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Queen of the Damned
Vampire Lestat awakens from his slumber and becomes a rock star. But chaos strikes when his music awakens Akasha, the vampire queen, who may not rest until she makes Lestat her new king.
2002 · Directed by Michael Rymer · 101 min · Fantasy · Horror · Romance · Screenplay in the scene database · 17 frames
Tagline
The mother of all vampires.
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, he becomes spellbound and subservient to her. Through drinking from Akasha, he becomes unaffected by sunlight. 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.
Plot summary from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA.
Crew
- Screenplay: Scott Abbott, Michael Petroni
- Cinematography: Ian Baker
- Edited by: Dany Cooper
- Music: Jonathan Davis, Richard Gibbs
- Production design: Graham "Grace" Walker
- Produced by: Jorge Saralegui
Cast
- Aaliyah as Akasha
- Stuart Townsend as Lestat de Lioncourt
- Marguerite Moreau as Jessica 'Jesse' Reeves
- Vincent Perez as Marius de Romanus
- Paul McGann as David Talbot
- Lena Olin as Maharet
- Claudia Black as Pandora
- Bruce Spence as Khayman
- Christian Manon as Mael
- Matthew Newton as Armand
Production
- Country: Australia, United States of America
- Language: English
- Studios: WV Films LLC, Village Roadshow Pictures, NPV Entertainment, Material
- Budget: $35,000,000
- Box office: $45,479,110
- Themes: based on novel or book, rock star, vampire, bite, queen, secret society, light, sequel, spontaneous combustion, fatal attraction
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