Interview With The Vampire's Most Disturbing Moments Ranked
In late 2022, AMC debuted its latest series, "Interview with the Vampire." Based on Anne Rice's novel, this show is the first of several adaptations of the author's work, which will be followed by "Mayfair Witches" set to debut in 2023, according to Entertainment Weekly. It also follows a 1994 film adaptation of "Interview with the Vampire" which starred Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt. However, in re-adapting the material for television, the creators were keen to interpret the original book's queer subtext.
Primarily, one of the show's biggest and most lauded changes is the casting of Jacob Anderson as Louis de Pointe du Lac, who audiences know as Grey Worm from "Game of Thrones" and as singer-songwriter Raleigh Ritchie. He stars opposite Sam Reid as Lestat de Lioncourt, as well as Eric Bogosian as Daniel Molloy, the reporter interviewing Louis on his life in the present day.
The resulting series, "Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire," premiered to critical acclaim, with many reviewers praising the show's new spin on familiar source material. In a media landscape of remakes, reboots, and adaptations, "Interview with the Vampire" stands out as a project that surpasses its original adaptations. In addition, fans of Anne Rice's work can rest easy knowing this show delivers some of the year's most gruesome and harrowing television to date. Out of all the disturbing moments in "Interview with the Vampire," these 12 easily beat out many other shows of 2022.
12. Louis visits his sister
Louis de Pointe du Lac's life is complicated enough without being a vampire. His relationship with his mother is strained, he struggles to accept his sexuality and is often busy running a brothel. The only person who still keeps in touch with him after his turning is his sister, Grace (Kalyne Coleman), who after getting married in Episode 1 doesn't see Louis for five years. However, when Louis goes to visit her, he's forced to keep the secret of his new immortality and hunger for blood.
Unfortunately, this leads to an awkward and heartbreaking moment where Grace unknowingly leaves Louis with her newborn son. Staring at his infant nephew, Louis feels his vampiric urges come over him. His fangs poke out, indicating he will devour his own infant nephew. What makes the moment even more disturbing, as it often happens throughout "Interview with the Vampire," is the return to the present, where Louis recounts the story to Daniel Molloy. Unfazed, Molloy asks Louis whether or not he ate the baby.
Fortunately, it's revealed that Louis did not stoop so low so quickly. When Grace returns to the room, Louis is gone, and her baby is left on the floor. When Louis returns home to Lestat, distressed from the incident, his vampire creator reminds him of how fruitless it will be to try to stay connected with his family with the desire to feast on their blood.
11. Louis and Paul take in the sunrise
Most of the first episode of "Interview with the Vampire" follows the inner lives of Louis and his family living in New Orleans in the early 1900s. His family is deeply religious and particularly divided on Louis' choice to become a successful brothel owner. The family member who Louis is confronted by the most is Paul (Steven Norfleet), whose devout faith mixed with mental illness causes him to believe he can speak to God. He condemns Louis' way of life and subtly shames him for not just his profession, but his secret desire to be with men.
Despite this conflict, Louis and Paul share a brotherly moment at Grace's wedding. On her insistence, the two perform a tap-dancing routine for the guests, reminding them of the bond their family once had. The morning after, Louis and Paul climb to the top of their home's roof, where they watch the sunrise together and Paul warns Louis against seeing Lestat before jumping to his death.
It's a shocking and harrowing moment to occur so early on and it echoes in the episodes to come. Louis' failure to save Paul divides him from his mother, who blames him for Paul's death. This separation only leads Louis to sink deeper into Lestat's arms, transforming him into the vampire he will regret becoming.
10. Lestat teaches Claudia to kill
At the start of Episode 4, Louis and Lestat have begun to raise Claudia (Bailey Bass), a 15-year-old girl who Louis rescues from a burning building. In an attempt to save her, Louis convinces Lestat to turn her into a vampire. Soon enough, Claudia is growing older in a teenager's body, hungry for flesh and blood. This is where the differences between Louis and Lestat truly come to a head; Louis prefers for Claudia to indulge in eating animals like him, while Lestat is determined to turn Claudia into a killer.
While Louis is distracted by family quarrels, Lestat takes the opportunity to truly educate Claudia. He takes her to Lover's Lane, a spot in New Orleans where couples drive to be intimate in private. They ambush a couple in their backseat, but Claudia's curiosity is piqued by the couple's activities. Unfortunately, her interest isn't occupied for long as Lestat attacks the woman and Claudia takes care of the man.
Not only is the assault on this unsuspecting couple one of the crueler kills in the early episodes of the show, but Claudia's growing fascination with sex and torturing her victims threatens to turn her into another Lestat. Thankfully, her camaraderie with Lestat won't last for long, despite this moment of bonding between them.
9. Louis picks up a new diet
Unlike Lestat, Louis doesn't take too kindly to killing human beings for food. This ambivalence creates tension between him and Lestat, especially in Episode 3 where Louis is purposefully avoiding eating humans. At one point, after ambushing a man in an alley, he instead opts to eat a nearby stray cat while Lestat devours the stranger's blood. This becomes a routine for Louis, refusing to associate himself with Lestat's vicious and oftentimes extraneous murders.
