Connect with us

News

Out this Week: Anne Rice’s PRINCE LESTAT

Published

on

This week marked the triumphant return of Lestat de Lioncourt and his eternal companions on the Devil’s Road as the newest installment of The Vampire Chronicles hit the shelves.  I got my copy of Prince Lestat: The Vampire Chronicles by, Anne Rice, as soon as I had a moment to download it and sat down to eagerly devour it.  At least, that’s what I thought I was going to do.  While I expected to dine well on this novel, I had no idea it was going to be a 7-course meal with drinks afterward.  I’m going to do my best to write a spoiler free review here, so bear with me, because what I really want to do is tell you everything!

Prince Lestat could have been many things.  It could have been a novel simply about Lestat’s latest adventure.  It could have been a novel that chronicled what had been going on in the world of Anne Rice’s vampires since Lestat’s encounter with the Memnoch the Devil and the denizens of Blackwood Farm.  It could have been an introduction to vampires of this world that we had never seen before but had always known were on the fringes of the story.  It could have been a novel that finally brought home the origins of those pesky Talamasca and how they really fit into the supernatural world of Rice’s creation.

It could have been any of these things…and instead, it is ALL of these things!  And while dedicated fans of the series read that last sentence and jumped for joy, there are scores of people out there who just kind of sat back in their chairs and said to themselves, “But I’m not sure what all of that is…”

 

Now, Rice did her best to prepare you for what you would encounter in the novel if this was the first time you’d picked up a Vampire Chronicle.  The first two sections of the book, “Blood Genesis” and “Blood Argot”, give a very basic overview of the history of the vampires and a short lexicon of terms that you will come across in the book.  Also, in the back of the book, you’ll find an appendix with short synopses of each of the books in the Vampire Chronicles so you’ll have a basic idea of how the characters relate to each other and a basic order of events that have taken place before the current story.  She also has a character list for the uninitiated, and in the actual narrative, she does her best to fill in the blanks as best as she can, though this does come with some pacing problems.

Still, even with these sections, I’m not sure that a first time reader or someone who had only seen the two films that have been released (especially if they’d only seen the travesty that was Queen of the Damned) would truly be prepared for the scope of this novel.  To those readers, I would say just keep pressing on, and if it gets to be too much, go back and read the other books first.

That being said, I, personally, relished every single word.  It was so good to sit at the table with old friends like Lestat, Marius, Louis, Armand, Pandora and so many more and read along as a new tale is woven into the tapestry of the Chronicles.  Miss Rice also brought a whole new host of characters out for us in this novel and I couldn’t help but feel like she’d been sitting on some of these for a while, now, and finally had the chance to incorporate them into her stories.  Each one of these characters brings their own unique voice to the chorus of vampires we’ve been treated to for the last four decades.

Now, what’s going on in the story?  Lestat has begun to hear what he calls the Voice.  It talks to him when he is alone, when he sleeps, when he feels vulnerable.  It speaks to him inside his mind, and initially, it simply seems to want to know him and be recognized.  It isn’t long before we realize, however, that this Voice is speaking to others.  It calls out to those who have power and incites them to kill the younger, maverick vampires of the world. It is intent on culling the herd one coven at a time.  The young begin to cry out for a savior; the elders turn to each other asking who will lead the battle against this unseen foe.  Benjamin, a young vampire with an internet radio broadcast, repeatedly calls for the elders to come together to lead the “tribe”.

On the surface, Prince Lestat is a global mystery surrounding the origin of this Voice and its purpose.  As in the rest of Anne Rice’s body of work, it’s rarely the surface story that is the most important.  Deep down, this book is an exploration of the meaning of community and family.  Is family a group of people who live together under the same matriarch/patriarch in the same home?  Is family a group of people you get together with once or twice a year for special days or when times are tough?  Or, is family something bigger?

Miss Rice’s answer?  Well, you just have to read the book to find out.  If you’re willing to take the journey with her, it’s such a great experience.  And if you’re in the New Orleans area this weekend, the Official Vampire Lestat Fan Club’s Halloween Ball will be taking place, and Miss Rice and her son, Christopher, will both be in attendance!

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Leave a Reply

Movies

Another Creepy Spider Movie Hits Shudder This Month

Published

on

Good spider films are a theme this year. First, we had Sting and then there was Infested. The former is still in theaters and the latter is coming to Shudder starting April 26.

