Forty-five years after its publication, Anne Rice's 1976 novel "Interview With the Vampire" stands as one of the most influential bloodsucker tales ever published second only, perhaps, toBram Stoker's "Dracula." Rice's debut novel is almost single-handedly responsible for the image ofvampiresthat dominates pop culture today: conflicted, brooding, and oozing sex appeal from every moonlit pore. There had been angsty, romantic vampires before, but evenBarnabas Collinsseemed like a relic from another time. Rice gave Nosferatu a modern makeover, imagining vampires as literal rock stars.
But the influence of Rice's novel doesn't stop at setting the stage for vampire yarns like"The Lost Boys,""Buffy the Vampire Slayer," and"True Blood." LGBTQ+ readersembracedthe book for its queer subtext (which just became, well,textin later series installments) and itsdepictionof vampires as outsiders feared by mainstream society. It also became a seminal work for the burgeoning goth subculture; Liisa Ladouceur, author of 2011's"Encyclopedia Gothica," calls"Interview With the Vampire""a goth bible of sorts." The novel kicked off a decades-spanning, 13-book series, inspired a hit film and multiple comic book adaptations, and established the template for a popularvampire trope.
With vampire fiction back on the rise and a new television adaptation in the works, here are 11 things you might not know aboutInterview With the Vampire.
1. Anne Rice wrote "Interview With the Vampire" to cope with grief.
In August 1972, the author and her husbandlosttheir 5-year-old daughter, Michele, to a rare form of leukemia. The following year, Rice, who had recently completed a master's degree in creative writing, quit her job to focus on writing. "I pitched myself into writing and made up a story about vampires," RicetoldThe Independentin 2014. "I didn't know it at the time but it was all about my daughter, the loss of her and the need to go on living when faith is shattered."
2. "Interview With the Vampire"was written in about five weeks.
Rice firstexploredthe idea of a reporter interviewing a vampire with a short story called "Interview with the Vampire," which she revised several times. After her daughter's death, she pulled the story out again, and over the course of five weeks in 1973,expandedit into a full-length novel.
3. "Interview With the Vampire" was heavily influenced by the 1936 universal horror film "Dracula's Daughter" . . .
Rice saw"Dracula's Daughter"when she was a kid and was captivated by its portrayal of the title character as a tormented artist who longed to be human. "It established to me what vampires were these elegant, tragic, sensitive people," Ricesaidin a 2017 interview with The Daily Beast. "I was really just going with that feeling when writing 'Interview With the Vampire.'"
4. . . . but Anne Rice was not a fan of Bram Stoker's "Dracula."
In fact, shehadn't even readStoker's seminal vampire novel when she wrote "Interview With the Vampire."
5. The name of "Interview With the Vampire"'s most famous character was the result of a misspelling.
When Rice named the character who would go on to star in the 1985 sequel "The Vampire Lestat"and headline the rest of the Vampire Chronicles series, she was misremembering a common Creole name. "I actually thought I was using an old Louisiana name," Ricesaidin a 2014 interview at the Chicago Humanities Festival. "But I was misspelling it; the old name is 'Lestan.'" It was several years before she realized her error.
6. After is was rejected by several publishers, "Interview With the Vampire"'s fortunes changed at a writer's conference.
Ricesubmittedher novel to several agents and editors in 1973, but there were no takers. The following year, sheattendeda Squaw Valley writers conference where,accordingtoThe New York Times, staffers read her manuscript and got excited enough to talk it up to Knopf editor Victoria Wilson, who was also in attendance. Rice landed an agent at the conference, and that agent happened to be a friend of Wilson's. Wilson loved the manuscript, and before the year was over, Knopf had picked up hardcover rights to "Interview With the Vampire," paying Rice a reported $12,000 advance considerably morethan most debut novelists were being paid at the time, according to Rice.
7. "Interview With the Vampire"landed Anne Rice a stunning paperback rights deal.
Rice's $12,000 advance was nothing compared to what lay in store for her in the months leading up to her novel's publication. First, the Literary Guild mail-order book clubpaid$7500 to add the book to its selections; then, things got serious when Paramount optioned the film rights for $150,000. With paperback rights still on the table, other publishing houses were scrambling to find Xeroxed copies of the manuscript, and after several rounds of bidding, Ballantine scored paperback rights to "Interview With the Vampire"for a whopping $700,000 (the equivalent of more than $3 million in today's market). For comparison,Stephen King's now-legendary paperback rights sale for "Carrie"nettedhim $400,000 just three years earlier.
