The film is dedicated to Aaliyah, who died in a plane crash on August 25, 2001, after completing her scenes in the production. It was distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures and released in the United States on February 22, 2002, and in Australia on April 4, 2002. It received mostly negative reviews from critics, and grossed just over $45 million against a $35 million production budget.
Plot
The sound of a nu metal band arouses the vampire Lestat de Lioncourt from a lengthy slumber, and he proceeds to take over as their lead singer. Achieving international success with the ensemble, which he names The Vampire Lestat, and having revealed the existence of vampires, he taunts his own kind during an interview to advertise his first and only live concert. Jesse Reeves, a researcher for the paranormal studies group Talamasca, is intrigued by his lyrics upon hearing one of his songs play on TV and tells the other members her theory that he really is a vampire. Her mentor, David Talbot, explains to her they already know of his identity and donates Lestat's journal that he recovered so that Jesse can read it, but warns her against pursuing Lestat. In the journal, Lestat recalls that in the winter of 1788, he was brought to a Mediterranean island and vampirized by Marius de Romanus, formerly a talented painter, and his violin playing awoke Akasha, the first vampire. Increasingly intrigued, Jesse tracks Lestat down to a London vampire club called The Admiral's Arms, where he saves her from three vampires and confronts her about Marius.
Visiting Lestat in Los Angeles, Marius warns him that the other vampires will not tolerate his flamboyant public profile; he reveals that Lestat's music has awakened Akasha and unsuccessfully implores him to cancel his concert. Meanwhile, Akasha arrives at the coven, looking for Lestat. After the vampires reveal their plan to kill him at his concert, she torches the club and kills all the vampires inside. Arriving in Los Angeles, Jesse gives Lestat his journal back and asks him to show her what being a vampire is like. He scoffs at the idea, but she convinces him to spend time with her. She later enquires if he can convert her, expressing her desire to be with him and know everything he does. He angrily declines, demonstrating how a vampire preys on human blood before asking her if she truly wants to become one.
Lestat is attacked by a group of vampires at his concert in Death Valley, and Marius aids him in defeating most of them until Akasha arrives and promptly carries Lestat with her to her home on an island resort. During their period of sexual intercourse, he becomes spellbound and subservient to her. Jesse awakens in the house where she lived as a child, in awe at the sight of her aunt, Maharet, who later reveals herself as a member of the Ancient Vampires. Fearing Akasha's plans for world domination, the Ancient Vampires decide to destroy her by draining her blood. However, they believe that whoever drinks her last drop will not survive.
Akasha confronts the Ancient Vampires and interrupts their meeting, with Lestat, empowered by her blood, accompanying her. When they refuse to side with her, Akasha commands him to kill Jesse, seeing her both as an enemy due to being Maharet's descendant and as food, with Akasha planning to make an example out of her to dissuade disobedience. He ostensibly obeys, but after drinking Jesse's blood, comes to his senses and is released from Akasha's controlling influence. He demands his "crown", and as Akasha openly offers him her arm to feed on, he then turns on her and, aided by the Ancients, begins to drain her blood, diminishing her power; he goes to Jesse and, cradling her in his arms, donates his blood to her as Maharet, who has effectively killed Akasha by drinking her last drop of blood, turns into a marble statue and "sleeps", becoming the new Queen of the Damned.
Now a vampire, Jesse visits David, accompanied by Lestat, and returns the journal. When David nervously asks her about life in her current status, Jesse offers to vampirize him, but he declines due to his age. Jesse then bids David farewell and goes to embrace him, but he fearfully rejects the embrace; sensing his hesitation, Jesse looks hurt but nods in understanding and leaves with Lestat. Marius then enters David's office, well aware that David has obsessed over him for many years, and politely greets him. Lestat and Jesse walk hand in hand, among mortals, into the night.
Jonathan Davis played a Scalper and also provided the uncredited singing voice for Lestat. In addition to Davis, several real-life musicians also appeared in the film including Darren Wilson as Sound Engineer, Rowland S. Howard as Vampire Guitarist, Hugo Race as Vampire Bass, Robin Casinader as Vampire Pianist, and former Jerk member Johnathan Devoy as James. Serena Altschul made a cameo as herself.
