Tom Cruise’s Only Real Horror Movie Is Still One of His Best

When the genre is action (or even sci-fi), a few names come to mind, and it’s undeniable that Tom Cruise is part of that list. With a career packed with blockbusters – from the classic The Last Samurai or Top Gun, to the famous Mission: Impossible franchise – he’s become a symbol, especially because of his wild stunts. He’s known for doing the impossible, quite literally, with jaw-dropping sequences that have defined his legacy. But even though it might seem like he’s all-in on these kinds of movies (and it’s been a while since we’ve seen him in anything too different), thinking he’s never shown a more dramatic, darker side would be a big mistake.

Interview with the Vampire (1994) is one of those classics that has stuck around through the years, and a big part of that is thanks to Cruise’s magnetic presence, which helped shape the film’s legacy into what it is today. Honestly, this was one of the boldest and most different roles of his entire career. Sure, he’s taken risks in a few other genres – like Vanilla Sky or Rock of Ages – but seeing him play a vampire in a period piece? That was clearly stepping into new territory (and The Mummy, even though it’s horror, doesn’t even come close). To give an idea, critics and audiences alike praised his role, and many still consider it one of his all-time best performances.

Based on Anne Rice’s novel of the same name, the movie walks this elegant but haunting line to explore immortality, guilt, loneliness, and bonds that defy time. It follows Louis de Pointe du Lac (Brad Pitt), a vampire who, in the present day, decides to share his centuries-old life story with journalist Daniel Molloy (Christian Slater). As he opens up, he reveals how he was turned by Lestat de Lioncourt (Tom Cruise), a seductive yet ruthless vampire who pulls him into an eternal life full of moral dilemmas and deep losses. So what makes it so good?

The heart of the film is the relationship between the two vampires – a strange, tangled bond that blends love, fear, and dependence. Louis is constantly searching for meaning in his new life, while Lestat mostly just seems to crave company – and control. And that’s where Cruise really shines. He brings an intensity that’s rare to see from him, nailing a mix of aristocratic charm, graceful cruelty, and this eerie sense of vulnerability. He dives headfirst into something way more introspective and layered than we’re used to, which is why it’s so surprising. Even Rice herself doubted at first that Cruise could live up to the character she had imagined.

[RELATED: Interview With the Vampire Director Reflects on Casting Tom Cruise as Lestat]

He caught a lot of heat behind the scenes – critics and fans were openly demanding someone else. When he was cast, the author didn’t think he had the look or the depth to play the iconic Lestat. In interviews, she went as far as saying casting him was “a colossal mistake.” According to Esquire, she even blamed him for “butchering her script, sanitizing the sexual content to accommodate his clean-cut image, and perpetrating the worst crime in the name of casting.” This was his first big fictional antagonist, so it makes sense that people were protective (her stories had built up a seriously loyal fanbase by then, and he had no real experience with this kind of character). Still, it’s one of those classic cases where people judged too early – Heath Ledger’s Joker in The Dark Knight faced the same kind of doubt, and look how that turned out.

Back then, Cruise admitted he was shocked by Rice’s reaction, but it didn’t shake him. In fact, it pushed him harder. He dove into research, determined to prove people wrong. A longtime fan of the genre and totally committed to the role, he ended up delivering one of the best performances of his life. After watching the movie, Rice did a complete 180 – she wrote an open letter praising Cruise and saying he blew away her expectations.

“I like to believe Tom’s Lestat will be remembered the way Olivier’s Hamlet is remembered. Others may play the role someday but no one will ever forget Tom’s version of it,” she said at the time.

What’s really cool about Cruise’s performance is how quickly he picked up on the real truth behind Lestat, and how that added so much depth to the character. The vampire is a predator, sure – but he’s also a lonely creature terrified of being left behind, hiding all of that power and performance. Cruise managed to show all those layers perfectly, and it’s no wonder Interview with the Vampire became such a hit. The film broke records during its opening weekend, ended up earning over $223 million at the global box office, and it also grabbed some Oscar and Golden Globe nominations. Even now, it’s seen as one of the most iconic vampire movies ever made – and one of the most stylish takes on vampire mythology in cinema. AMC’s recent remake series is just one example of how strong its influence still is.

Today, nearly three decades later, Interview with the Vampire is still one of the biggest highlights of Cruise’s career. Not just because it shows a side of him we rarely see, but because it proves that even without all the explosions and high-speed chases, he can deliver something genuinely unforgettable. It’s not just his only real horror movie – it’s also one of the most revealing performances of his talent and a big reason why he’s so firmly rooted in the film industry.

Interview with the Vampire is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.