8. Anne Rice undertook a substantive rewrite of "Interview With the Vampire" after she sold the manuscript.
According to Rice'swebsite, the book changed dramatically between the initial sale in 1974 and its publication in 1976. Her editorthoughtthe novel "peter[ed] out" toward the end, and asked Rice to rework it so Rice wrote an additional 200 pages. The entire sequence involving the Theatre of the Vampires was added during the rewrite, as was the return of Lestat; in the original version, the flamboyant vampire died in the fire set by his protg, Louis. In what Rice describes as "a very amicable process," she worked with her editor to whittle the manuscript down to the version that would eventually be published.
9. Anne Rice balked at the copy edits she received on "Interview With the Vampire."
The publishing process is a notoriously lengthy one that involves several stages of editing, including substantive edits that address issues such as plot, character, and structure, as well as copy edits, which pertain to things like grammar and sentence structure. Rice was fine with the upper-level edits she received on "Interview With the Vampire," including the aforementioned rewrite. But she took umbrage at the copy edits that would have, in her view, dramatically altered the book's tone and style. In a process she hasdescribedas "harrowing," Rice went through the extensive copy edits with an ink pen and "changed them all back."
10. Contrary to popular belief, Anne Rice did not base "Interview With the Vampire"'s Lestat on Rutger Hauer.
In an oft-repeated bit of "Interview With the Vampire"lore, Rice supposedly named the Dutch actor as the inspiration for Lestat, who played a supporting role in "Interview With the Vampire"but has since become the star of the ongoing Vampire Chronicles series. But while Hauer certainly entered Rice's mind during"Interview With the Vampire"'s lengthy trek to the big screen, the character was not based on him. "I didn't encounter [Hauer] till after I'd written' Interview With the Vampire'in which Lestat sprang to life pretty much on his own," Ricewrotein a 2015 Facebook post accompanied by a photo of the actor from the 1973 film"Turkish Delight." "But this is surely how I see my beloved Brat Prince hero."
11. "Interview With the Vampire"is being adapted again this time for television.
Fans who were disappointed by Neil Jordan'sfamously troubled1994 film adaptation should take heart;Interview With the Vampireis being resurrected as a TV series that will hopefully kick off a flurry of new Anne Rice adaptations. AMC, whichacquiredthe rights to 18 of Rice's novels in 2020, hasorderedeight episodes of an "Interview With the Vampire"TV series thatwill star"Game of Thrones"'s Jacob Anderson as Louis and Australian actor Sam Reid as Lestat. According to theHollywood Reporter, AMCplansto premiere the series in 2022 as an effort to "launch a franchise universe based on Rice's novels." The network is alsodeveloping a series based on Rice's "Lives of the Mayfair Witches" trilogy.
Continued here:
11 facts about Anne Rice's "Interview with the Vampire" - Salon
- Nosferatu: First Footage Shows Off Bill Skarsgard as the Vampire - TheWrap - April 12th, 2024
- Vampire Weekend and Amber Coffman Cover Grateful Dead's Peggy-O - Pitchfork - April 12th, 2024
- Watch: Goose Welcome Vampire Weekend for Half-Hour Jam on Night Four at The Capitol Theatre - jambands.com - April 12th, 2024
- Woman found dead in Italian church was dressed like vampire and looking for ghosts - Express - April 12th, 2024
- Goose Welcome Vampire Weekend for Half-Hour Jam on Night Four at The Capitol Theatre (A Gallery + Recap) - Relix - April 12th, 2024
- A Guide to Vampire Weekend's Most Jewish Songs and Lyrics - Alma - April 12th, 2024
- Review: Vampire Weekend's 'Only God Was Above Us' sinks its teeth into nihilistic perspectives - Washington Square News - April 12th, 2024
- Watch Vampire Weekend Join Goose for a 31-Minute Redition of "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa" | Exclaim! - Exclaim! - April 12th, 2024
