Interview with the Vampire (TV series)
This article or section needs expansion. |
| Fandom | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Interview with the Vampire |
| Abbreviation(s): | IWTV |
| Creator: | |
| Date(s): | 2022 - |
| Medium: | TV show |
| Country of Origin: | USA |
| External Links: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Interview with the Vampire is a TV series by AMC which premiered in 2022, based on the book of the same name, from The Vampire Chronicles series by Anne Rice. As of October 2024, it has two seasons released, and is in production of a third season, based on the later books in the series (The Vampire Lestat, Queen of the Damned, and possibly Tale of the Body Thief).
Canon Overview
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The series features major changes in plot and cast, such as racebending of the characters Louis, Claudia and Armand. Another focus of change is an old Daniel Molloy returning for Louis de Pointe du Lac's second interview where Louis honestly recounts the story of his life and death, and his relationship with his lover and maker Lestat de Lioncourt.
Other changes include the aging up of Claudia, her body stuck in that of a 14 year old, instead of a 5 year old as in the books, and the timeline shift. Louis is no longer a plantation owner, but instead has inherited a large estate from his father that he maintains through his various businesses of pleasure.
The show is set mid-pandemic, with the world on lockdown, and Daniel Malloy is being treated for Parkinson's. The theme of the reliability of memory is heavily explored, as well as manipulation and point of view biases. This makes for an extremely compelling bit of storytelling and, twists and turns that keep even the book-fans guessing.
Fandom
This article or section needs expansion. |
Fans are split between the new possibilities for engaging storytelling with added depth, and the darker, less sympathetic version of Lestat.
Longtime Lestat fans are concerned about the Drop, a scene in which Lestat drops Louis from the sky using the Cloud Gift. In the books, this is done to Lestat from Magnus' tower by Armand, and Lestat does not obtain the Cloud Gift until his meeting with Akasha in Queen of the Damned. This leads some fans to argue that this scene must not be real, or fully truthful, despite Lestat admitting to it in the trial.
It is this and other elements of the show that touch on themes of race that have raised concerns in the fandom, such as book fans not acknowledging the new themes, or of show-only fans missing the book-only context.
Fans embracing Jacob Anderson as Louis de Pointe du Lac: x
Shipping
- Lestat de Lioncourt/Louis de Pointe du Lac (Loustat)
- Armand/Louis de Pointe du Lac (Loumand)
- Armand/Daniel Molloy (Devil's Minion)
- Claudia/Madeline (Claudeline)
Fandom Terms
- Dreamstat
- Lesdaughter
- Samantha Reid
- Jam Reiderson
- She/her Lestat
- Armand's Minecraft Ipad
- Armand Lemur meme
- Armand Fanfiction
Inspired by spnamvs, fans created iwtvamvs to catalogue fanvids for the show.
Fan Discussion and Commentary
Differing Points of View
One of the main themes of the show is the unreliability of memory and — particularly in the second season — Louis and Daniel both grapple with memories which are biased on reflection, that they have misremembered or which have been manipulated; as a result, this is a common topic of fan discussion and has frequently resulted in arguments between fans as to whether a recounted memory is true or not.
On the other hand, some fans have pushed back on others' tendencies to argue over the truth of parts of the story. For example, one fan pointed out:
for all of y'all arguing over "who's POV is the right one"....LET. THE. FKING. TALE. SEDUCE YOU
like, I love fan analysis and discussions, meta posts, all of that great stuff that is essential because it shows us fans are here and we're invested in the it!
but fighting like we're in the trenches of 2010s shipwars??
isn't a key aspect of the damned chronicles that the perspective from which a story is told alters the narrative??
"memory is a / the monster"
nobody's version of events is 'correct' or the 'true' story
^^THAT^^ is where the beauty of the books / show lies; in the very nature of the unreliable narrators who recount their versions of events to us, their audience
Lestat vs. Swifties
Immediately following the Comic Con teaser for season 3, Twitter user mina (@urvampiregirls) posted screenshots of a crying rockstar Lestat next to shots of Taylor Swift, as a meme meant to be meta. Fans of the real life pop star took offense, setting off a storm of retweets and articles about how Taylor and Lestat were feuding.
Example Fanworks
Fanvids
- the family jewels by analog interface
- Ptolemaea by Viv
- TikTok edit by sanityassassinn featuring Lestat and Armand to Britney Spears' "Toxic"
- TikTok edit by demonica focused on the trial scene reveal, to Moulin Rouge's "Roxanne"
Meta
- Do NOT trust Anne Rice, by rsasai, an essay written in response to the series announcement
- Ruthless Pursuit of Blood Zine - proposed zine from 2022 which raised controversy and discussion with its content restrictions
Archives & Links
- Interview with the Vampire (TV 2022) works on Ao3
- iwtvamvs, a Tumblr blog cataloguing vids for the show
References