In 1790 the evil Lestat (Tom Cruise), a 200-year old vampire, decides he wants a buddy and chooses Louis (Brad Pitt). However, despite Louis' desire for death after his young wife's demise, Lestat hasn't banked on Louis being so guilt-ridden when it comes to sucking blood from humans. So whilst Lestat continues to feast upon human flesh, Louis sticks to rats and chickens. That is, until he meets the young Claudia (Kirstan Dunst). Two hundred years later, Louis tells his story to a young reporter (Christian Slater).