Masterpiece horror thriller that's 'beautiful and brilliant' now streaming on BBC iPlayer

A gothic horror masterpiece that reimagines a cult classic with bold new themes and lavish production values is now on BBC iPlayer - and viewers are calling it "a wonderfully reimagined version" that's "a complete success."

The gothic horror series, developed by Rolin Jones for AMC, reimagines Anne Rice's 1976 novel The Vampire Chronicles and embraces the darker, more romantic and queer elements of her work that were only hinted at in the famous 1994 film starring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt.

Across two lavishly produced seasons, Interview with the Vampire follows Louis de Pointe du Lac (Jacob Anderson) as he recounts his past and his intense, often toxic relationship with the charismatic vampire Lestat de Lioncourt (Sam Reid).

Set between early 20th century New Orleans and modern-day Dubai, the series blends horror, historical drama and queer romance, all wrapped in sumptuous production design.

From its very first episode, the show was met with near-universal acclaim. Season 1 holds a 98% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes and a Metacritic score of 80, while Season 2 is rated 100% on Rotten Tomatoes and 89 on Metacritic. Reviewers have consistently praised its writing, soundtrack, costumes, and the electric chemistry between Anderson and Reid.

The adaptation was personally approved by Anne Rice before her death in 2021. AMC acquired the rights to 18 of her novels in 2020, with Interview with the Vampire becoming the first entry in what they've called the "Immortal Universe."

While some longtime book fans have debated the changes, many viewers on IMDb have been won over by the series' bold new direction.

One wrote: "I watched this assuming I wouldn't like it. I'm happy to say... I LOVED IT. The acting is good, the story is good, I like the way it was updated to current times, I like the casting, love the cinematography. I was not at all disappointed with this retelling of the tale."

Another wrote: "Old fart here who read Interview with the Vampire a thousand years ago when it first came out and loved it.

"This series takes everything special about Rice's books and polishes them and presents them on a silver 21st-century platter. Everyone on the project seems madly in love with it and gives it their best. We are the benefactors of this beautiful and brilliant series!"

"It keeps the gothic vibe and camp flamboyance of the original movie but adds gorgeous visuals and dramatic musical cues echoing Coppola's Dracula. Just by itself, the priest scene is a masterpiece of vampire violence", added another fan.

Others praised Jacob Anderson's performance as Louis, the show's reimagining of familiar story beats, and its willingness to explore queer relationships openly on a big-budget scale.

A third season, titled The Vampire Lestat, is currently in development for 2026.

Both seasons of Interview with the Vampire are now available to stream for free on BBC iPlayer, and are also streaming on Netflix.