Queen of the Damned

Theatrical Release Date: 2002 02 22 (USA)

UPC: 085392330423

Studio: Warner Home Video

MPAA Rating: R   Contains:[Graphic Violence, Profanity]

Summary: The second and third novels in author Anne Rice's popular book series The Vampire Chronicles provide the inspiration for this horror sequel starring ill-fated actress and recording artist Aaliyah, who was killed in an airplane crash before the film's release. Stuart Townsend is the vampire Lestat, who has awakened from a century-long slumber and turned his considerable energy to rock music. His vampirism identity mistaken for a gothic hard rock publicity stunt along the lines of Kiss or Marilyn Manson, he quickly becomes a pop music sensation. Lestat's powerful music reaches the ear of the slumbering Akasha (Aaliyah), the millennia-old "queen of the vampires" who was the first immortal bloodsucker. Akasha is soon free and embarking on a quest to seize control of the world with Lestat at her side. In the meantime, Lestat becomes an object of fascination for Jesse Reeves (Marguerite Moreau), member of a secret order studying the supernatural called the Talamasca, and a band of ancient vampires come together in an effort to stop Akasha, even though her destruction could potentially cause their own deaths. Queen of the Damned co-stars Lena Olin and Vincent Perez. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

Category: Horror

Features: cc Aaliyah Remembered pays tribute to the beloved star
2 other fang-bearing documentaries: Creating the Vampires and The Music of Lestat
Feature-length audio commentary with director Michael Rymer, producer Jorge Saralegui and composer Richard Gibbs
13 additional scenes including more among the ancients and a Jesse dream sequence
3 full-length Lestat music videos: Forsaken, Redeemer and System
Static X Cold music video
Extended Slept So Long and Not Meant For Me concert sequences
Gag reel
Production book stills gallery
Interactive menus
Theatrical trailer
Cast film highlights
Scene access
Languages: English & Français (dubbed in Quebec)
Subtitles: English, Français & Español
Enhanced features for your DVD-ROM PC: link to the original theatrical web site and other locations, log in to future online events

Queen of the Damned

Format: DVD

Release Date: 08/27/2002

Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Cinemascope

Audio: DD5.1 Dolby Digital 5.1

Runtime: 101 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Language(s) English,French

Subtitles: English,French,Spanish

Region: USA & territories, Canada

Chapters: Side #1 --
1. Roused by New Gods [3:43]
2. Lestat's Bold Move [3:03]
3. Come Out, Come Out [2:40]
4. Prey [3:00]
5. Attracted [4:06]
6. The Talamascans [3:33]
7. Made by Marius [4:24]
8. Unstrung on the Beach [4:34]
9. Called by Akasha [4:59]
10. Darkest Lesson [3:20]
11. Admiral's Arms [3:18]
12. Only Human [4:22]
13. Old Friends in L.A. [3:50]
14. Akasha's Carnage [4:06]
15. Sharing With Jesse [4:34]
16. Jesse Wants to Know [4:32]
17. Faces in the Crowd [2:15]
18. Center Stage [2:35]
19. Battle of the Undead [2:52]
20. World at His Feet [4:44]
21. Our Family [2:31]
22. Seeing the Light [2:30]
23. Test of Love [4:30]
24. Bloodletting [3:48]
25. To Dust and to Sleep [2:37]
26. David's Visitors [4:15]
27. Dedication and End Credits [4:13]

