Queen of The Damned Sunk It’s Teeth Into Me
It has been twenty years since the release of one of my favourite vampire movies of all time. Hear me out: I know a lot of people take issue with the film adaptation because it deviates from the reference material, but Queen of The Damned reached deep into my gothic nu-metal veins and took root when I was the naïve age of twelve. At that age I was obsessed with vampires; I had read Dracula, Interview With a Vampire, The Vampire Lestat, and The Queen of The Damned. There was something about these creatures of the night that was so thrilling to me, even though the sexualisation of vampires went right over the top of my head. At the time I was consuming as many vampire movies as I could to satiate the thirst I had for vampire culture.
When Queen of The Damned came out I had just started high school. I was a performing arts student, so I was outrageously dramatic, and vampire pop culture ignited a weirdness that I channelled proudly. Whilst being the vampire obsessed teen, I was also the weird emo kid with black hair, chain belts and bracelets, and black eyeliner painted heavily to my upper and lower lash lines. The aesthetic of Queen of The Damned encouraged me to enjoy the music and clothing that I did; it was the first taste of individuality that I had embraced. There was something so hypnotic about watching vampire rock stars living lives of luxury and fame while I sat in my bedroom fixated on the television consuming vampire movie after vampire movie.
Every time I would watch the movie I would be waiting for the scene where Lestat would broadcast his face over Times Square, telling vampires to come out of the coffin, that they no longer had to hide in the shadows. The possibility that these people, these creatures existed excited me beyond belief, I wanted to have that Lestat moment with a gorgeous vampire man telling the world that vampires exist. At this point I had convinced myself that I would join the legion of the blood thirsty, although I’m not sure I would be that keen on the idea nowadays.
Being a teenager the most attractive part of the film was the fact that Lestat was the frontman of a band. It was only recently that on a dive into movie soundtracks that I discovered that the voice of Lestat was actually Johnathan Davies from Korn, a band that I had listened to growing up. The opening scene where the band are rehearsing and Lestat joins in with his melancholic hymn is one of my favourite vampire movie openers. For me as a young person, I was incredibly impressed at how fast people in film could become instantly famous and successful. It was a nice slice of escapism for me through terrible times.
Exploring my own fantasies through vampire horror movies was innocent. I wanted to be them: I wanted a place where a young emo misfit like myself would be accepted and feel like I belonged. I felt like Jessie, curious, lonely, wanting something more to the life I had already. Vampire movies gave me the opportunity to imagine a different outcome for my life⸺would vampires take me in as one of their own when I got older? I wanted a vampire like Askasha, strong and powerful, to make me one of them. I wanted the riches, the fame, and the eternal life.
Aaliyah as Akasha was captivating, and although there isn’t a lot of screen time for her character, the impact that she had on me and my love for vampires was infinite. Akasha, whilst primal, was an incredibly beautiful and strong character, and I was in awe of her control and her power. Although we are shown that Akasha is nihilistic, selfish, and without compassion, there was something so empowering to see a woman like Askasha on screen as a powerful vampire. Her lack of human elements didn’t seem to bother me as a teen; however, I can see the more animalistic aspect now as I reminisce and rewatch the film. As an adult I appreciate and understand her innate carnal desire and her borderline misanthropic view of humanity.
Even though I watched Queen of The Damned on repeat, I would soon fall into the world of vampirism through an abundance of movies that would follow this release throughout the 2000s. The world of the living dead (and not the zombie kind) was tantalizing to my young and developing mind; could these creatures really exist? Growing up and loving history, I had always been fascinated by the mentions of vampires or vampyrs in folklore, in the pages of history books. Movies like Queen of The Damned opened a whole new world of fascination, enticement, and possibilities that I threw myself into with passion and curiosity. Since then, I have had a deep interest in the movies, books, games, and television shows that explore the world of vampirism in new and exciting ways. Over the last 20 years I have consumed a ridiculous amount of vampire content, bought the Twilight movie board game (it’s still in my closet), and even started a True Blood rewatch podcast. I can wholeheartedly say, Queen of The Damned sunk its teeth right into my neck and gave me an eternal passion for vampire culture.
