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The Vampire Lestat Takes Back His Story

Matt Baume | October 26, 2026



Forbidden secrets doom vampires to loneliness and isolation in Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles, and on the shows Interview with the Vampire and The Vampire Lestat on AMC. What is it about their situation that I find so unexpectedly familiar?

Thanks to Emma for the editing help — check out her channel: @mediaprocessingchannel

Join us on Patreon for more videos: https://www.patreon.com/mattbaume

Written by Matt Baume

Comments

This post currently has 30 comments.

  1. @tecpaocelotl

    October 26, 2026 at 10:01 pm

    I'm a straight dude and read the book. I felt like most characters were in some form part of the lgbtq community.

    Sidenote a happy lesbian couple, sailor neptune, and sailor Uranus from sailor moon, but dubbed as cousins in the USA.

  2. @Alejoninla

    October 26, 2026 at 10:01 pm

    There was such a big change between 1976, when Interview with the Vampire was first published — we were all celebrating our new freedom to play and love — and 1985, when The Vampire Lestat came out and it seemed everyone was dropping dead or just disappearing. Praying for a Lestat to come save us all didn't sound too insane. The movie and TV series are OK, completely new reimaginings. Sam Reid is Lestat; everyone else, meh! Made it easy to watch without getting too close.

    “We breathe the light, we breathe the music, we breathe the moment as it passes through us.” ― Anne Rice, The Vampire Lestat

  3. @Apollo_Nein

    October 26, 2026 at 10:01 pm

    I was already extremely ready to get your take on IWTV, and I could not be more happy with how you've articulated something I struggle to express about how I have related to Lestat across mediums. While Louis (less so in the movie, but strongly in the book and show) tends to represent a more of what we can abstractly recognize "classical" coming out experience that we may see in fiction or popular narrative, Lestat is incredibly messy and often grasping at straws. Louis tends to strive for an ideal picture morality and respect from those around him; Lestat is confident in what he is and demands that those around him bend to his normal. I think AMC tapped into that very well with how there are benefits and harms in both of their actions. And the world was not ready for Claudia, who in the show was even stronger than Lestat in that regard.

    (also very funny to consider Broadway not tolerating Lestat as the musical should have been, because they only tolerated the musical as it was for two months lol)

  4. @xaverager

    October 26, 2026 at 10:01 pm

    So I'm guessing you're not planning on doing anything using La Bola Negra (2026), because this video would have been exactly it, since it's all about queer legacy, and now it would be repeating yourself. Although if it ends up earning a bunch of Oscar noms like some predict, you might want to say something about it?

  5. @claireb153

    October 26, 2026 at 10:01 pm

    Wow. Just… wow. Can I make, however, one single, heartfelt request? If you're going to end on a line that powerful, could you leave a second or two before launching into the usual finishing-up admin bits? Because I was close to tearing up right at the end, and I would have loved to have a moment to just feel the feelings without having to immediately lunge for the pause button. Which I hope doesn't come across as criticism, it's certainly not meant to be!

  6. @SamuelMountford

    October 26, 2026 at 10:01 pm

    I do not appreciate this video it's wrong and always Louis was innocent Louis the plant to lack never ever did these things please stop saying you what was asking me he is mine I am Harry together I'm sick of the start it's never stop really

  7. @TheronGJr

    October 26, 2026 at 10:01 pm

    11:31 – I volunteered in my high school library and later worked at my city library. I used both of those opportunities to sneak out books about being gay without checking them out, so I wouldn't get caught.

  8. @evapunk522

    October 26, 2026 at 10:01 pm

    Your experience with the queer group you were in makes me think of the one I was in when I was in college. I mean sure…we knew that we were different and considering I was always a goth kid at heart, I kinda reveled in the darkness lol. But we kinda wanted to focus on the brightness that queer people can bring to the world so we focused on the rainbow..like the rainbow flag. We legit handed out bags Skittles to promote our group..you know, because "taste the rainbow." 🤣
    It was tongue in cheek, but it definitely got us a lot of attention, but alas…it still didn't necessarily bring in many members. I think it was partly cuz our college was mostly one that people just go to to finish up their credits to head to the bigger college or it was just people going to school to learn certain trades so it's not like we has people living on campus or anything. But..I did still love the little community of queer people we did eventually bring in..I just wish there were more.

  9. @ldl-c8u

    October 26, 2026 at 10:01 pm

    24:08 The good and bad thing is that IWTV stayed so true to the books, show only fans were kept in the dark about who Lestat really was until Season 3. But yeah,Lestat is such a deeply relatable character who’s been searching, the entire time. I think that’s why Anne Rice loved writing him so much, he endures endless pain and time just for love, family, and a place to belong.

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