Queen of the Damned

2002 Horror

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. more..

Director: Michael Rymer

Starring: Stuart Townsend, Aaliyah, Marguerite Moreau,Vincent Perez, Paul McGann

Reviews

  • Aaliyah rules as the undead Queen of the Damned, even if she has scarcely half an hour of screen time in this campy Anne Rice vampire tale.

    Lou Lumenick - New York Post

    27 April 2013

  • It is happy to be goofy.

    Roger Ebert - The Chicago Sun-Times

    27 April 2013

  • If you're going because you want to see an entertaining horror movie, good luck.

    Mike Clark - USA Today

    27 April 2013

  • Degenerates into a lot of dull declaiming and attitudinizing, despite a sly tongue-in-cheek quality brought by a preening Stuart Townsend to the Lestat role he inherited from the utterly humorless Tom Cruise.

    Jay Carr - The Boston Globe

    27 April 2013

  • Leaves us puzzled as to why the term "damned" applies at all, when vampirism is depicted as so cool, fashion-savvy and glamorous.

    Robert K. Elder - The Chicago Tribune

    27 April 2013

Awards

  • Best Horror Film

    Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films (2003)

     
  • Best Actress

    BET Awards (2002)

     
  • Best Film Poster

    Black Reel Awards (2003)

     
  • Best Actress

    Fangoria Chainsaw Awards (2003)

  • Best Villain

    MTV Movie Awards (2002)