Skip over navigation

Sofa Cinema

Gifts - NEW  |   Help   |   Sign in

Interview With The Vampire (1994) Certificate 18

Interview With The Vampire
Play trailer

Sign up

Rated 3.5 stars
Average rating
(70%)
 
Starring: Tom Cruise | Brad Pitt | Kirsten Dunst | Antonio Banderas | Stephen Rea | Christian Slater | Thandie Newton
Director: Neil Jordan
Studio: WARNER HOME VIDEO
Run time: 118 mins
Collections: Ezio's Top 10
Genres: Horror
Languages: English
Subtitles: Arabic, English
Released: October 28, 2002

Horror author Anne Rice penned the screenplay for this full-blooded adaptation of her novel, which chronicles the life of 18th-century nobleman Louis (Brad Pitt) after he is bitten by powerful, charismatic vampire Lestat (Tom Cruise). Though enthralled with the undead lifestyle at first, Louis is unable to warm up to killing humans and grows despondent. To comfort Louis, Lestat creates another vampire (Kirsten Dunst in a star-making peformance), a young girl who from then on cannot age. Antonio Banderas appears as Armand, a 400-year-old vampire, and Christian Slater plays the radio producer who interviews the remorseful Louis.
Director Neil Jordan captures the lush decadence and erotic fervor of the novel, infusing the film with rich, dusky tones. The big budget is well used to bring each period and place to sharply detailed life, and there is no skimping on the blood or immortal angst. Thandie Newton has a small role as Louis's Creole servant near the beginning of the film, and Jordan regular Stephen Rea appears as a Parisian vampire theater star. INTERVIEW broke weekend box-office records when it premiered and has since earned a spot in the pantheon of great vampire films.

Rating of 3 stars out of 5
Radio Times

John Travolta hoped to star in it to shatter his Grease image, and Elton John was even asked to turn it into a Broadway musical, but when this highly anticipated movie version of Anne Rice's cult novel finally came to the screen it was a decidedly anaemic affair. All sumptuously dressed up with nowhere really interesting to go, director Neil Jordan's lavish adaptation is a stylised horror tale that lacks the emotional depth and jet-black darkness of the doom-laden tome. Too many other similar ideas have since come down the undead path, seriously undermining this stark vision of the hellish torture of being cursed to live for ever. Still, Tom Cruise is fine as the vampire Lestat, whose close relationship with handsome Brad Pitt forms an erotic twist on the Dracula legend. Kirsten Dunst impresses as the child adopted by the pair, but it's Antonio Banderas who gives the most full-blooded performance as the bisexual Armand. This is a beautifully mounted production that's low on divine decadence and Rice's celebrated charnel house morbidity, but high on glossy Grand Guignol and evocative elegance.

Rating of 2 stars out of 5
Halliwell's Film Guide

A brooding period piece on horror themes and the price paid for immortality, with a homoerotic subtext, but lacking the necessary emotional depth and narrative credibility as it skips through the centuries; what lingers in the mind are some of the more sp

Highest rated reviews

26 out of 35 people found the following review helpful:

Rated 5.0 stars
superb..................

williamsgwynfa from , 19th October, 2007

this dvd is superb. The story opens in present day San Francisco. Louis (played by Brad Pitt), a 200 year-old vampire, is telling his life story to an interviewer (played by Christian Slater), who is shocked by his supernatural revelation. 'I am flesh and blood,' Louis tells him, 'but not human.' His story takes us back to late 18th century New Orleans where Louis first encountered the Vampire Lestat (played by Tom Cruise). Desiring a companion, and in love with his beautiful looks, Lestat gives Louis the 'Dark Gift'-that is, he makes him into a vampire. They live together for many years, roaming the streets at night, united by their common quest for blood. Eventually, though, Lestat fears that Louis is going to leave him. Desperate, he makes a vampire of Claudia (played by Kirsten Dunst), a beautiful young child, knowing the Louis would never leave the girl. Thus they are bonded together as 'one big, happy family.' As it turns out, though, they are not so happy after all. The story takes the vampires to Paris, where they finally encounter some more of their own kind. The coven of vampires is led by the stunningly handsome Armand (played by Antonio Banderas) who quickly falls in love with Louis. Louis is enamoured of him as well, but he will never leave little Claudia, something Armand realizes. The film ends back in the present, which is not in Anne Rice's book. The new twist is exciting, though, and sets up the story for a sequel. Which it does with Queen Of The Damned. well worth renting out.

