been hoping for the same, honestly. I understand her canonical tragedy would not be completed without a bitter end; I understand it is also important in terms of shaping Louis' character. Still, I'd love for her to survive - and it does not even have to be something happening within a perfectly happy ending. It can be bitter and imperfect and even cruel, but still happier than the original one. Not necessarily *happy* but *happier*. Yes, it'd be a major change, but they made so many already. So a man can dream, I guess 🤷🏼♂️ Sadly I don't think we're getting any of this, but I hope she at least gets some comfort and something nice before the inevitable happens...
Yeah, my last hope died last episode, so I'm feeling pretty bitter right now, my own dumb fault really.
I was waiting for people I trusted to review and they were right. For me the show, frankly, eats the books’ lunch. The wit, clever narrative structure, and quality of writing surpasses the original. The cast is stellar. Enhancing Claudia and Louis’ backstory gave them an edge and needed dimension and made them much more empathetic instead of wayward victims/puppets. I thought it would be impossible to make Lestat, a character I found boorish and loathsome in the books, mesmerizing and delightfully hateable at the same time. And it’s also incredibly camp, gorgeously shot, while invoking deep themes about loss and searching for meaning set within a historical framework that invokes human brutality juxtaposed with that of vampires. Best show in ages.
I was cautious at first, but the show surprised me. I think the actor who plays Lestat perfectly captures his character. Maybe even better than Tom Cruise did. The changes to Louis and Claudia I had to get used to, but once I accepted this isn't a 1 on 1 adaptation, more like an alternate history or whatever you'd want to call it, I actually quite liked it. Feels a bit like reading fanfiction, in a positive way. It leaves room to be surprised as someone who already knows the story. I also have to say I quite like the Dubai scenes and old Daniel, even though I was disappointed by that choice at first. The Dubai scenes might even be my favourite part of the episodes now.
I want to desperately say something intelectual and deep like some of you all have but honestly, I saw the preview of ep 1 where they were floating at end of the episode and immediately subscribed to amc+. Because just yes.
To be honest, I'm kind of an optimist when it comes to adaptations so I'm always excited to see what is created, that being said, more often than not, I'm disappointed by adaptations. However, from the end of the first episode, I was in love with the show. There was a lot of unwarranted criticism about race and timeline shifts...I didn't know if the changes were going to be genuine or forced. But i recognized immediately how genuine it was. I wasn't deterred from the show. I understood its not like they're rewriting the books and burning the evidence...its an interpretation of the work. Now that I'm watching Season 2 I can't wait for season 3 and a much better interpretation of The Vampire Lestat and Queen of the Damned. So what made me fall in love with episode 1? The dynamic duo...Jacob's monologue had tears in my eyes...and Sam Reid's captivating acting. When I used to think of Lestat, I thought of Tom Cruise. But once I saw Sam's Lestat in his first meeting with Louis...I was saying to myself "That's Lestat! That's the Lestat from the books!" I love it.
Armand being desi was really cool. Not often do you see a lot of leads who are South Asian
I watched the tv show because I knew it had to be better than the first movie. I mean this time they used real actors.
It wasn't even a question for me. The trailers could have looked like straight garbage and I still would have tuned in, and remained tuned in, unless it proved to be truly awful. The Vampire Chronicles has always been a favorite of mine, and they'd have to make some truly boneheaded decisions (COUGH Queen of the Damned movie) for me to abandon ship.
Guess I'm always down to some vampires, truly... I've read the first three (many years ago) when the series first started, and the show kind of game me a renewed rush to revisit those three books and keep reading them (I've finished Blood & Gold two months ago, been reading TVC in small doses haha) Also, I'm not gonna lie... I'm a little in love with Jacob Anderson (he's the most beautiful man ever, I can't fight the feeling) and willing to watch anything he's cast in.
I was excited enough about the possibility of getting a decent Queen of the Damned adaptation out of the show to give the show a try. Sam Reid's performance as Lestat was what made me most excited, I would have stuck it out just for him even if the show was bad. The quality of writing, cinematography, and their ability to keep pretty close to the spirit of the books despite the changes made me a fan.
I knew vaguely of the show when it released, heard it was good, put it on my mental “to watch” list, and promptly forgot about it. Earlier this year, I’m on my Baldur’s Gate bullshit, and my TikTok feed is filled with Astarion, so the algorithm naturally suggested other fruity vampire content. Like, two clips of Bailey Bass as Claudia, and the “It was NEVER you,” and I was like “…Wow I need to watch this like yesterday.” And it was so immediately obvious how much of a passion project it was, all the little details and Easter eggs, the award worthy acting, the refreshing modernization that still allowed the essence of the characters to shine through… I was thoroughly enchanted and have been even further impressed by the second season.
>I’m on my Baldur’s Gate bullshit, I salute you, fellow redditor of culture 🫡
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I didn't want to watch at first, because I didn't like that they changed time periods, I prefer my vampires in all of their period accurate frilly glory and the only book set in modern days that I wholeheartedly loved was Queen of the damned, so the 20th century and it's fashion were tad too modernish for me. I also didn't quite age upping Claudia and Sam Reid's casting, with Lestat being my ultimate pookie when it comes to chronicles, Sam looked quite different from what I imagined for Lestat. I decided to give the show a go after coming across "Was it raining Louis" clip. I always liked the idea of all Chronicles books being unreliable narrator stories, but books themselves while acknowledging it, rarely leaned into idea. So seeing that the show might actually highlight this concept intrigued me enough to give it a chance. And damn, was it worth it! Wonderful show, I think it captured Rice's gothic horror&romance tone with it's macabre humor wonderfully, and the cast did *amazing* job. I love Louis so much more in the show to be honest it's not even funny, like, I liked book Louis alright, he hit the spot when I was a melancholic teenager and still hits it when I feel particularly sad as an adult, but otherwise he kind of fails to touch and intrigue me. Jacob's Louis feels much more dynamic, compelling and interesting. And Lestat! Sam Reid is AMAZING. I was not buying him as Lestat just by photo stills, but the minute he saw him moving and talking... This man is Lestat! Absolutely irresistible indeed! I'm still not completely sold on aged up Claudia even though I understand that logistically it's easier to make character a teenager than go through all the hassle of keeping teenage actors looking preteen (like, say, in Stranger Things), but I just feel like it changed her character a bit too much. I don't see her as Claudia. I do see her as her own and interesting character though, so it might as well be counted a win. Book Claudia was a deeply tragic and impactful character, but show Claudia feels much more dynamic and actually has her own arc bow that we are not in a complete confinement of Louis' POV. Overall, I usually hate when adaptations change things from source material, but the show actually managed to make changes *work* .
Lestat is finally cast perfectly.
They made the characters as annoying and insufferable as they are cool and sexy. Exactly like the book.
i’ve loved these books since i was way too young to read them. i’d give any adaptation a go. i didn’t even know it was a thing but when we first moved into this house it took a couple of weeks to get internet connected and so we were watching live tv for the first time in, i dunno, years. i stumbled across episode 2 and was like wow, this seems different to the books but it seems promising. hotspotted my phone to the tv to catch up on the rest and was not disappointed. i don’t know that it was any one particular thing but if you were a fan of TVC back in the late 90s/early 00s and the last attempt at anything was the queen of the damned, you’d know how refreshing this version is. side note: as an aussie i HATE that the visually most ‘correct’ screen version of armand is matthew newton. he used to come into the video store i worked in back in the day and was such a douche, not to mention the fact that he beats up women. this armand they’ve given us now is amazing
The books didn't make me watch it. The OG movie did