After the commercial and critical success of Interview, Neil Jordan began initial development of the novel's sequel, The Vampire Lestat, although this went nowhere.[4]
As the rights to the novels would revert to Anne Rice at the end of 2000,[5] initial story meetings to adapt one or both of the remaining The Vampire Chronicles began in 1998. The decision was made early to substantially rewrite the plot, and to base most of the movie on the third novel, The Queen of the Damned, as The Vampire Lestat was considered too broad and episodic for a two-hour feature film, although the novel's setup of Lestat's awakening and career as a rock star was used. It was also decided to focus on Lestat as the primary character, and the back story of Akasha and the Story of the Twins were omitted, despite these being virtually central to the plot of the novel.[6]
Displeased with the lack of progress, and more particularly with the studio's lack of consultation with her over the script development, author Anne Rice wrote a critical reply to a fan's question about the film in 1998:[7]
The key factor is that the entire vampire contract terminates in the year 2000. All the properties revert to me at that time, unless production commences—principal photography that is—before then. I don't think it is possible for Warner Bros. to develop anything in that amount of time.
They have not been receptive to me or to my ideas at all.
Not very long ago, less than a year ago in fact, I begged the executives there to let me write a script for THE VAMPIRE LESTAT for union scale (the Writers Guild won't let you write it for free) and a deferred payment not due until release of the picture. They simply weren't interested. It was very painful for me, as I had been talking to a new director they'd hired and we were both excited about the idea.
I felt snubbed and hurt and have not bothered to approach them since. The young director is supposed to be developing THE QUEEN OF THE DAMNED which I think is a bad idea, and basically a doomed project.
In spite of their showing no interest in me as the screen writer, they have not been able to find one themselves for this bizarre idea of THE QUEEN OF THE DAMNED. I'm not too surprised. I think any respectable script writer would be crazy to tackle that novel without having fully developed the background story of Lestat. Anyway, that is where it is.
During 1999, the script was developed by television writer Scott Abbott and Australian writer/director Michael Petroni. Another Australian, Michael Rymer, was confirmed to direct. Rymer suggested the film be shot in his home city of Melbourne, which would save considerably on production costs.
The first actor cast was R&B singer Aaliyah (who had made her film and acting debut in Romeo Must Die) as Akasha, the eponymous Queen of the Damned. The search for an actor to play Lestat took much longer — the idea of Tom Cruise reprising the role was considered but dismissed (ultimately Cruise declined to reprise the role) —although front runners included Wes Bentley, Josh Hartnett, and Heath Ledger.[8] Irish actor Stuart Townsend assumed the role in 2000, and the final cast included Vincent Perez as Marius, Paul McGann as David Talbot, Lena Olin as Maharet, and Marguerite Moreau as Jesse Reeves. Australian actors included Claudia Black as Pandora and Matthew Newton as Armand.
Production
With a large cast of international and Australian actors, Queen of the Damned began principal photography on October 2, 2000 and ended on February 27, 2001, in a former biscuit factory, converted into a studio in the Melbourne suburb of St. Albans. Location filming took place around the city of Melbourne, although some filming was done in Los Angeles. For the scenes of Lestat's concert in Death Valley, over 3000 goths were recruited from Melbourne nightclubs and on the internet, then driven on a fleet of buses to a quarry in Werribee to act as extras.[9]
The songs for Lestat's band were written and performed by Jonathan Davis of the nu metal band Korn, and Richard Gibbs, although Davis' contractual commitments to Sony BMG meant that his vocals could not appear on the soundtrack album.[10] Instead, the vocals were re-recorded by other musicians for the soundtrack's official release: Wayne Static of Static-X ("Not Meant for Me"), David Draiman of Disturbed ("Forsaken"), Chester Bennington of Linkin Park ("System"), Marilyn Manson ("Redeemer"), and Jay Gordon of Orgy ("Slept So Long").[11] During the end credits "Not Meant for Me" is played. It is Jonathan Davis' version although the credits list it as the Wayne Static version from the album.
