In 1976...
The literary career of Anne Rice began with the publication of Interview
With the Vampire.
Left: Interview With the Vampire Cover 1976
With the publication of The Vampire Lestat in 1985, Interview With
the Vampire became the first of the Vampire Chronicles.
Right: Interview With the Vampire Cover 1977
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The Vampire Chronicles
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Interview With the Vampire: Claudia's Story
In 2012, 36 years after the publication of Interview With the Vampire in 1976,
a graphic novel that focused on the perspective of Claudia, the child vampire, was published. The adaptation and artwork were
done by Ashley Marie Witter in cooperation with Anne Rice.
Interview With the Vampire: Claudia's Story is based upon the events of the 1976 novel that Claudia appeared in. This part
of the story is told from the perspective of Claudia rather than Louis or Lestat.
If you use the link below to go to the listing page on Amazon.com, you will be able to see some examples of the graphics.
Rather than a novel with illustrations, a graphic novel tells the story using images with thought and speech bubbles.
Left: The Unholy Family on the back of the 1977 edition of Interview With the
Vampire
Interview With the Vampire: Claudia's Story on Amazon
Fun Factoid: One famous example of a graphic novel is the one upon which the
2001 film directed by the Hughes Brothers, From Hell, is based upon. The film is a retelling of the investigation into the
murders committed by Jack the Ripper in 1888.
The graphic novel of the same name by Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell is what the film is based upon (some argue "loosely").
Left: From Hell (2001) Image Courtesy IMDb
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New Tales of the Vampires
Although Pandora is the first of the two New Tales of the Vampires,
Marius is a central character.
Left: Pandora 1998
The character Pandora also appeared in the Vampire Chronicles' Queen
of the Damned, published in 1988. In the 2002 film adaptation, she was played by Claudia Black.
Right: Queen of the Damned 2002
Although Vittorio the Vampire is the second of the two New Tales
of the Vampires, it was published within a year or two of the publication of The Vampire Armand.
Left: Vittorio the Vampire 1999
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The Vampire Companion
As with the Lives of the Mayfair Witches, a companion to the Vampire
Chronicles was compiled and written by Katherine Ramsland in cooperation with Anne Rice.
However, neither The Vampire Companion nor The Witches' Companion include the three novels in the Vampire
Chronicles that include the Mayfair Witches.
Left: The Vampire Companion by Katherine Ramsland
In both the The Vampire Companion and The Witches Companion,
Katherine Ramsland included some sketches of what fictional locations in the two series' looked like. Using NightCafe's rendering
capabilities, Sketch-to-Image and additional text prompts for added details were used to gain a more realistic example of
what these locations might have looked like in "real life". Here are renders of some of the homes occupied by Louis and Lestat
in The Vampire Chronicles...
Right: Divisadero Street house in San Francisco where Louis was interviewed created
with NightCafe From Sketch on Pg. 100 In
The Vampire Companion by Katherine Ramsland
Left: Louis' Uptown New Orleans house created with NightCafe From Sketch on
Pg. 441 In
The Vampire Companion by Katherine Ramsland
As we wait for Season 3, we wait for what is hopefully a more thorough and
faithful adaptation of the second novel in the Vampire Chronicles series, The Vampire Lestat. In both the 1994
movie and Season 2 of the AMC series, we see Lestat inhabiting a ruin of a Garden District mansion in a time closer to our
own. Though it has been a while since I read The Vampire Lestat, it wouldn't be too terrible a spoiler to describe
its beginning. Lestat had gone beneath an old New Orleans house in 1929, where he basically remained until...1984. This
would be that house, I believe?
Fun factoid: Anne Rice based some of Lestat's stage presence as a rock star on Doors frontman Jim Morrison.
Right: Lestat's abandoned Garden District house created with NightCafe From Sketch
on Pg. 235 In
The Vampire Companion by Katherine Ramsland
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The Vampire Chronicles and the Mayfair
Witches
The three Vampire Chronicles/Mayfair Witches novels are:
Left: Merrick Vampire Chronicles Book 7 (2000)
With the publication of Merrick in 2000, the Mayfair Witches began to quietly
enter and integrate with the Vampire Chronicles.
More about Merrick at The Mayfair Library--The Books
Right: Blackwood Farm Vampire Chronicles Book 9 (2002)
Book 9 of the Vampire Chronicles, Blackwood Farm introduced the
Vampire Chronicles directly to the Mayfair Witches of First Street.
More about Blackwood Farm at The Mayfair Library--The Books
Left: Blood Canticle Vampire Chronicles Book 10 (2003)
Book 10 of the Vampire Chronicles, Blood Canticle, seems to have
also been the conclusion of the Lives of the Mayfair Witches.
