For certain horny adolescents, a first vampire crush is akin to a first love: Right or wrong, it sets a baseline for all future suitors. “The Vampire Lestat” was my gateway into the late Anne Rice’s “Vampire Chronicles,” skewing my loyalty toward Team Lestat regardless of how hard his ex, Louis de Pointe du Lac, dragged him in “Interview with the Vampire.”
Louis had plenty of reasons for doing his maker dirty in “Interview,” like the fact that Lestat de Lioncourt was emotionally withholding and manipulative. But in the 1985 novel told from his point of view, he’s reborn as a rock star, emerging from a long, depressive slumber just in time to seduce the MTV generation. Lestat is handsome and wealthy, with extraordinary powers and musical talent so undeniable that they awaken the queen of vampires.
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