Davis also made a small cameo in the film. When Jesse arrives in Los Angeles, a scalper (Jonathan Davis) attempts to sell her tickets to Lestat's show.[11]
The original studio recording of "Careless (Akasha's Lament)" was written and produced by Davis and Gibbs, during the Queen of the Damned sessions. Vocals were by Davis, keyboards by Gibbs, guitars by James Shaffer, Brian Welch, and Davis, and drums by Vinnie Colaiuta. Davis released the song in downloadable form via Amazon and iTunes on November 16, 2007.[13]
Plans to record a duet between Aaliyah and Davis never materialised, due to Aaliyah's death.[14]
Release
Author's reaction
By July 2001, author Anne Rice had mellowed her previous stance on the film, much as she had with Interview with a Vampire. When asked about the film's progress, she answered:[15]
Everything I hear about the movie is good. Warner Bros. is extremely enthusiastic. They are working very hard to make it perfect. I have no real news. Let me repeat what I mentioned in a recent message. I met Stuart Townsend, the young man who is playing Lestat and he was absolutely charming. He had Lestat's excellent speaking voice and his feline grace. I cannot wait to see him in the film.
By late 2001, Rice had seen the completed film and was sufficiently satisfied to allow her name to be used on promotional material,[16] although she later became disillusioned about it and dismissed the film in 2003, a year after its release, stating that a television series format would be more suited to the source material.[17] Subsequently, Rice urged fans on her Facebook page to "simply forget" about the film, which she said was something she could not relate to as far as her work was concerned and while she did encourage the studio not to do the film, in the end, it hurt her to see her work "mutilated" as it had been depicted.[18]
Public and critical reaction
Queen of the Damned was released in the United States and Canada on February 22, 2002.
The film received mostly negative reviews from critics, with several reviewers such as Roger Ebert describing it as "goofy" or "damned". The film has an approval "rotten" rating of 17% at Rotten Tomatoes based on 130 reviews, with the site's consensus reading: "A muddled and campy MTV-styled vampire movie with lots of eye candy and bad accents."[19] Despite negative reviews, Queen of the Damned nonetheless topped the box office on its opening weekend, against fairly weak competition.[clarification needed][20][21][22] The film grossed $45.4 million on a $35 million budget and was considered a flop.[1][23]
Allan Menzies
In December 2002, ten months after the film released, Allan Menzies, a man from West Lothian, Scotland, who claimed to have seen it more than a hundred times, killed his friend, Thomas McKendrick, and drank his blood. Upon his arrest, he claimed in court during his trial that Aaliyah's character Queen Akasha told him to do it, saying that it would make him immortal as a vampire.[24] Despite attempting to plead not guilty by reason of insanity, he was declared sane and found guilty of murder before being sentenced to life in prison; a year later he was discovered dead in his cell of an apparent suicide.[25]
Home media
Queen of the Damned was released on VHS and DVD on August 27, 2002.[26]Queen of the Damned was released on Blu-ray on September 18, 2012, and re-released on Blu-ray Disc on February 7, 2017.[26]
Related Research Articles
The Queen of the Damned (1988) is a vampire novel by American writer Anne Rice, the third in her The Vampire Chronicles series. It follows Interview with the Vampire and The Vampire Lestat. This novel is a continuation of the story that ends in a cliffhanger in The Vampire Lestat and explores the rich history and mythology of the origin of the vampires, which dates back to Ancient Egypt.
Interview with the Vampire is a gothic horror and vampire novel by American author Anne Rice, published in 1976. It was her debut novel. Based on a short story Rice wrote around 1968, the novel centers on vampire Louis de Pointe du Lac, who tells the story of his life to a reporter. Rice composed the novel shortly after the death of her young daughter Michelle, who served as an inspiration for the child-vampire character Claudia. Though initially the subject of mixed critical reception, the book was followed by many widely popular sequels, collectively known as The Vampire Chronicles. A film adaptation was released in 1994, starring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt, and a television series premiered in 2022. The novel has also been adapted as a comic three times.
The Vampire Lestat (1985) is a vampire novel by American writer Anne Rice, the second in her Vampire Chronicles, following Interview with the Vampire (1976). The story is told from the point of view of the vampire Lestat de Lioncourt, while Interview is narrated by Louis de Pointe du Lac.
The Tale of the Body Thief is a vampire novel by American writer Anne Rice, the fourth in her The Vampire Chronicles series, following The Queen of the Damned (1988). Published in 1992, it continues the adventures of Lestat, specifically his efforts to regain his lost humanity during the late 20th century. Chapters from the book appeared in the October 1992 issue of Playboy.