Nevertheless, Louis' decision to abstain from eating humans takes a toll on his own health as a vampire. Excusing himself from his business at the brothel, Louis retreats into the shadows to feed on rats. It's a disturbing sight to see Louis regrettably chew on small animals that quiver with every bite. It's even more disturbing as it seems like it's not enough for Louis. As he grows more distant from Lestat, his creator preoccupies himself with other lovers, which furthers Louis' anger at his own position.
8. Claudia's first time with Charlie
Following her first kill, Claudia takes an interest in romance. Though her fantasies are scoffed at due to her appearance of being 14, the truly 19-year-old Claudia is somewhat of a late bloomer when it comes to sex. She eventually starts going out at night, masquerading as a flapper (after killing one and stealing her clothes). She finally develops her first crush on a carriage driver named Charlie (Xavier Mills) who saves her from oncoming traffic. Little did Charlie know her goal at that moment was to devour a group of mean girls.
Eventually, she begins spending time on her balcony at night to catch a glimpse of Charlie. He begins courting her with flowers and takes her out for ice cream. Finally, mimicking the couples she and Lestat killed in Lover's Lane, she ends up in Charlie's backseat. As they begin to make love, Claudia seductively bites Charlie's neck, sucking his blood. Unknowingly, she goes too far, and soon enough she's sitting on the lap of a dead man.
As if it isn't traumatic enough that Claudia's first experience with love ends in disaster, it's Lestat's reaction to Claudia's deed that's truly disturbing. Rather than turn Charlie into a vampire for her (it's too late for that — Charlie's already dead), Lestat forces her to watch Charlie's body burn in their incinerator, cruelly warning her against loving humans.
7. Claudia meets a sinister vampire
Episode 5 sees Claudia go off on her own, fed up with the cruel Lestat and passive Louis. Like the previous episode, most of Claudia's experiences are framed through Molloy's investigation into her personal diaries, which present-day Louis offers insight into as the story unfolds. That is until Molloy comes across one particular sequence that created controversy among the show's audience members, with some saying that the episode goes too far.
Claudia travels to a college where she robs a library for books to feed her interest in human affairs. This petty theft leads her into the not-so-good graces of Bruce (Damon Daunno), a motorcycle-riding vampire. Claudia accompanies Bruce into the woods, where they talk about their respective creators before Bruce drops the bombshell that he's been following Claudia for some time. As she tries to escape, Bruce subdues her, promising to teach her to be a "nice young lady," before ... Molloy stops reading.
The following pages of Claudia's diary have been ripped out and Molloy interrogates Louis on what happened to Claudia, but Louis refuses to answer. The audience is left to assume what transpired next, but it's the mystery that Louis leaves Molloy with that is not only disturbing but invites the imagination to go darker than the show ever could.
"If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673)."
6. Lestat surprises Claudia on a train
The latter half of "Interview with the Vampire" examines the conflict between Lestat and Claudia, with Louis caught in the middle. In Lestat's eyes, Claudia's presence disrupts his relationship with Louis, but he also recognizes that she makes him happier. Claudia, on the other hand, views Lestat as cruel and abusive toward Louis. Nevertheless, the two are locked in a game of mental chess, with Claudia in particular finding pleasure in provoking Lestat whenever she gets the chance.
Leave it to Lestat to enact a gruesome power move over Claudia, despite his distaste for her. After Claudia gets Louis' permission to flee New Orleans on a runaway train, her excitement is halted by a screaming conductor. In waltzes a bloody Lestat, who toys with the conductor's head. Determined to keep Louis content, Lestat informs Claudia that she'll have to return to their home, threatening her to play nice. It's a scene that invokes a similar danger to Claudia's encounter with Bruce, although this time we're well aware of how far Lestat is willing to go.
By the time Louis returns home, Claudia and Lestat are waiting for him. Though Lestat makes up the excuse that her return is for her own safety as World War II breaks out in Europe, Louis understands that Claudia feels she's in danger. Unfortunately, he'll never know about the conductor that was gruesomely murdered by Lestat to bring her back.
5. Lestat's fight with Louis
Claudia's return to New Orleans leads to one of the series' most brilliantly-directed and visually compelling sequences. At this point, "Interview with a Vampire" has not shied away from showing the dysfunction in Louis' relationship with Lestat. The resentment and hostility between them only grows when Claudia leaves, and Louis is inconsolable without her. However, following her encounter with Bruce, Claudia is eager to escape to Europe with Louis and leave Lestat behind.
Nevertheless, Lestat is enraged that Louis even considers the offer. A fight between the two ensues (filmed from Claudia's POV) as she retreats into the New Orleans estate. Lestat and Louis crash through walls and destroy property as Claudia stumbles up the staircase while nursing a head wound. It's a disorienting, traumatic sight for the eternal 15-year-old, but it gets worse for Louis when Lestat, revealing he has the gift of flight, shoots into the sky with Louis in his grasp.
