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Queen of the Damned (2002)
There comes a time
for ever vampire... ...when the idea of eternit becomes momentaril unbearable. Living and feeding in the shadows with onl our own compan... ...rots into a solitar, hollow existence. Immortalit seems like a good idea... ...until ou realize ou're going to spend it alone. So I slept, hoping the sounds of the passing eras would fade out... ...and a sort of death might happen. But as I la there, the world didn't sound like the place I had left... ...but something different. Better.... It became worthwhile to rise again as new gods were born and worshiped. Night and da, the were never alone. I would become one of them. Whether it was the meal or the 100 ears of rest, I'm not sure. But suddenl I was feeling better than ever. M senses so high... ...the led me straight to the instrument of m resurrection... ...plaing in m old house. Jesus. Your voice.... Who the hell are you? The question provoked an irresistible urge. l am the vampire Lestat. Itjust rolled out of m mouth. With one sentence, I betraed everthing about m kind. Betraed our code of secrec. Vampire? -That's funny. -lndeed. Hilarious. You're all... ...so beautiful. -Your hands are-- -Cold as death? -You're gonna kill us? -No. All that you've ever dreamed of, l'm going to make yours. This is your lucky day. It was a bold move, I admit. But from that moment on the were m friends, m children, m band. Giving the world a new god. Me. Okay, can l have your attention? Okay, some questions. One at a time. -Yeah, you. -So why here in London? We go where we're told to, like you. -How would you sum up your music? -Sex, blood and rock and roll. Okay, excuse me. lt's time. May l present... ...the vampire Lestat. Good evening. Sorr I'm late. I was just tring to catch m breakfast. Okay, can we keep it short? One at a time. Yeah, you. l may be wrong, but what l remember about vampires is... ...you generally keep your identity secret. Yes. But wh hide it in this da and age? I've hidden in the shadows for centuries. It's time to share mself with the world. Could you prove it? You know, give us a demonstration of your powers. If ou like, I can give ou a private demonstration in our hotel tonight. Your first and only concert's in Death Valley, just days away. -Why just the one? -I don't like repeating mself. There are rumors about the hidden meaning in your lyrics... ...that you're giving away vampire secrets. ls that true? Mabe I'm tring to resurrect a few old friends. Daring them to come out. Won't these vampires be pissed off that you're giving away secrets? I imagine the are, es. Do you have anything to say to the other vampires? As a matter of fact, I do. Come out, come out, wherever ou are. See ou all in Death Valle. l heard Lestat keeps all these girls in his cellar. And it's nice. They give you food and cable and weed. Oh, please. But you have to let him suck you on your neck whenever he wants. -Doesn't sound too bad. -Done worse. -l'll say. -This way, girls. So this is Lestat's house? lt is this week. We move around a lot. Why is that? What can l say? The guy is just.... -Boss. l didn't see you there. -No. You wouldn't, would you? These are the girls that you asked for. Yes. Do you want me to take the girls home later? No, thank you, Roger. l'll make sure they're taken care of. You want some? Want me? You hungry? You hungry for something else? Come on. -Don't you want to have some fun? -Don't do that. Are you ticklish? l'm very ticklish. Come out, come out... ...whoever you are. Jesse. Jesse. A voice... ...calling to me... ...in m dreams. The same dream I've had since I was 6. I have a famil of m own. Not a strange dream, reall. One ever orphan has. l'm sorry, but you must go. Why can't l stay with you? Please, Aunt Maharet. l don't want you to go. But you must. Aunt, you're bleeding. You must be with your own. -I knew things were not normal. -This isn't the life I wanted for ou. I onl knew I was part of them, and being cast out.... Was I bad? Had I done something wrong? l'll always be watching over you. l want to stay with you forever. You can't. I'm Serena Altschul, MTV News. Vampire turned rocker Lestat has returned with a new CD, Forsaken. Although from New Orleans... ...he claims to be an 18th-centur French nobleman... ...who has been asleep for over 100 ears. Here's a look at the new video from the debut album, ''Redeemer. '' Like everone, I assumed Lestat was a joke. A rock star with a gimmick. Then one of his lyrics caught my attention. ''Take a walk down the aisle at the end of the mile. Give your life to my charms in the Admiral's Arms.'' That rang a bell. l tracked down old leases in London. lt turns out in the late 1 600s there was a pub in Mile End... ...called the Admiral's Arms. lt had a reputation for dealing with black magic... ...and reports of people vanishing. Here's where you could find the Admiral's Arms in old London. That part of London is mostly warehouses... ...meat-packing plants and a private club in the same location. l think that it's a vampire coven. And Lestat is leading us to it. -Who took this picture? -l did. You're