Memnoch the Devil (1995) is a vampire novel by American writer Anne Rice, the fifth in her Vampire Chronicles series, following The Tale of the Body Thief. In this story, Lestat is approached by the Devil and offered a job at his side.
The Vampire Chronicles is a series of gothic vampire novels and a media franchise, created by American writer Anne Rice, that revolves around the fictional character Lestat de Lioncourt, a French nobleman turned into a vampire in the 18th century.
Stuart Townsend is an Irish actor. He portrayed Lestat de Lioncourt in the film adaptation of Anne Rice's Queen of the Damned (2002), and Dorian Gray in Alan Moore's The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003). In 2007, he directed the film Battle in Seattle.
Blood Canticle is a 2003 vampire novel by American writer Anne Rice, the tenth book in her The Vampire Chronicles series. The novel includes some characters who cross over from Rice's Lives of the Mayfair Witches trilogy (1990–1994), concluding the unified story begun in Merrick (2000) and continued in Blackwood Farm (2002).
Lestat de Lioncourt is a fictional character from Anne Rice's The Vampire Chronicles novel series. Born in the mid 1700s, Lestat is an immortal vampire and the antihero of the franchise.
Pandora (1998) is a vampire novel by American writer Anne Rice. It is one of two novels in the New Tales of the Vampires series, along with Vittorio the Vampire.
Blood and Gold (2001) is a vampire novel by American writer Anne Rice, the eighth book in her Vampire Chronicles series.
Armand is a fictional character in The Vampire Chronicles novels written by Anne Rice. At the end of the series, he is approximately 500 years of age. His outward appearance is that of a beautiful adolescent boy, 5’6, with curly auburn hair, large brown eyes and slender fingers. His features are at times compared figuratively to those of Cupid or a Botticelli angel.
Louis de Pointe du Lac is a fictional character in Anne Rice's The Vampire Chronicles series. He begins his life as a mortal man and later becomes a vampire. He is the protagonist who tells his story in Interview with the Vampire. He also features in The Vampire Lestat, The Queen of the Damned, The Tale of the Body Thief, Memnoch the Devil, The Vampire Armand, Merrick, Prince Lestat, Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis and Blood Communion: A Tale of Prince Lestat
Interview with the Vampire is a 1994 American gothic horror film directed by Neil Jordan, based on Anne Rice's 1976 novel of the same name, and starring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt. It focuses on Lestat (Cruise) and Louis (Pitt), beginning with Louis's transformation into a vampire by Lestat in 1791. The film chronicles their time together, and their turning of young Claudia into a vampire. The narrative is framed by a present-day interview, in which Louis tells his story to a San Francisco reporter. The supporting cast features Antonio Banderas and Stephen Rea.
Lestat is a Broadway musical inspired by Anne Rice's The Vampire Chronicles. The score is by Elton John and Bernie Taupin, with the book by Linda Woolverton. The musical had a brief run on Broadway in 2006.
Queen of the Damned: Music from the Motion Picture is the official soundtrack for the 2002 vampire film Queen of the Damned based on the Anne Rice novel of the same name. It released on February 19, 2002 via Warner Music Group and was produced by Richard Gibbs and Jonathan Davis of American nu metal band Korn. Frank Fitzpatrick and Rich Dickerson served as the music supervisors for the album.
Anne Rice was an American author of gothic fiction, erotic literature, and Bible fiction. She is best known for writing The Vampire Chronicles. She later adapted the first volume in the series into a commercially successful eponymous film, Interview with the Vampire (1994).
Prince Lestat is a novel by American writer Anne Rice, the eleventh in The Vampire Chronicles series, published on October 28, 2014. Rice had originally stated the novel Blood Canticle was meant to conclude the series, but in March 2014 she had announced a forthcoming novel that would be a sequel to the first five books and the start of a new series. She also announced via her personal Facebook that she had begun writing a follow-up novel to Prince Lestat, tentatively titled Blood Paradise, then retitled Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis.
Ramses the Damned: The Passion of Cleopatra is a historical horror novel by American writers Anne Rice and her son Christopher Rice, published by Anchor Books on November 21, 2017. It a sequel to Anne Rice's 1989 novel The Mummy, or Ramses the Damned. A jointly-authored third novel in this series, Ramses the Damned: The Reign of Osiris, was released on February 1, 2022, two months after Anne Rice's death.
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