“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Théâtre des Vampire,” a ceremonial master proclaims. “Everything you’re about to see is real.” Of course, this follows a visual of a very obvious strategically rope noosed to help the stage-bound actors make leaps into the imagination.

First introduced in Rice’s book Interview with the Vampire, Théâtre des Vampires was located in Temple du Boulevard in Paris. It is very loosely based on the notorious and scandalous naturalistic horror house Grand-Guignol, which held macabre performances so violent and unnerving, audiences ran out to vomit. Le Théâtre du Grand-Guignol began on the smallest stage venue in Paris, a former chapel in the Quartier Pigalle section in 1897, and became a Parisian institution. It is the first horror theater. The last Grand Guignol performance was 1962’s production of Les Yeux sans visage.

The building is still there, and the trailer makes it seem as if the ghost of some of the old artwork can be discerned on the wooden beams. Claudia sees a portrait prominently placed in the theater, and wants to know “Who’s that handsome man on the wall?”

Armand is surprised she can’t place him, as he is a legend on the dark Paris stage, still renowned for his role as Lelio, the hero of the play The Romance of Lelio and Isabella. “Our co-founder, Lestat de Lioncourt,” Armand explains.

In Rice’s second book, The Vampire Lestat, we learn a very human, and extremely musical Lestat worked at the theater while it was run by a cruel and usurious owner, first doing drudge work, and later, acting in the troupe. Learning and loving with a virtuoso violinist, Lestat arouses the interest of an ancient vampire, who sees a worthy mortal recipient of the Dark Gift.

Lestat is also bequeathed enough money to buy the theater, and proceeds to frighten theatergoers by merely playing himself. He urges the others to do the same, using their vampiric abilities to become acrobats and other employable entertainers, while he takes his troupe on the road to England. But Armand was bitten by more than the acting bug.

Danofgeek