still an apprentice. You don't do field work. The Talamasca has a code. l know. ''Observe the dark realm, but be not of it.'' Well, it's held good for 1 2 centuries. We record and observe, but never interfere. l had to see it for myself. ls David aware of this? Jesse? Hello, David. -l was explaining-- -Why don't you see me in my office? This is a real coven. ln the middle of London. All the more reason to have told me first. Listen, Jesse... ...we know about Lestat. What he's doing is unprecedented. So why is he doing it? Aren't you curious? Don't you think we should find out? Let me show you something. What do you see? Mid-1 500s. Florence. This one? -This man is in both. -Yes. All the different paint samples... ...all authentic. Each painted at the time of their particular style. His name is Marius. l've been tracing him for years. My little obsession. The closest we've come to the original vampire. Marius himself dates back to 400 B.C. So he's older than Lestat. He made Lestat. How do you know that? Because l have Lestat's journal. l want to see it. Promise me you'll never go back to that place. It was the winter of 1788. And I was brought to a Mediterranean island b the man who made me. If a man is what ou'd call him. Lestat, welcome. Who are you? Do l know you? l am unknowable by nature, but you may call me Marius. l'm the lord of a great manor. They'll send an army to look for me. l doubt they'll find you, Lord de Lioncourt. You're a long way from home. You're weak... ...near passing. l can barely hear your heartbeat. The future hastens. An age beyond my antique reason. You will help me understand these times. That's why l chose you. Chose me for what? Drink... ...and live. You've been brave enough for one night, my son. Drink... ...and learn. Good, is it not? No more. No more, Lestat. No more! Don't be afraid. lt's only your body that dies. More. I impressed m maker with m thirst for things. He set out to educate me in the unknown. Taught me all about the world, its hidden histor... ...and about mself. That's enough, my son. When you feed, hold back from the moment of death. Never take the last drop, or it will draw you in and you will die. Appreciate your prey. Their blood that we take into us carries with it life... ...their life, their knowledge, their complexity. M senses run amuck, like a newborn child. And as for m new powers, I was beside mself with the pleasure of it all. We've stayed long enough. But we've spoken to no one. A vampire's life is a life of discretion. Discretion? Why must we hide, Marius? We are the powerful, we are the immortal. We should walk fearless in the open, no? That cannot be. We're vulnerable during the day. Mortals must never know about us, for the sake of all our kind. So l could never know her? Not unless you wanted to kill her. So l can never be known? You must be dead to the world. Come on, time to leave. Sophia, run! Run! Go! Go-- Lestat... ...stop her! You must! We must remain in the shadows. You still have a few lingering mortal emotions. They'll serve you no good, my friend. Forgive me. The faces of m victims haunted me, reminding me of m fate. For nights and das I plaed... ...furious that I would never partake of the simplejos of the world. I was meant for more than this. Marius? Would you like me to play for you? What have you done, Lestat? -More! -l don't think so, my little lord. -Let me go. -No. You've had the purest blood, seen the oldest things. -Far too much for one as young as you. -Her blood is like liquid fire. Who is she? She's your mother. She's my mother. Akasha, the queen of all who are damned. And he's her king. Akasha and Enkil nearly drank this earth dry when they ruled over Egypt. They drank until Enkil lost his will to drink. Without her mate beside her, she also lost hers. They became living statues. She respects nothing except the taste of blood, human and immortal alike. No. Release me! She made you quite powerful. You'll not stop me! Can l hear her blood in your voice? ln all the years of my care, not once have they moved. Until tonight. And she chose me. l chose you. Where are you going?! Marius! Man times since, I have called to Marius. But there was no answer. Just the endless procession of das, months... ...ears. M teacher left me to m darkest lesson. That in the end, we are alone. And there is nothing but the cold, dark wasteland of eternit. David thought thejournal would satisf m curiosit. But it onl made me want to know more. I had to go back to the Admiral's Arms. I had no choice. This is a fantastic place. I love it. You sure l can't get you a drink? Soon. Hi. -Hi. -Come here often? All the time. l don't see any marks. You haven't seen the rest of my body. ls that an invitation? Sorry, l'm taken. And... ...where is your host? He's here somewhere. This host, what's his name? Marius. Sorry, don't know the guy. -Of course not. He's an ancient. -There aren't any ancients left. They all turned to dust. So unless you've got him in a bottle somewhere.... You're brave to joke. l wish you could meet him. -And why is that? -Because you might learn something. Excuse me. Going somewhere? Now this will only hurt