More about Blood Canticle at The Mayfair Library--The Books
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From Page to Screen
Left: Interview With the Vampire German Poster (1994)
Interview With the Vampire has now been brought to the screen twice...three
times if you count Queen of the Damned (2002).
When the film Interview With the Vampire was released in 1994 (which I did see in the theater...more than once...),
Lasher had been published the year before, and Taltos was just being published. The first of the three Vampire
Chronicles/Mayfair Witches novels, Merrick, would not be published until six years later.
Right: Queen of the Damned (2002)
When Merrick was published in 2000, the film Queen of the Damned,
according to Wikipedia, was filming. The film seemed to cram as much as it could from The Vampire Lestat into the
story line. Some kind of back story explaining who Akasha was and how she and Lestat had crossed paths with one another to
begin with is understandable.
Reactions to Queen of the Damned tend to be a mixed bag, but one thing is certain: the soundtrack seems to have held
up well over time.
There is one thing in Queen of the Damned I was thrilled to see from the novel that stands out the most to me. That
incredible family tree! I've always wondered if it would be possible to create graphics based upon that family tree and adapt
it to show the snarling, twisting, tangling branches of the Mayfair family tree. When I saw the opening credits of the AMC
series, it reminded me of the family tree in this film.
Left: Aaliyah~January 16, 1979~August 25, 2001
Queen of the Damned is also known for something much more tragic: the death
of singer and actress Aaliyah, who played Akasha, in a plane crash in 2001. She was only 22 years old.
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The Novel Returns to the Screen
Interview With The Vampire on AMC
By the time Interview With the Vampire was adapted into a series by AMC and premiered in
2022, Merrick, Blackwood Farm, and Blood Canticle had all been published. The rest of the Vampire
Chronicles novels had also all been published, including the graphic novel, Claudia's Story. Anne Rice, to the
heartbreak of the Parlor, and to Anne's family, friends, and fans all over the world, had passed away.
In the fall of 2022, the new series premiered on AMC. It was a somewhat revised version of Interview With the Vampire.
Revised? Say what, now?
Well, for starters, the time period of the story moved from the late 18th century to the early 20th century. While the beginning
was still set in New Orleans as it always had been (mostly), Louis de Pointe du Lac went from operating this type of business:
to this:
But does this mean Louis also continued to live where he worked?
Of course not.
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Episode Graphics Courtesy of AMC/AMC+ and Anne Rice's Immortal Universe
 Season
2 Finis
Image Courtesy AMC+ on YouTube
Episode 8, Season 2 Finale
As I watched Louis make his way out of the gravel, the coffin and the morgue,
I thought this is probably the moment his strongest emotions propelled him forward with what was to come. It did take me
a moment to realize the ghost of one of Louis' post-exhumation victims was actually helping him prepare.
And like the name of this episode, we see something else that brings to mind the 1994 film adaptation. Louis' revenge.
A fire in a theater.
Since it is well known that a theater is one of the most deadly places to have
a fire, Louis used this well. Theaters are large, cavernous spaces designed to hold a lot of people, but have very few doors
anywhere. One tragic example of this is the Chicago Iroquois Theater fire in 1903. But how would such a thing play out if
those inside the theater are vampires?
Louis went in while everyone was still in bed--I mean coffins. And like the 1994 film adaptation, Louis doused each coffin
liberally with an accelerant. Despite this, a few of the vampires, including Santiago/Francis, managed to escape the burning
structure. Of course, Santiago/Francis and the others did NOT stop to try to evacuate anyone else. To him, everyone else
was completely expendable. Only HE mattered. Something Louis made sure to let Santiago/Francis know he was wrong about--right
before he...uh, finished him off.
It would not be until more than 70 years later that Louis would learn it was not Armand who swayed the audience into sparing
Louis, but Lestat.
Sometime between the end of Daniel's present-day interview and Louis reuniting with Lestat, Louis returned to New Orleans.
And this is the kind of thing I love. A tour guide taking people through the French Quarter, and stopping in front of the
house Louis and Lestat had lived in with Claudia. While the tour guide thrilled his audience with the legend of this party
gone horribly wrong and what was found in the house after Louis and Claudia had fled, there was Louis, the French Creole,
wearing a baseball hat and jacket as he stood quietly listening with the rest of the tour group.
Now, since we have just recently learned there will be a Season 3 of Interview With the Vampire on AMC, let's talk
about Lestat's house. Where Louis goes to thank Lestat, who broke down while asking Louis if he tried to hurt himself on
September 8, 1973. Without giving away too much, those who have read the Vampire Chronicles, and The Vampire Lestat
in particular will recall that Lestat had hidden himself beneath an old ruin of a house in New Orleans in 1929, and did not
reemerge until 1984. The old ruin of a house Louis finds Lestat in...same house? We'll just have to wait and see!
