Bafflingly, almost three years have passed since I saw part one of Interview with the Vampire — the lushly produced, brilliantly performed adaptation of the famous Anne Rice novel. To the show’s credit, all that gap time proved no barrier to re-immersing myself in its lyrical, supernatural love story.
As part two begins, the interview resumes in Dubai between sardonic, irascible journalist Daniel Molloy (Eric Bogosian) and the wealthy Louis de Pointe du Lac (Jacob Anderson), who also happens to be a vampire. Having related his vampiric origins at the hands of the dashing Lestat (Sam Reid), with whom he shared a tumultuous love affair, Louis now moves on to the period after his murder of Lestat and relocation to Europe. There, he and his vampire “daughter” Claudia (Delainey Hayles) seek others of their kind, ultimately settling in Paris. There, Claudia joins a theatrical coven run by its leader Armand (Assad Zaman), with whom Louis develops a new romance. But the specter of Lestat continues to loom, threatening to derail the new life he and Claudia have made for themselves amidst the vampire troupe, who — led by its lead actor, Santiago (Ben Daniels) — see Louis as a dangerous new development to their enterprise.
Interview with the Vampire is rife with familiar supernatural lore: both its worldbuilding elements and its subtexts of betrayal, deviancy, and sexuality. It’s a horror subgenre that has suffered a fair amount of overkill over the years, but this show, with its exceptional production values, compelling plot, and memorable characters, is a reminder why the themes and ideas can be so powerful. The dialogue plays like elaborate poetry, and is given such commanding voice by the talented cast that frequently one can forget the monstrous elements and focus on the classy period production and intense romantic plots — which makes its explosions of violence, gore, and the fantastical all the more potent. You also can’t overstate the crucial casting; Anderson, Hayles, Reid, and Zaman have screen presence to burn, and the production convincingly converts their Hollywood attractiveness into preternatural, vampiric beauty in a manner that sells the story’s epic aspirations. Bogosian, meanwhile, is perfect in a tonally key role as the cynical writer teasing out the story. Part two of the saga satisfyingly caps off the novel and, once again, serves as a reminder that even a strong disinclination toward vampire stories can be overcome by sheer excellence.