a little bit. ln fact, you might even enjoy it. Don't do this. Boo. That was quite a performance. You should be more careful. -Thanks. -For what? You saved me. How presumptuous. So you know Marius? l know a lot of things. Not how to stay alive, apparently. l guess we have that in common. Although l'm a little ahead of the race here. Well, l can fix that. Your song ''Redeemer'' is about the girl with the violin. lsn't it? Yeah. ls it? What else do you think you know? l.... You're shaking. Cold. Still cold? Go on. Tell me more about me. You want.... What do l want? -You yearn. -What do l yearn? For what do l yearn? To walk with the living. Out of the cold, dark wasteland of eternity. Well... ...that makes you a very clever librarian. Talamasca. l knew l left that journal somewhere. -Was it a good read? -lt touched me. Did it, now? Don't worry, Jesse. Your kind never satisfies my thirst. Lestat, l know something that's not in your journal. What? You still have the violin, don't you? No, l understand. After all, it's only human. Clever librarian. David, listen, l'm going to Los Angeles for the concert. I met him, David. I talked to Lestat. What? Jesse? Listen to me very carefully now. You are no longer seeing things clearly. Lestat told the world that vampires live among us. The're mad. The'll be at the concert to kill him. You've become obsessed with it. -I'm worried about ou. -Don't worry about me. l'll be okay. l'll check in and.... l'm sorry. l have to go. No, Jesse-- The cit of Lost Angels alread fed on the blood of outh. M presence here barel stirred a ripple. We had three das till the concert. I could feel something was coming. Ijust couldn't figure out what. Marius. Lestat. lt is good to see you, Lestat. And you. Still wearing the old fashions, l see. Old habits die hard. How did you manage to slip through the '50s in red velvet? l slept. Don't think you missed much. -Elvis. -Elvis, yes. You're bigger than he is now. So.... After all this time... ...what's the occasion? You've just become very hard to avoid these days, at least in conversation. -What are you trying to prove, Lestat? -Oh, please. lt's a little too late to come over all paternal now, Marius. Two hundred years and not a word from you. You almost cost me everything. Now you've done it again. This isn't the time to settle old scores. Vampires don't settle old scores. We harbor them. How did you find me? l made you. l've always known where you are. Besides... ...l just had to look for the most gauche house on the block. Come. Let me show you what it means to live in the light. lmpressive. Reminds me of old mad druids running around chanting in the forest. A return to the primitive. Out there, my fans... ...they worship me. Millions of arms reach out to embrace, beg me to come into their lives. lt's what you always wanted. With all my black little heart. Did you think of anyone but yourself? l only have myself. You taught me that. lt may be time to get ready for some company. -What's that supposed to mean? -Your music's woken an old friend. Can't you hear it? Or is the applause all you can hear now? Akasha. Arisen. She has taken the king's blood. Absorbed his power. Good. Let her come. Cancel the concert. Never. You're no match for her, Lestat. You're not a god. We were once mortals too. lt is our heritage we protect. Such reverence for mortals. Then you should have left me as one. Scent is fading. He was here too long ago. You like him, do you? He reminds me of someone. All he's going to remind you of soon is a pile of bones. We're going to dismember him. Bleed him dry. Really? ls that what you're going to do? Old gods on new streets. Not onl had the concert sold out among the living... ...it seemed all the undead were coming too. There would be angr vampires out there... ...frightened of the light I was directing on all our kind. Do ou have anthing to sa to the other vampires? Yes, as a matter of fact, I do. Come out, come out, wherever ou are. The wanted me dead. Let them tr. Bring it on. Better dead than alone. Hey, honey. Want tickets for tomorrow? -Going to the show? -No. -Come on, l got them for $200. -$200?! l don't think so. -What if l say 1 50? -1 50? You're gonna cut me a deal? So, listen, just two girls, okay? So how old are you again? -Check it out. Champagne? -Yeah. Oh, my God, l can't believe it's really you! l'm your biggest fan. Boo. Boo back. Lestat, l came all the way from Tarzana. Really? -And you? -London. A London Goth. l see. lt's funny, l would have pegged you for a Talamascan. Maybe in another life. l'm an Episcopalian. And l'm a frigging Buddhist. Lestat.... Roger, would you take our little Episcopalian back to church? Just the one tonight? Sure. -Sweetheart, come on. -What? -Come on. -What?! -lt's a good thing. -Can l still go backstage? Why are you following me? What do you want? So you come all this way just to return this to me? Out of the goodness of your heart? l want you to show me what it's like. What what is like, exactly? To be like you. l don't have time for this. -All a vampire has is time. -Not this one. Right. The covens are coming for you. How are you going to spend your last