This Day in Horror: QUEEN OF THE DAMNED Was Released in 2002

Josh Millican |

Feb 22, 2020

The sequel to 1994’s Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles, Queen of the Damned, wasn’t as universally lauded as its predecessor; still, it’s nonetheless garnered a cult following with history judging it more kindly in retrospect. Both films are based on novels by Anne Rice, and Queen of the Damned sees the Lestat becoming a rock star before inadvertently awakening the Queen of all vampires!

The film stars Aaliyah as Queen Akasha. Tragically, the R&B star turned actor never saw the film, as she was killed in a plane crash on August 25, 2001.

Trivia:
Aaliyah died in a plane crash shortly after principal photography was completed but had not yet actually performed any ADR redubbing for her character. Michael Rymer called in Aaliyah’s brother, Rashad Haughton, to help with overdubbing her voice following her death due to their similar voices, and special vocal technology was also used to make his voice sound more feminine. (Source)

The singing voice of Lestat was supplied by Jonathan Davis of Korn. However, due to contractual difficulties, Davis could not sing on the soundtrack album release. The five songs written by Davis and Richard Gibbs for the movie were then performed on the album by Marilyn Manson, Chester Bennington of Linkin Park, David Draiman of Disturbed, Wayne Static of Static-X, and Jay Gordon of Orgy. Davis was still allowed to play several instruments on the album. (Source)

For the scenes of Lestat’s concert in Death Valley, over 3,000 goths were recruited from Melbourne nightclubs and on the internet, then driven on a fleet of buses to a quarry in Werribee to act as extras. (Source)

Check out the trailer for Queen of the Damned embedded at the top of the article; peep the synopsis and poster below.

Synopsis:
Queen of the Damned follows the legendary vampire Lestat (Stuart Townsend), who has reinvented himself as a rock star in the contemporary American music scene. His music wakes Akasha (Aaliyah), the queen of all vampires, and inspires her desire to make Lestat her king. Akasha’s malevolent power is so great that all the immortal vampires must stand against her if they want to survive. Meanwhile, a young London woman with a fascination for the dark side (Marguerite Moreau) falls in love with Lestat.

Queen of the Damned was released on this date back in 2002. Consider revisiting the film on the anniversary of its release.