- Vampire Weekend's Only God Was Above Us: Review - Consequence - April 12th, 2024
- Vampire Weekend Covers The Grateful Dead's 'Peggy-O' On SiriusXM - Digg - April 12th, 2024
- Vampire Weekend Covered Grateful Dead With Amber Coffman On SiriusXMU: Watch - Stereogum - April 12th, 2024
- Savannah Basley Co-Stars in SyFy's REGINALD THE VAMPIRE Season Two - BroadwayWorld - April 12th, 2024
- Review | Vampire Weekend's 'Only God Was Above Us' is sure to get stuck in your head - UI The Daily Iowan - April 12th, 2024
- Vampire Survivors Contra Crossover DLC Will Come to PlayStation Later in the Summer - Push Square - April 12th, 2024
- OGWAU Is Vampire Weekend Keeping Things Fresh - HeadStuff.org - April 12th, 2024
- Vampire Survivors is Crossing Over With Contra - GameRant - April 12th, 2024
- Vampire Survivors Headed to PS5 and PS4 This Summer - News - VGChartz - April 12th, 2024
- Vampire Survivors teams up with Contra for new DLC and fangs its way onto PlayStation consoles this summer - VG247 - April 12th, 2024
- The face of a 500-year-old vampire with a brick between her teeth - Metro.co.uk - March 24th, 2024
- Scientists recreate face of 16th-century vampire buried with brick inside mouth - WION - March 24th, 2024
- Montreal daily apologizes following backlash over Netanyahu vampire cartoon - The Times of Israel - March 24th, 2024
- This Major Aspect of 'Interview with the Vampire' Makes It Better Than the Movie - Collider - March 24th, 2024
- Stare Into the Screen Not the Sun: Vampire Weekend to Livestream Special Solar Eclipse Show - Rolling Stone - March 24th, 2024
- Vampire Dormitory Anime Cast to Cover Every Little Thing Song for Ending Theme - Crunchyroll - March 24th, 2024
- Vampire Weekend will livestream Austin eclipse show - Brooklyn Vegan - March 24th, 2024
- 10 Essential 80s Vampire Movies You Might Have Missed - Flickering Myth - March 24th, 2024
- Vampire Weekend, Slightly Stoopid, Portugal. The Man, and more shows announced at Dillon Amphitheater (so far) - Summit Daily - March 24th, 2024
- 'Interview With the Vampire': Meet the Real Armand With Assad Zaman (VIDEO) - TV Insider - March 24th, 2024
- Xbox Game Pass gets cowboy vampire-slayer classic today, just in time for weekend - ReadWrite - March 24th, 2024
- Vampire Weekend Tease Punky, Jammy New Offshoot With An Imaginary Backstory - Stereogum - March 24th, 2024
- The GLAAD Wrap: Trailers for The Acolyte and Interview with the Vampire, New Music from Xana, Anglica Garcia ... - GLAAD - March 24th, 2024
- Interview With the Vampire Season 2 Will Unlock Deeply Hidden Memories - Gizmodo - March 24th, 2024
- Netanyahu caricatured as vampire in Canadian newspaper: 'Every Jew understands the meaning' - Ynetnews - March 24th, 2024
- Vampire Weekend tease a new offshoot project with an "imaginary back story" - NME - March 24th, 2024
- Scientists Reconstruct Face Of 16th Century 'Vampire Woman' Buried With Brick In Mouth - Study Finds - March 24th, 2024
- Here's a haunting, beautiful Interview With The Vampire season 2 trailer - The A.V. Club - March 24th, 2024
- Buffy the Vampire Slayer's Most Important Moment Features One Word - Den of Geek - March 24th, 2024
- TV Shows Like 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' That'll Suck You In - The Lineup - March 24th, 2024
- Remember When Pedro Pascal Was on Buffy the Vampire Slayer? - Remezcla - March 24th, 2024
- Interview With The Vampire Season 2 Goes Bigger Than Ever, See The Extended Look Into Fan-Favorite Series Return - Giant Freakin Robot - March 24th, 2024
- Fury Over Antisemitic Canadian Newspaper Cartoon Depicting Netanyahu as Blood-Sucking Vampire - Algemeiner - March 24th, 2024
- INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE: Memory Is The Monster In Stunning Extended Season 2 Trailer INTERVIEW WITH ... - CBM (Comic Book Movie) - March 24th, 2024
- Interview with the Vampire Season 2 Extended Look: Memory Is Monster - Bleeding Cool News - March 24th, 2024
- Interview with the Vampire trailer season 2 trailer is brimming with queer lust and the return of Lestat - Gay Times Magazine - March 24th, 2024