Brian J. Dillard

Although Interview With the Vampire is one of Anne Rice's most compelling novels and Queen of the Damned one of her most scattershot, this film adaptation of the latter still manages to be more entertaining by a factor of ten than Neil Jordan's hit version of the earlier book. That's because director/co-writer Michael Rymer, free from the demands of famous marquee names, manages to inject the material with a bit of self-conscious wit instead of translating Rice's mannered prose into dreary hand-wringing. With the late Aaliyah vamping and camping it up as ancient vampire queen Akasha and Stuart Townsend nailing Lestat de Lioncourt's mocking eyes and feline grace (if not his hair color), the film offers a surfeit of supernatural glamour. It helps that the script is an amalgam of Queen of the Damned and The Vampire Lestat, the much better book that preceded it in the series. Large and intriguing chunks of both novels had to be cut or compressed, but what remains is a fairly gripping yarn with just a few key characters, including Marius, an ancient Roman vampire played with sensual intensity by Vincent Perez. Unfortunately, Marguerite Moreau proves to be the cast's weakest link in the pivotal part of the film's lone human protagonist. In a succession of gothic costumes cheesy enough to rival the wardrobe of Alyson Hannigan's resident Wiccan on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Moreau drains several scenes of their pulpy vigor. But Townsend, Aaliyah, and Perez light up the screen, thanks, in part, to the striking set design, costumes, and special effects. Korn's Jonathan Davis may not have been every Rice fan's first choice to provide the music for the film's vampire-turned-rock-star setup, but the five songs he contributed are a lot more appropriate than the Guns N' Roses track that graced Interview. As for the climactic supernatural showdown, it may not be faithful to the source material, but it's a lot of fun. Aaliyah's tragic death may have lent the film's plot a morbid irony, but her charismatic performance helps make Queen of the Damned a guilty pleasure. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Su Armstrong  Executive Producer 
Richard Gibbs  Composer (Music Score) 
Paul Goldman  Director 
Andrew Mason  Executive Producer 
Michael Petroni  Screenwriter 
Michael Rymer  Director 
Michael Rymer  Screenwriter 
Bruce Berman  Executive Producer 
Scott Abbott  Screenwriter 
Bill Gerber  Executive Producer 
Jorge Saralegui  Producer 
Jonathan Davis  Composer (Music Score) 
Sophie Leclerc  Producer 
Aaliyah  Actor 
Stuart Townsend  Actor 
Vincent Perez  Actor 
Paul McGann  Actor 
Lena Olin  Actor 
Christian Manon  Actor 
Claudia Black  Actor 
Bruce Spence  Actor 
Marguerite Moreau  Actor 
Franklyn Ajaye  Actor 
Imogen Annesley  Actor 
Christopher Connelly  Actor 
John Dicks  Actor 
Bob Farnham  Actor 
Russell Kiefel  Actor 
Pip Mushin  Actor 
Bruce Myles  Actor 
Hugo Race  Actor 
Alistair Reid  Actor 
Bobby Bright  Actor 
John Buckley  Actor 
Humphrey Bower  Actor 
Suzi Dougherty  Actor 
Tayler Kane  Actor 
Tiriel Mora  Actor 
Anni Finsterer  Actor 
Dino Marnika  Actor 
Peter Olsen  Actor 
Jonathan Davis  Actor 
Andrew L. Urban  Actor 
Serena Altschul  Actor 
Miguel Ayesa  Actor 
Michael Azria  Actor 
Ron Bingham  Actor 
Robin Casinader  Actor 
Johnathan Deboy  Actor 
Megan Dorman  Actor 
Marg Downey  Actor 
Nicole Fantl  Actor 
Strawberry Fields  Actor 
Nalishebo Gaskell  Actor 
Nandila Gaskell  Actor 
Nick Gill  Actor 
Antonios Greige  Actor 
Fouad Harraka  Actor 
Matthew Hassall  Actor 
Karoline Hohlweg  Actor 
Rowland S. Howard  Actor 
Twapa Kapote  Actor 
Chris Kirby  Actor 
Arrowyn Lloyd  Actor 
Enrico Mammerella  Actor 
Joe Manning  Actor 
Alyssa McClelland  Actor 
Kirsty Meares  Actor 
Pia Miranda  Actor 
Duncan Myers  Actor 
Aimee Nash  Actor 
Antony Neate  Actor 
Matthew Newton  Actor 
Mark O'Halloran  Actor 
Nicola Paull  Actor 
Renee Quast  Actor 
Tamasin Ramsay  Actor 
Marnie Reece-Wilmore  Actor 
Kat Rhodes  Actor 
Daniel Schlusser  Actor 
Conrad Standish  Actor 
Richael Tanner  Actor 
Becky Thomas  Actor 
Mandie Vieira  Actor 
Rochelle Ward  Actor 
Darren Wilson  Actor 
Simon Wilton  Actor 
Dan Zizys  Actor 
Renee de Bondt  Actor 

Country: USA