Vampire‘s premiere weaves a seductive spell, going excessive in all one of the best methods with stunning interval costumes and manufacturing design that recall Boardwalk Empire and The Knick with a supernatural twist. The visible results are top-notch, too, with cool touches like a vampire’s pores and skin dissolving little by little within the solar and Lestat freezing time to talk telepathically with Louis. Author Rolin Jones (Perry Mason, Friday Evening Lights) and Emmy-winning director Alan Taylor (Sport of Thrones, The Sopranos) carry severe status TV cred, they usually make some daring storytelling selections. The novel’s homoerotic subtext turns into express textual content right here, with Louis and Lestat locked in an intense infatuation. As they share a sensual three-way tryst with a prostitute, Lestat sinks his enamel into Louis’ neck — and the primal energy of his chunk sends them each floating into the air.
As enjoyable as it’s to see Vampire go careening off the rails, it does get misplaced in its personal indulgences at instances, with overwrought screaming matches set to a blaring rating that verge on camp. (This can be a present the place the query “Did you eat the newborn?” is requested in earnest. And never simply as soon as!) It has a touch of Hannibal‘s wild bloodlust, but it surely’s not practically as refined as that gory masterpiece was. Nonetheless, this Vampire manages to seek out moments of lyrical magnificence amid all the surplus. Louis advises Molloy at one level to “let the story seduce you,” and for some time, this story did certainly seduce me… however some spells can solely maintain us in a trance for thus lengthy.
THE TVLINE BOTTOM LINE: AMC’s stunning new tackle Interview With the Vampire is definitely daring and seductive, but it surely too usually suggestions over into camp.