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Parents' Guide to

Interview with the Vampire

By Hollis Griffin, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 17+

Entertaining but gruesomely gory vampire tale.

Movie R 1994 123 minutes
Interview with the Vampire Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 15+

Based on 14 parent reviews

William L.
William L. Parent of 18+-year-old
April 4, 2023
age 17+

I am never bothered when a Vampire Movie or Vampire TV series ends. It is hard to get attached to Vampires.

Interview with a Vampire is the Best of the Anne Rice Vampire Novels. This is one of the best Vampire Movies ever made. Queen of the Damned also by Ann Rice was made into a Vampire Movie, which is one of the Worst Vampire Movies ever made before the Horrible Twilight Vampire Movies. An Enjoyable movie for Horror Movie nights. Don't bother to watch the Remake of this movie.
ELKS
ELKS Adult
January 19, 2022
age 16+

13 years old? Seriously?

Anyone who would let their child watch a movie of this nature with full frontal female nudity is crazy! This woman is striped on stage in front of a full audience and basically devoured by vampires. It’s a male-dominated, objectification of women, disturbing scene. The rest of the movie is filled with exaggerated acting.
See all 14 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Famously based on Anne Rice's vampire novels, INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE features a scenery-chewing Tom Cruise as gleeful, blood-thirsty villain Lestat. This vampire doesn't just kill humans, but also tortures other vampires via betrayal and mockery. Brad Pitt, as the more conflicted vampire Louis, is a quieter presence on screen. The pair has a vampire daughter, the perennial 11-year-old Claudia, played by actress Kirsten Dunst. Parents should know that Claudia kills humans with the ferocity and glee of Lestat.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (14 ):
Kids say (30 ):

Action-packed and frequently engaging, Interview with the Vampire is, at times, a thoughtful examination of the vampire myth so commonly portrayed in horror films. It examines the emotional and moral consequences of the notorious go-to villain, attempting to explain why living forever might be a bad thing while illustrating how killing isn't always a joy for the fictional character. However, at other times, the film uses the vampire myth only to feature horrific acts of bloody violence that aren't thought-provoking in the least. Parents should know that there is a violent murder every few minutes and that blood and gore appear on screen as often as the main characters do.

Interview with the Vampire is a smart, thoughtful film in many ways. Parents will be interested to know that it delves deeply into the consequences of characters' actions and the way they feel about harming others. Still, this interrogation of a common myth in horror cinema is accompanied by a whole lot of guts and grizzle. Viewer beware.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how the various vampires react to killing others. Why does Louis feel guilty while Lestat does not? Which character do you most identify with?

  • Did the movie need to be as graphically violent as it was? Could it have been just as scary and suspenseful without all the blood, the bites, the bodies?

  • What would be the challenges in adapting a best-selling novel into a movie? If you've read the book, how was the movie different from the book?

Movie Details

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