Why Won’t You Die? A Nü Retrospective of Queen of the Damned

March 8, 2021 ● Kiarash Golshani

“The key factor is that the entire Vampire contract terminates in the year 2000,” bestselling author Anne Rice clacks away at her keyboard to an inquiring fan, “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!”

An option contract in film is when intellectual rights are purchased by the producers to obtain a said property for film purposes. In the United States, these are generally given under time frames, and Warner Bros’ time was about to run out. Their rights to Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles were soon to expire, and coming off of such a successful first film, losing the rights was not an option. This is a retrospective on the production of one of the best-worst vampire flicks ever made – a time capsule of eyeliner and edge. The followup to a classic bittersweet as cherries and battery acid. Queen of the Damned. 

When Interview with the Vampire hit the theatres in 1994, it was a smash hit. Vampire puns were flying all over the media; all of which promised a fangtastic experience. Brad Pitt’s honourable Louis and Tom Cruise’s raucous Lestat became beloved gothic icons almost overnight while arguably making vampires sexy for the first time on the big screen. The film made a $164 million profit at the box office, a major return. With this kind of success, the idea of a sequel seemed a no-brainer.

The making of the sequel proved how literal that statement really was.

So much, in fact, that nobody quite knew what the hell they were supposed to adapt next from Anne Rice’s crepuscular repertoire. The novels were so vast in scope that a movie would not do it justice. What was made apparent during this time was how much audiences loved the rowdy Cruise’s Lestat over the others, as with the books the sequel would focus on him instead. Director of Interview, Neil Jordan, was attached to the sequel and was open about his involvement with interviewers. 

"There's an interesting story to be told about Lestat's prior history, so of course I'd be interested!" He stated to the Orlando Sentinel. 

The years passed. No news was revealed aside from enthusiastic words. Inevitably it came out that Jordan’s sequel was the movie equivalent of being shot, stabbed, doused in gasoline and set alight – what the industry calls “shelved indefinitely”. Usually, this would be the end, but the new millennium was approaching quickly. The nightmare of the rights returning to Rice only for her to run off to a rival studio was real; Warner Bros. had to get this project off of the ground soon.

In a bizarre twist of fate, Anne Rice herself came forward with a brand-new script that she had penned. She was even (supposedly) offering a heavily reduced cut of the profits! You and I both know that this is not what happened – but the details make it even more interesting. 

The idea she presented seemed solid, an adaptation of the third novel while also describing Lestat’s backstory through flashbacks à la the second book, but a multitude of complications immediately presented themselves. The fundamental problem lay within the confines of adaptation: her idea of including Lestat’s backstory intertwined with the mythology and stakes of her work The Queen of the Damned was deemed too ambitious to adapt to screen and was met with financial apathy from Warner Bros executives.

With a huff, she walked away from the project. Warner decided to hand the scriptwriting duties to unknown screenwriter Scott Abbott, who decided to move the directing job down under. Australian director Michael Rymer was set to direct, deciding the film was to be shot in Melbourne (which at the time had a surprisingly large number of goths).

This is where the Queen of the Damned we came to know was conceived. News broke out quickly that the wonderful R&B prodigy, Aaliyah had taken the mantle of Akasha, Queen of the Damned herself. The pieces were falling into place, but before the casting was even complete, arguably the most iconic staple of the film was already confirmed. Jonathan Davis of Korn was to do the soundtrack. 

Hot off of the release of Untouchables, Davis cooperated with former Oingo Boingo keyboardist Richard Gibbs on the orchestral score and finished before the production had even cast their Lestat. Davis also penned 5 songs for the Vampire to sing in his fictional band for the film. Bangers include bonafide jams with System, Forsaken, and Slept so Long. The music was dark, brooding and heavily atmospheric - Korn-und-Drang. Then the happiest of accidents occurred: conflicts with his label meant Davis’ vocals could not go on the official movie soundtrack. The alternative? Get anybody who is anybody in nü-metal to perform a song and create a compilation album. The rest is history.

On August 28th, 2000, relatively late into production – the crux of the film, Lestat, was finally announced: Celtic actor Stuart Townsend. While there was scepticism at first, Anne Rice had a meeting with him to vet him – she had surprisingly high praise, calling him “absolutely charming” and giving her name to the project for promotional material. 

The media hype machine was in full swing until a tragic turn of events changed everything. Half a year after principal photography had been completed, Aaliyah, her crew, and members of her record company boarded a twin-engine Cessna 402 light aircraft in the Bahamas after filming a music video. Tragically, the plane crashed and was inflamed about 60 meters from the runway. There were no survivors. 

Not only had a brilliant artist been taken, but the life and energy of Queen of the Damned. Her death cast its shadow over the production. The editing of the film, which was underway at the time, managed to continue - even without Aaliyah to redub some of her lines. The producers called in her brother, Rashad, to finish the dubbing. Many view the film as a tragic showcase of her budding acting ability - to which she proceeded to steal the show. Even now, if you ask someone today about the film, the usual response is: “you mean that film Aaliyah was in?”

The film finally premiered on February 22, 2002. And it bombed. Hard. Audiences were lukewarm, critics hated it. The vampire puns had turned ugly; with pundits like Roger Ebert labelling the film “damned” and saying it “should have stayed in its coffin”. Even Anne Rice, who had been confident in the project before, rescinded her previous statements and encouraged her fans to “simply forget” that it even existed. If you’ve seen the film, you know the criticism is very well-founded – with wooden performances and boring dialogue strung throughout. Despite this, there was praise (particularly from the horror/metal communities) for the killer soundtrack, industrial atmosphere and universal praise for Aaliyah’s hypnotic performance, but the rest of the film was dragged through the usual horror movie wringer. The film broke even at the box office, but only made a $10 million profit, a measly return. It currently sits at a mere 17% on Rotten Tomatoes. 

But why are we still talking about it? Why is it remembered so fondly among horror enthusiasts and scene kids? 

Regardless of its reception (which still holds to this day, just ask your parents), there is a lot to love about Queen of the Damned. If you can sit through some of the more ungodly boring plot elements – what’s there is an endearing tale that is really trying its little pants off to be cool. Kind of cute, in a way. It’s the film equivalent of a 12-year-old trying to look cool and edgy to his peers, we all connect with it – because we were all once that kid. Through all of the development hell it underwent, the final product is its own beast entirely. It really is a blast to watch. The world-class special effects from the legendary Stan Winston are gone, replaced with some Direct-to-video-tier CGI vampire flying and rudimentary blood effects. But never in any vampire media has there been a presence as hypnotic as Aaliyah with her genuinely frightening performance as Akasha. You cannot look away once she’s on screen, as her voice and mannerisms are absolutely perfect for her character. Nobody could have done it better. On top of this, the soundtrack blares, taking you right back to mall-goth days long passed whilst making you uncontrollably jam out. A perfect storm of cheese and wine.  

What started as a dead production ended as an essential watch for the alternative teen. It stalks the night at the back of CEX, waiting for a new soul to take in with a late-night viewing. Performances in the film, both good and bad, seduce and drag in unknowing participants with its entertainment value. This combination tends to suck in those who least expect it and convert them to its cause. While the film lays dormant for now, waiting for the time to arise again, it stands as the greatest depiction of the nü-metal phenomenon and the pre-Twilight state of the vampire genre.

Kiarash Golshani ● Writer

Instagram: @kiarashgolsh

London based hellraiser, kaiju flick and body horror enthusiast - or maybe I'm Barker up the wrong tree.