The Campfire: Lestat Lestat Lestat!!!

Welcome to a special ~un-paywalled~ episode of the Campfire! This is usually our subscribers-only section, but we wanted to make this episode available to all our subscribers as a (belated) thank-you for your support of Season 2, a teaser for the (upcoming) launch of Season 3, and a celebration of the vampire of all time.

Welcome back to the Campfire — our special bonus section!

Now that the dust has settled on AMC’s most recent season of Interview with the Vampire — retitled The Vampire Lestat — it’s time for us to step back and ask: Who exactly is Lestat de Lioncourt? And what did he do to get a whole TV series renamed after him?

In this episode, we’re digging into the good, the bad, and the ugly parts of Lestat’s history; comparing his portrayals across adaptations (including some ~musical~ precedent); and unpacking what it is about him that seems to make everyone around him fall in love (including Anne Rice).

Come vamps, join us around the campfire.

P.S. This bonus episode is technically the encore of Season 2. Season 3 will be headed your way in just a few weeks!

Major Spoilers:

* The Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice, 1976-2018 (series)

* Interview with the Vampire, directed by Neil Jordan, 1994

* Interview with the Vampire, 2022–

* The Vampire Lestat, 2026

Other media mentioned in this episode:

Fiction

* Glenarvon by Lady Caroline Lamb, 1816

* “The Vampyre” by John William Polidori, 1819

* Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle, 1887-1927 (series)

* Hotel Transylvania by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, 1978

* Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist, 2004

Film

* Queen of the Damned, directed by Michael Rymer, 2002

* Nosferatu, directed by Robert Eggers, 2024

TV

* The Vampire Diaries, 2009-2017

Theater

* Lestat, 2006

* The Lost Boys, 2026

Fanfiction

* My Immortal by Tara Gilesbie, 2006

Liked this episode? You’ll also like…

The Hottest Newest Oldest Vampires: Nosferatu, Sinners, and AMC's Interview with the Vampire

Are All Vampires a Leetle Gäy?

When Did Dracula Become a "Love Tale"?

From Egypt to Atlantis: How Vampires Explain Their Origins

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This episode was written, recorded, and produced by Rebecca Glazer & Hannah Spiegelman — without AI, ever.

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This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit vampirecampfirepod.substack.com/subscribe