For this episode of the Citizen Dame podcast, we keep the Spooky Party going with a look at Neil Jordan’s 1994 film, Interview With the Vampire.

Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise star in this adaptation of the first book in Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles. Pitt plays Louis, an 18th century Louisiana plantation owner who shares his story with a reporter named Malloy (Christian Slater). Louis tells Malloy about his centuries-spanning relationship with the vampire Lestat (Cruise).

Interview with the Vampire also stars Kirsten Dunst, Antonio Banderas, and Thandiwe Newton.

First published in 1976, Rice’s novel has sold millions of copies worldwide and spawned twelve sequels, many of them following the tale of Lestat. In 2022, AMC debuted a new adaptation of Interview as a TV series, which will soon begin its third season.

For the film, Rice famously opposed the casting of Tom Cruise, although she changed her mind after seeing his performance as the unhinged villain. At just 12 years old, Kirsten Dunst was nominated for a Golden Globe for her role as Claudia, the “adopted” daughter of Louis and Lestat.

The film received two Oscar nominations, for Elliott Goldenthal’s original score, and for art and set decoration.

This month, you can watch Interview with the Vampire on Max and Tubi.