Finally, an effective variation of the vampire legend, and a box office smash to boot.
No woman could resist a cast that includes Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, Christian Slater and Antonio Banderas, but they all take second place to a superb exercise in story-telling.
Set over 200 years, it gives fascinating insight into vampire society, and offers a multitude of intriguing characters.
Kirsten Dunst as a female child vampire is unsettling as she blends a disturbing amount of sexual awareness with an unstoppable desire for blood.
The first in Anne Rice's 'Vampire Cronicles', it has recently been followed-up by 'Queen of the Damned'.