night, as you always have, alone? Why not? Why not share it with me? All right. This may be painful for a mortal. You're still attached to your skin. l don't care. Do you trust me? Yes. Then close your eyes. Marius was right. But l never understood until l met you. What do you mean? You're beautiful to me because you're human. Your frailty... ...your short years... ...your heart... ...even as you think it's breaking. All that... ...seems suddenly more precious than anything l have ever known. l'm not as precious as you think. Do it. Please. Let me be with you. Let me know everything. You want to know everything? Come, then. l'll show you. What is it? What are we doing--? ls she all right? Get away! Get off me! Now you see? Are you ready? Now do you want it, huh? No. Of course you don't. They're pretty worked-up. How you feeling? Hey, girls, come on! Okay, through here. Let him through! Back off, fella! Come on, children. Okay, guys. Come on! Let him through. Jesse! Jesse! Hello, David. l must show you my new paintings sometime. Find Jesse. You want more? This one's for those who've come for me. Akasha. Akasha?! Why so surprised, my love? You called, l have come. My love? Never fear me, Lestat. All your wishes have come true. My wishes? For a companion to share eternity. You're bold, like your music. You live your life in the open, like l did long ago... ...when l had a king. Had a king? He's no more. Now you are my consort. That's why l kept you safe. Alive. You? You thought it was all you? The ego of a king as well. Yes. l know you, Lestat. l know that you crave to have the world at your feet. And l have come to give it to you. Where are we? We are home. We live everwhere and anwhere we choose. The world is our garden. All these ears I'd hoped this place was real. For the first time in m life, I feel like I'm home. Strange that this journe should lead me here. This place that's haunted m dreams. Aunt, ou're bleeding. You must be with our own. I'll alwas be watching over ou. I want to sta with ou forever. Forever is a very long time. Aunt Maharet. You haven't aged, you haven't changed at all. l was once a mortal too. l bore a child before Akasha took me. l took care of that child... ...and her children, and her children's children. This is our family. My way of coping with eternity. You are what keeps me connected to the world of the living. When your parents died, l brought you here to take care of you. Now is not the time. You were seeking answers and now you've found them. The family is who you are. Drinking my blood allows you to live in the light. And soon the sun will no longer sting your eyes. This is but a taste of what we shall share, my love. My king... ...behold our kingdom. A kingdom of corpses? -Why? -Why not? This is why you have risen? They believed in nothing. Now they are nothing. But you and l, we will change all that. We will give the world something to believe in again. Now come, my love. We have a score to settle. Since my mortal death, l have watched... ...l have guided and cared for my human family... ...generations beyond memory. This is why we must fight Akasha. -For the sake of your great family. -The world we know is about to end. The only way to prevent this is through Akasha's destruction. But how? When she gives blood, she's vulnerable. Whoever takes the last of her blood will not survive it. What about Lestat? Lestat has joined with Akasha. He's lost to us now. Forget him. My children. lt warms my blood to see you all gathered... ...plotting against me. -Akasha. -Maharet. -You will address my king first. -Lestat, what has she done to you? Lestat, step aside. Never. The world has changed since you reigned. Then we shall change it back. Humans are animals... ...brute creatures. -Their destruction can only make sense. -We've found other ways to coexist. ln silence! ln shadows and shame! And for what? For respect of mortals? They are nothing to us. They are merely food. Akasha, please.... You think you can change my will? l've had enough of this discussion. Join me or die. l will not. -l will not. -l will not. l will not. Do you love me? -Yes. -Then prove it. Kill her. -She's nothing to me. -Just the same... ...l'd like for you to kill her. -You will not touch her! -You still think to challenge me?! -Now. -No, it's all right, Aunt Maharet. lt's what l want. How sweet. l'm ready. See, my children? Remember your real family! Or join hers. Now... ...give me my crown. Spoken like a true king. Come. You see how he obeys? You will... ...or you will all die. That is enough, Lestat. That is enough, Lestat! Stop! You kill me... ...you kill yourselves. Wait, Lestat. You must stop. She drank Akasha's last drop. She took Akasha's death into herself. She's not dead. She sleeps. Hello? Oh, my God! Jesse? Hello, David. David, this is Lestat. -Hello. -l have something for you. l believe... ...that you wanted this back. Yes, thank you. Thank you so much. -Can l ask--? -What's it like? Do you want to find out? Me? No, l'm too old to live forever. Well, if you ever change your mind.... So this is goodbye. Yes. Hello, David. |
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