Claudia watches from below as Lestat drops Louis from high above. Luckily, Louis lands in their backyard with his legs twisted in different directions. Lestat leaves and Claudia cries over Louis, a victim of Lestat's cruel violence, though she knows he will eventually take Lestat back. For a show about vampires and magic, it's a grim, realistic episode that examines this horrifying act of domestic violence.
If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.
4. Lestat criticizes an opera singer
Episode 2 of "Interview with the Vampire" mostly focuses on Louis adapting to his new life as a vampire, guided by Lestat. Louis ambushes and kills his first humans, though murder doesn't come as easily to him. Nonetheless, Louis does engage in some solo slaughter when a white man he's doing business with makes a racial slur, which he doesn't take kindly to. The real crux of Louis' hesitation to eat people comes at the end of the episode, when he assists Lestat in a murder that's less survival-based, and more driven by ego.
Attending an opera together, Lestat is driven to rage by the show's off-key tenor. Despite Louis' eagerness to let the singer off the hook, Lestat leads him back to their abode in New Orleans. While Louis sits in another room, Lestat forces the tenor to practice his pitch, which only results in more frustration for Lestat, who later pokes the singer and begins slowly drawing his blood. Louis would rather get it over with, but Lestat is determined to make the tenor pay for his lack of musical expertise.
It's a disturbing moment when, subsequently, Lestat coerces Louis to join him in slowly devouring the tenor. One can't help but feel bad for the poor opera singer as he dies, unaware of what he had gotten himself into. It's a moment that even disturbs Louis enough to swear off killing for the inevitable future, which continues into the present-day timeline.
3. Lestat ambushes Louis at the church
The first episode of "Interview with the Vampire" proves to Anne Rice fanatics that the show would in fact deliver on their wildest dreams. After the death of his brother, ostracization from his family, and the murder of his lover (and secret beard) Lily (Najah Bradley), Louis finds himself begging for forgiveness at church. He confesses to his homosexual desires, his profession of managing prostitutes, and laying with the devil, which he presumes his affair with Lestat to be.
Unfortunately for Louis, the priest doesn't live long enough to grant him this forgiveness. Louis exits the confessional to find the church in flames and Lestat feasting on the minister. Another priest spots them and tries to escape, but Lestat chases him down and, in one of the show's most gory moments, Lestat punches through the back of the priest's head, his face exploding. Lestat returns to Louis, covered in blood, and offers to turn him into an immortal vampire.
Despite his fear of Lestat, Louis succumbs to the enchanting vampire and lets Lestat drain his blood. When he next opens his eyes, he has the pupils of a vampire. As Louis tells Molloy in the present, this massacre was the beginning of Louis' life and foreshadows his disturbing future to come.
2. Louis gets revenge on his competitor
You may not recognize the actor who voiced your entire childhood who appears in Episode 3 as Alderman Fenwick. The character is played by John DiMaggio, mostly known for his voice acting roles in "Futurama" as Bender and "Adventure Time" as Jake the Dog. Fenwick is quite a different role for DiMaggio who plays a racist business owner who unknowingly draws the ire of a freshly-minted vampire after he threatens Louis to leave Storyville.
After Fenwick offers to buy Louis' establishment for 85% less than the asking price, Louis adorns his brothel with a sign that reads "Colored Only." The stunt only draws more anger from New Orleans' law enforcement, requiring Louis to close his business for good. Fenwick would likely see this as a win until he enters his office one night to find Louis waiting for him. In a Lestat-esque fashion, Louis dismembers Fenwick's ear and then cuts his face open, letting him suffer in pain before draining him of blood.
The next morning, horrified New Orleans residents discover the disembodied torso of Fenwick hung outside City Hall. His entrails, still wet with blood, are attached to the "Colored Only" sign from earlier in the episode, and the incident results in riots across Storyville. While Louis' harming of humans come few and far between, this is a cruel display of violence from the vampire that might even disturb Lestat.
1. A feast to bid farewell to New Orleans
Eventually, the time comes for Louis, Lestat, and Claudia to say goodbye to New Orleans as they're no longer welcome. However, there's a more momentous reason for their departure: Louis and Claudia secretly conspire to kill Lestat. Their plan is to take place at an impromptu, early Mardi Gras celebration, one that Lestat sees as an opportunity for them to feast on a select group of attendees.
Given that this occurs in the finale of the first season of "Interview with the Vampire," it's not surprising that this is the show's bloodiest sequence with the highest body count. One memorable moment sees Louis viciously tear the jaw off one patron, while Lestat pins another to the wall and drains them and a victim of Claudia's loses an eye. It all culminates in Louis and Claudia leaving one victim left for Lestat, one that they've presumably poisoned during the party. Despite being covered in blood and hungry for more, Lestat reveals he's figured out their ruse.
Or at least, he thinks he has. Once he begins throwing up blood, Lestat realizes that the poisoned patron was the same one that he earlier pinned against the wall. As Claudia subdues and kills Lestat's lover Antoinette (Maura Grace Athari), who has also been turned into a vampire, Louis slits a dying Lestat's throat. In a very literal sense, this episode is a disturbing bloodbath.