Episode Graphics Courtesy of AMC/AMC+ and Anne Rice's Immortal Universe
See a Show Me More Season 2 featurette by AMC+ on YouTube:
Inside Interview with the Vampire Season 2
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Episode 7, Season 2
Ooh! Lady Justice with a skull face...
So, this is vampire justice...and the Court of Public Opinion is allowed a vote because they think it's a show being put on?
I think? Well, except for the soldier with the big mouth whom Lestat confronts. Despite having to amend the charge of murder
to attempted murder since the victim himself is present to give testimony, that only covers Louis and Claudia.
But Madeleine? Someone who merely wanted companionship and had endured frighteningly graphic attacks herself? I'm going
to have to go back and refresh my memory on the character of Madeleine, because that seems...unjust. Guilt by association.
With a child vampire who should not have been made a vampire because she was a child. That would have been on Louis
and Lestat, yes?
After all of that, only Louis is spared a vampire death, instead being banished.
However, "banishment" meant a morgue, and sharing a coffin completely full of gravel WITH the gravel. That...makes me a
bit...dizzy...
But...wait. HOW did this come to pass? How is it Louis is spared at all, allowed banishment while Madeleine, whose only
"crime" seemed to be wanting to remain a companion to a child vampire who wasn't supposed to have been made in the first place
because she was a child? Instead of joining a coven who made her acquaintance by doing all of this to her? Well, let's ask
the guy in the back. Armand.
Somehow, Armand was able to sway the audience, the "Court of Public Opinion", to vote for banishment over death for Louis.
Despite the audience having voted for death for Claudia and Madeleine both. What.
Did Lestat make a move to help Claudia? Of course not. Did he make a move to help Madeleine? No. And why not? Good question,
but let's just pause there for a moment. It was Armand who intervened for Louis. With Lestat right there, watching the entire
thing. Including the end of both Claudia and Madeleine. So, of course we want to see the season finale! HOW to explain
this mess, and how, even after the side trip to 1973 San Francisco, Daniel is seated before Louis and Armand again, Armand
being the love of Louis' life?
Episode Graphics Courtesy of AMC/AMC+ and Anne Rice's Immortal Universe
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Episode 6, Season 2
Armand had never made a vampire himself in the nearly 500 years he's been one?
I think my eyes would have gotten big with disbelief, too, had I been in Daniel's place. Something interesting and curious
about both Armand and Claudia just occurred to me for the first time...ever.
Armand was also very young when he was made a vampire. It's a bit jarring to see the difference in the apparent age at the
time Armand became a vampire when you compare Armand in Interview With the Vampire (1994) with Armand in this series.
However, Armand is portrayed in the series as having been quite young at the time he became a vampire, which is a lot closer
to the character of Armand in the Vampire Chronicles novels.But what has this to do with Claudia?
That depends on just how young Armand was when he became a vampire. Claudia
was a child when she was made a vampire, rather than simply "very young". Armand had at least reached adolescence or early
adulthood when he became a vampire. Despite Armand's eventful "unlife" over a period of nearly 500 years and all that he
had done, both on his own and with other vampires he did not make, Claudia having been a child when made was enough to shock
and offend even his sensibilities.
Claudia having been forced to remain a child for the rest of her long existence was something she would never be able to get
past. She had not even gotten close enough to adulthood to at least try to pass herself off as someone who did not require
adult supervision. And like any child, she hadn't exactly been given a choice.
So what happens now? What happens to Claudia, Louis, and this French dressmaker Claudia had chosen to be a mother figure
to her? Especially since it now appears that Lestat was waiting in the dressing room as the three were revealed onstage?
Episode Graphics Courtesy of AMC/AMC+ and Anne Rice's Immortal Universe
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Episode 5, Season 2
This departure from Paris in the 1940s to San Francisco in 1973 goes over the
point in the original interview when Daniel wanted to Louis to turn him, but with one detail omitted: Claudia. What happened
to Claudia? Why wasn't she present in 1973? Louis made some vague statements regarding Claudia's having left at some point,
that their paths had separated, not to be rejoined again.
We have yet to learn what exactly happened to Claudia, but without giving away too much, there is more that tends to remind
us, in vague ways, of Merrick...
Episode Image Courtesy of Anne Rice's Immortal Universe
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Episode 4, Season 2
Commentary for Episodes 1, 2 and 3 are not here because the Parlor only kept those up temporarily
before deciding to keep a running commentary on a page dedicated to the AMC series...