- Everything we're obsessed with in the new 'Interview With the Vampire' trailer - Pride.com - March 24th, 2024
- Pedro Pascal Was Saved By Buffy The Vampire Slayer - Giant Freakin Robot - March 24th, 2024
- AMC reveals an extended look at Interview with the Vampire Season 2 - Claire and Jamie - March 24th, 2024
- "Interview with the Vampire" Season 2 Trailer Previews the Return of AMC's Anne Rice Series on May 12 - Bloody Disgusting - March 24th, 2024
- Scream directors explain how their new vampire horror movie fits into the Universal Monsters universe, and share ... - Gamesradar - March 16th, 2024
- 'Blood Hunt' Connecting Cover Holds the Line Against the Vampire Armies - Marvel.com - March 16th, 2024
- Vampire Therapist - Official Distortions Trailer - IGN - March 16th, 2024
- How Mel Brooks and Twilight inspired a vampire visual novel mixing funny with therapy - Rock Paper Shotgun - March 16th, 2024
- Game Theory: Yes, please, bring on the Vampire Survivors clones - The A.V. Club - March 16th, 2024
- Son 'stabs dead his mum he believed was a vampire biting him at night' - Metro.co.uk - March 16th, 2024
- Man accused of killing mother in Siletz believed she was a vampire - KOIN.com - March 16th, 2024
- 11 Best Songs of the Week: Ride, Vampire Weekend, Drahla, Waxahatchee, and More - Under the Radar Mag - March 16th, 2024
- Vampire Weekend Give Upbeat History Lesson About Cruelty Through the Ages on New Song Classical - Rolling Stone - March 16th, 2024
- Vampire Therapist - Counsel the undead and help them rest in peace - ReadWrite - March 16th, 2024
- Watch: Vampire Weekend Share Classical, Third Preview Single from 'Only God Was Above Us' - Relix - March 16th, 2024
- Oregon man claims mom was vampire before he's alleged to have killed her - Toronto Sun - March 16th, 2024
- Court docs: Man accused of killing elderly mother in Siletz believed she was a vampire - Fox 12 Oregon - March 16th, 2024
- Vampire Weekend present the orchestral single, "Classical" - The Line of Best Fit - March 16th, 2024
- Vampire Weekend releases new song & video from upcoming album, 'Only God Was Above' 105.7 The Point - 105.7 The Point - March 16th, 2024
- The 'Vampire Survivors' soundtrack is coming to vinyl this month - NME - March 16th, 2024
- Blood Hunters #2 introduces an all-new vampire hunter and shows what happens when vampires drink the Hulk's blood - Gamesradar - March 16th, 2024
- Vampire survival game V Rising sinks its teeth into a full-blooded 1.0 release this May - Rock Paper Shotgun - March 16th, 2024
- Vampire Weekend have released a new album cut, 'Classical' - Dork Magazine - March 16th, 2024
- Vampire Survival Game V Rising Is Leaving Early Access On May 8th - MMORPG.com - March 16th, 2024
- Vampire Therapist Releases New Distortions Trailer - Bleeding Cool News - March 16th, 2024
- Vampire Survival Game V Rising Launches Into 1.0 This May Before It Hits PS5 Later This Year - Game Informer - March 16th, 2024
- Vampire Weekend glance at the cruelty of history on Classical - Beats Per Minute - March 16th, 2024
- Vampire Horror Abigail Is 'Very R-Rated', Says Tyler Gillett: 'We Want The Blood To Stick To You' - Empire - March 16th, 2024
- After 2 years, this vampire anime based on one of our favorite manga is getting the second season it deserves - Gamesradar - March 16th, 2024
- Man brutally kills mother, believing she is a vampire - The News International - March 16th, 2024
- Vampire Survivors is the next Nintendo Switch Online Game Trial in Europe - Nintendo Everything - March 16th, 2024
- Interview with the Vampire stars tease "fierce" and "feisty" season 2 - Gay Times Magazine - March 16th, 2024
- New action RPG combines the best of Diablo and Vampire Survivors - PCGamesN - March 16th, 2024
- 'Your vampire ball is over' Putin to Western elites - azrbaycan24 - March 16th, 2024
- 8 Interview With The Vampire Book Moments We Can't Wait To See In Season 2 - Screen Rant - March 8th, 2024
- Inside Ukraines terrifying Vampire drones unit striking fear into Russian troops who liken them to chi... - The Sun - March 8th, 2024
Reviewed and Recommended by Erik Baquero