Episode 78. Blood Ties: Interview with the Vampire (1994) and Queen of the Damned (2002)

Sharpen your teeth (and your wits) because this month, we’re devouring the world of Anne Rice and her cinematic vampires. Discussing their emergence from Gothic literary fever dream to hyper-stylized incarnations on the big screen, Andrea and Alex prove that there’s still life in them yet.

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REQUIRED READING

Interview with the Vampire. Dir Neil Jordan, 1994.
Queen of the Damned. Dir. Michael Rymer, 2002.

EXTRA CREDIT

Anne Rice and Queering of Culture. A discussing of Anne Rice’s ability to subvert cultural norms.
 
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Why We Seek the High of Fame. Psychology Today’s analysis of the desire for notoriety.
 
The Timeless Myth of Medusa, a Rape Victim Turned Into a Monster. A look at the construction of a female monster.
 
Encyclopedia Gothica by Liisa Ladouceur. Goth subculture, A – Z.
 

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4 thoughts on “Episode 78. Blood Ties: Interview with the Vampire (1994) and Queen of the Damned (2002)

  1. This is another great episode. I listened to this episode then re-watched “Interview” last night. I experienced a whole new level of the film and more fully experienced and enjoyed the homoerotic themes.

    My favorite line from the podcast, “Speaking of epistemology . . . ” (Andrea). Only the faculty of horror! Love your work!

  2. Heather says:

    I’m currently enrolled in a Victorian Fantasy course and am listening to your FABULOUS podcast as I travel 80 miles to and from class weekly.

    This month’s episode was particularly relevant with regard to Queen of the Damned. One of the texts our class has discussed this semester is H. Rider Haggard’s “She” (1886). I believe there is an argument to be made that Rice was inspired by Haggard’s novel.

    The novel and the film both feature a seemingly immortal queen figure with designs on taking over the world. In the novel, Ayesha (pretty damn close to Akashka) is waiting in a cave for her true love to return to her and bring her back into the world. Similar to Lestat awakening Akashka, Leo comes to Ayesha’s cave searching for an answer to a family riddle and energizes Ayesha. Like Akashka, Ayesha wishes to dominate the world with her lover ruling at her side.

    While Ayesha does not read as a vampire, she is presented as immortal (many times being described almost as a perfectly beautiful unwrapped mummy) because she stepped into a magical beam of light. Ultimately, like Akashka, Ayesha is drained of her immortality.

    The subtexts in Haggard’s novel include fun things like the fear of reverse colonization and women in power (gasp!), among many others.

    This film is one of my guilty pleasures and I’m so glad you chose to analyze it!

    Thanks for another stimulating program – I’m looking forward to next month!

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