On Oct. 2, AMC released the first episode of their modern adaptation of “Interview with the Vampire” based on Anne Rice’s book series of the same name. Rice was not involved creatively in the series due to her passing in 2021; however, her son Christopher Rice helped adapt her book for the screenplay. 

The first episode of this series revolves around Louis de Pointe du Lac, a young man living in New Orleans during the early 20th century. In this time, he meets a man named Lestat de Lioncourt, and the two of them quickly start a romantic companionship. The episode grapples with Louis dealing with the racism of the time as well as his family’s disappointment in his newfound love for Lestat, all while he is slowly coming to the realization that his new lover is not quite human. 

During the episode, the show cuts between the early 20th century and modern day, in which Louis is being interviewed by an old friend of his, Daniel Molloy. Although Louis’s motive for why he wants to be interviewed is currently unknown, getting the story of how he became a vampire out to the modern world is clearly important to him. 

The first episode tackles a lot of different subjects, from 20th century racism to interracial queer relationships and mental illness, leaving the episode feeling bloated. Its runtime is over an hour long, and yet it feels as though they needed a lot more time to cover everything introduced in the episode. Hopefully, the series will slow down and explore these themes more fully.

As far as the content of the show, it is visually stunning. The special effects, camerawork and lighting make for an extremely beautiful show that reflects the amount of love put into it. The only major downside of the episode, and something that could potentially be a problem later in the series, is how lackluster the modern scenes are. Every time the show exits from 20th century New Orleans to modern day Dubai, the scene becomes entirely forgettable, and most watchers could probably take the scene change as an opportunity to refill a popcorn bowl or go to the bathroom. 

Overall, despite some of the flaws in the first episode, it was an extremely entertaining adaptation to this forty-six-year-old series. 

Rating: 8.5/10