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Parisian Starter Pack
The Parisian Vampire Starter Pack (are the drinks complimentary?): A photographer
from New Orleans...hmmm... Now that we've seen traces of the vampire Armand's mortal life in paintings in a Paris art gallery
that hint at his mortal life as Amadeo, I wonder if there might at some point be references to a later witch turned vampire
named Merrick...
A look back...
...at the artwork made for each episode of Season 1 by Anne Rice's Immortal Universe. Each episode graphic was tinted a deep
blood red.
They've made some fantastic promotional material for both series that can be seen on their social media (Facebook, Instagram,
X). Some of their creations for the Mayfair Witches series can also be seen on this page of the Parlor:
Mayfair Witches From Page to Screen
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Fanged Tomato
Season 2 of Interview With the Vampire certified fresh by Rotten Tomatoes,
glad tidings courtesy of Anne Rice's Immortal Universe.
That fanged tomato kind of reminds me of the Bunnicula series...
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Vampires and Mayfair Witches From
Page to Screen
For many years, bringing the Mayfair Witches to the screen had been something Anne Rice had wanted
to see, and she even wrote early scripts for this anticipated project. Finally, on January 8, 2023, over a year after Anne's
death, Anne Rice's Mayfair Witches premiered on AMC.
Something the two shows have done is to tuck in little surprises here and there, similar to the "Easter eggs" found on DVD
Extras. Little references in episodes of one show to the other show. With Merrick, the Mayfair Witches were introduced
slowly to the Vampire Chronicles. In their own little ways, the two AMC shows do something similar.
Anne Rice Immortal Universe at San Diego Comic-Con 2023 (Temple of Geek)
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Architectural Deaducation
Left: Oak Alley Plantation Grounds, Courtesy: Luxury Lifestyle Magazine
Here is an interesting factoid.
The plantation house used in 1994's Interview With the Vampire as that of Louis de Pointe du Lac is Oak Alley Plantation
in Vacherie, Louisiana.
It was also the inspiration for the Talamasca's Louisiana Motherhouse, which appears in both the Vampire Chronicles
and the Lives of the Mayfair Witches.
Right: 3D shell model of Oak Alley by the Parlor rendered with NightCafe From
2D SketchUp Image Export
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The Gallier House
Mouldings One seems to have the largest scans of the plans for 1239 First Street. This page of
the Parlor goes into more detail about that:
Patterns in Chaos - The Restoration of First Street
Mouldings One also has plans for the historic Gallier house! In fact, they have quite a bit on
the details of the house, including some historical photos of the interior in black and white. For those who would like to
see the plans for the Gallier house, the link to them on Mouldings One is below:
The Gallier House on Mouldings One
Built in 1857, this was the home of architect James Gallier and his family. It is at 1132 Royal
Street in New Orleans' French Quarter. There will be more information about this house soon, so please keep checking back!
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Lestat's Tomb
Left: Karstendiek Tomb, Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 New Orleans
The Karstendiek tomb in Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 in New Orleans is allegedly the
tomb Anne Rice modeled Lestat's tomb on. It's been cleaned up and painted, but did you know this tomb is actually made of
cast iron?
Not much is known about which members of the Karstendiek family are entombed here. Well, so far, nothing is known about that,
specifically. The listing on Find a Grave simply says "Unknown" in the name, birth and death dates or nothing at all. The
tomb was restored after a fundraiser by Save our Cemeteries and the Anne Rice Vampire Lestat fan club in the form of a secondline
on October 27, 2016.
And it's October 27--seven years later that I am adding this to the Parlor...
What is known is the tomb was constructed for Otto Karstendiek. He was apparently a pretty colorful character in life. Two
of his descendants came to New Orleans for the secondline. They were reportedly astonished that their ancestor's tomb had
inspired Lestat's tomb. Although they did not know who was in the Karstendiek tomb, they hoped the restoration would help
answer that question.
This tomb also resembles to some extent the drawing of the Mayfair tomb in The Witches' Companion. The features of
it are more Greek Revival and/or Italianate, but the basic structure, is quite similar. I am currently working on a 3D model
of the Mayfair tomb, and some of the progress can be seen on this page of the Parlor:
Mayfair Witches in Pictures and 3D
To learn more:
Lafayette Cemetery #1 In New Orleans--Free Tours By Foot
Photos: Karstendiek Family tomb celebration--NOLA.com
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Little Drinks Around the Parlor
The Parlor ghost, in place of Winona Ryder in the famous red gown from Bram Stoker's Dracula...and
she's wearing the...Mayfair Emerald?! Or Claudia's emerald necklace..?
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For more information and tidbits on vampires in the Parlor, click the links below:
Lost Souls: Witches, Ghosts, Vampires & Mayfair Religion
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