Infested has been getting some good reviews. People are saying that it’s not only a great creature feature but also a social commentary on racism in France.

According to IMDb: Writer/director Sébastien Vanicek was looking for ideas around the discrimination faced by black and Arab-looking people in France, and that led him to spiders, which are rarely welcome in homes; whenever they’re spotted, they’re swatted. As everyone in the story (people and spiders) is treated like vermin by society, the title came to him naturally.

Shudder has become the gold standard for streaming horror content. Since 2016, the service has been offering fans an expansive library of genre movies. in 2017, they began to stream exclusive content.

Since then Shudder has become a powerhouse in the film festival circuit, buying distribution rights to movies, or just producing some of their own. Just like Netflix, they give a film a short theatrical run before adding it to their library exclusively for subscribers.

Late Night With the Devil is a great example. It was released theatrically on March 22 and will begin streaming on the platform starting April 19.

While not getting the same buzz as Late Night, Infested is a festival favorite and many have said if you suffer from arachnophobia, you might want to take heed before watching it.

Infested

According to the synopsis, our main character, Kalib is turning 30 and dealing with some family issues. “He’s fighting with his sister over an inheritance and has cut ties with his best friend. Fascinated by exotic animals, he finds a venomous spider in a shop and brings it back to his apartment. It only takes a moment for the spider to escape and reproduce, turning the whole building into a dreadful web trap. The only option for Kaleb and his friends is to find a way out and survive.”

The film will be available to watch on Shudder starting April 26.

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Continue Reading

Movies

Part Concert, Part Horror Movie M. Night Shyamalan’s ‘Trap’ Trailer Released

Published

on

In true Shyamalan form, he sets his film Trap inside a social situation where we aren’t sure what is going on. Hopefully, there is a twist at the end. Furthermore, we hope it’s better than the one in his divisive 2021 movie Old.

The trailer seemingly gives away a lot, but, as in the past, you can’t rely on his trailers because they are often red herrings and you are being gaslit to think a certain way. For instance, his movie Knock at the Cabin was completely different than what the trailer implied and if you hadn’t read the book on which the film is based it was still like going in blind.

The plot for Trap is being dubbed an “experience” and we aren’t quite sure what that means. If we were to guess based on the trailer, it’s a concert movie wrapped around a horror mystery. There are original songs performed by Saleka, who plays Lady Raven, a kind of Taylor Swift/Lady Gaga hybrid. They have even set up a Lady Raven website to further the illusion.

Here is the fresh trailer:

According to the synopsis, a father takes his daughter to one of Lady Raven’s jam-packed concerts, “where they realize they’re at the center of a dark and sinister event.”

Written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, Trap stars Josh Hartnett, Ariel Donoghue, Saleka Shyamalan, Hayley Mills and Allison Pill. The film is produced by Ashwin Rajan, Marc Bienstock and M. Night Shyamalan. The executive producer is Steven Schneider.

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Continue Reading

News

Woman Brings Corpse Into Bank To Sign Loan Papers

Published

on

Warning: This is a disturbing story.

You have to be pretty desperate for money to do what this Brazilian woman did at the bank to get a loan. She wheeled in a fresh corpse to endorse the contract and she seemingly thought the bank employees wouldn’t notice. They did.

This weird and disturbing story comes via ScreenGeek an entertainment digital publication. They write that a woman identified as Erika de Souza Vieira Nunes pushed a man she identified as her uncle into the bank pleading with him to sign loan papers for $3,400. 

If you’re squeamish or easily triggered, be aware that the video captured of the situation is disturbing. 

Latin America’s largest commercial network, TV Globo, reported on the crime, and according to ScreenGeek this is what Nunes says in Portuguese during the attempted transaction. 

“Uncle, are you paying attention? You must sign [the loan contract]. If you don’t sign, there’s no way, as I cannot sign on your behalf!”

She then adds: “Sign so you can spare me further headaches; I can’t bear it any longer.” 

At first we thought this might be a hoax, but according to Brazilian police, the uncle, 68-year-old Paulo Roberto Braga had passed away earlier that day.

 “She attempted to feign his signature for the loan. He entered the bank already deceased,” Police Chief Fábio Luiz said in an interview with TV Globo. “Our priority is to continue investigating to identify other family members and gather more information regarding this loan.”

If convicted Nunes could be facing jail time on charges of fraud, embezzlement, and desecration of a corpse.

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Continue Reading