Read all highest rated reviews

7 out of 9 people found the following review helpful:

Rated 5.0 stars
Fantastic look at the Vamp...

HodgesGG from East Sussex, 7th November, 2004

If you have never seen this film, then what have you been doing for the last decade?

Interview with the Vampire is an absolute classic - Cruise and Pitt are at their best and bounce off each other perfectly, the sets are dark, eerie and yet beautiful at the same time. The story is top notch and the whole thing is excecuted to a tea!

Even if you think you won't like it because it may be a horror, you'd be wrong, just rent it out and be enthralled!

Read all highest rated reviews

6 out of 6 people found the following review helpful:

Rated 5.0 stars

Joseph#16 from LEEDS, 24th March, 2004

Although this film doesn't stay completely true to the book, it adapts the book perfectly for the silver screen. The story is changed, the characters are slightly different, but the feeling of the book is absolutely spot on, unlike the film 'Queen of the Damned', which singularly massacred the book.

Aside from that, it's a wonderful epic film with amazing depth and vibrancy, and a thoroughly engaging plot, well developed characters and an amazing feeling of living history.

A true classic

Read all highest rated reviews

4 out of 4 people found the following review helpful:

Rated 5.0 stars
The Original Modern Vampire Tale

Faye Walters from Worcester, 25th August, 2006

Interview with the Vampire is the epitome of modern vampire films (modern included to exclude Dracula, Nosferatu etc which would create a controversial debate!). Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles are the most important supernatural works of the last thirty years and must have inspired many of the new vampire/supernatural films that focus on character/action/drama rather than portraying them as fear objects in horrors. This film is a drama, not a horror, and anyone expecting a horror with chases or human victims to feel sorry for will be sadly disappointed. Yes, there is blood and feeding but it is the vampires you feel for. The three leads are incredible, Kirsten Dunst deserves special praise due to her age and anyone who says Tom Cruise can't act should see this film. Brad Pitt's Louis is just as whiney and annoying as he should be, but you understand this given the circumstances of his turning. It thoroughly involves you in the vampire world and displays how lonely and isolating it can be (yes, I know it's not real but you get the point). Here's hoping they film some more of Rice's novels (hopefully more in this vein than the slightly OTT Queen of the Damned) - I want to see Blood and Gold! (Memnoch would be brilliant but not sure if it could be pulled off)

Read all highest rated reviews

Most recent reviews

Rated 0.0 stars
well...

vanessa05 from from Thatcham, 6th November, 2009

to be perfectly honest i really dont understand why this film holds such legacy. being a fan of all films vimpire i really disliked this film. i felt emotionally detached to the characters, i am not going to lie and say the acting performances were rubbish; because they werent. i loved kirsten dunst and brad pitt in the film but there was no character building. it just seemed they were just emerging through a world they were not sure of and i had no sympathy whether they lived or died. i really looked forward to watching this film but ended up highly bored and as i refuse to ever stop watching a film half way through, i was highly tempted to do so. i do think people should see this film cos its very obvious many people love this film and you might be one of them but i would rather watch chritopher lee any day; atleast with dracular you know what you are getting!

Read all recent reviews

Rated 5.0 stars
Excellent

stepford from , 13th October, 2009

An excellent film. Mysterious, sexy, touching and clever. Brad looks great and the storyline and acting are fantastic. I was worried that it might have a crap ending, but it was a surprise ending and was great.

Read all recent reviews

Rated 3.0 stars
Interview With The Vampire

LittleMissGothX from , 6th October, 2009

I was disappointed with this film. I had read the book previous to watching this and - as usual - the book was far better than the film. The film missed out some of the best parts of the book and also key details in the story. The film is good if you have never read the book but not otherwise. I would recommend watching the film before you read the book, that way you are less likely to be disappointed by the film. With a cast such as Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, Antonio Banderas and Kirsten Dunst, the film had real star potential. The film doesn't quite live up to the book but it is still enjoyable and exciting to watch and i would defiantly recommend watching it x

Read all recent reviews

Rated 4.0 stars
like this

floydbaggins from , 8th September, 2009

As I was a bit fan of the books when they came out and wanted to be a vampire (who didnt), was desperate for the movie to be made. Not a bad take on the book really.

Read all recent reviews