š§āāļø Eternity Wounds, Eternity Healsš§āāļø: How āInterview with The Vampireā explores vampirism as a metaphor for trauma
Trigger warnings: This article discusses complex trauma, violence, and trauma as a result of racial/sexuality discrimination. This is mentioned in relation to research studies and the TV series āInterview with the Vampireā. Please read with caution if this could be triggering for you.
Vampirism has long been utilised as the ultimate metaphor for āothered-nessā. From Bram Stokerās fear of Romanian immigration to the United Kingdom and xenophobia in āDraculaā, to Anne Riceās vampires who defy all possible labels regarding gender and sexuality, vampires seem to have always represented to us the harshest reaction of humanity to those who are different: fear. Beyond this, however, the vampire has also always represented a more optimistic vision for those who have been forcefully othered ā the value of community and found family amongst misfits and those pushed to the fringe of society.
One aspect of the metaphor of vampirism that I find particularly intriguing as a psychology graduate is the trauma often involved in the transformation of vampires within written and visual media and how this is deeply connected to the āothered-nessā these characters feel before and after their transformation. Often, their underlying feeling of othered-ness, and the inherent traumatic nature of being othered by their society, draws them towards vampirism (or draws vampires towards them) and towards the promise of eternal comfort with an immortal found family. Similarly, once transformed, these beings become cut off from humanity and left to endure never-ending experiences of grief, loss and violence.
My interest in vampirism as a representation of trauma was particularly sparked after watching the āInterview with the Vampireā AMC television series which seems to hone in to this aspect of vampirism in particular. The show poses a number of questions, such as;
- What is the impact of repeated exposure to trauma when one is immortal?
- What is it to endure centuries of loss, grief, violence, discrimination and abuse to a being that once was human and in many aspects still is connected to their humanity?
- It is said that time heals all wounds, but what happens when you have eternity to be wounded and to heal?
Trauma and the vampire transformation go hand and hand within The Vampire Chronicles books and the television program. The transformation itself is shown and described poetically, but prior to the transformation of both Louis and Lestat within the television program, the characters endure severely traumatic and life changing experiences. Louis suffers the loss of his brother to an accidental death or even potential suicide, and later is confronted by the power and violence of his maker, Lestat, who murders two priests (of the church his brother regularly attended) in front of him. In combination with this, he is a catholic African-American business man in early 1900ās Louisiana, and is still on a journey to accepting his queerness within this landscape. Louis is battling managing his feelings around his identity, learning to accept aspects of this, whilst also grieving his brother and being estranged (unwillingly) from his mother as a result of his brotherās death before he is turned into a vampire by Lestat.
Lestatās turning story has a similar tragedy attached to it. Within the book āThe Vampire Lestatā, Lestat describes how he was stalked by his maker, pulled from his bed in the middle of the night and trapped within his makerās castle before being forcibly turned, having been given no information regarding what the being that turned him was or what he was to become. Immediately after being turned, his maker tells him very little about what he is, and then immolates himself in front of Lestat. Shortly after this, Lestat finds a chamber of corpses, all sharing similar features to him ā young blonde men with blue eyes. Additionally, not long prior to Lestatās turning, he had run away to Paris with his partner, Nicholas, after being entrapped by his family in the French countryside. Lestatās story follows a similar pattern to Louis, he is othered within his town and family, becomes estranged from them, he is queer in 1700ās France, and he witnesses fear and violence before and shortly after his turning. Trauma interlaces every aspect of these vampiresā pre and post-vampire life within this series.
From a psychological perspective, when we think about trauma, in particular a disorder such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or Complex Trauma, we see people whose bodies are stuck within the particular time and place in which they were heavily traumatised. Individuals with this disorder will often have āflashbacksā, where they believe they are back within a life-threatening situation due to triggering sounds, places or people. Their nervous systems still believe they are in significant danger, and react accordingly, resulting in severe anxiety responses. When we think of the vampire, we see a being who is forever frozen in the body of who they were when they were (often traumatically) turned. They are stuck as the young man who had just lost his brother and whose mother had all but disowned him, believing that he had had a hand in the brothers death. Not only this, but they are forced to relive this turning forever as they feed from their victims, or traumatise others in their violence or by turning other humans. This point in particular mirrors the symptom of āreenactmentā sometimes presented in individuals with PTSD and complex trauma, where individuals attempt to recreate their trauma in the present. An example of this could be driving recklessly after experiencing a traumatic car crash. Additionally, older vampires are often described within the books as having an almost porcelain, emotionless face, and preternatural movements. Interestingly, this mirrors the flat affect, glazed eyes and āstereotypedā movements seen in individuals experiencing dissociation, depersonalisation or derealisation as a result of their trauma.
Louis, in particular, is forever in the body of the man who was likely at the lowest point in his life. Alternatively, Lestat, having been pulled away from his dream of performing as an actor and turned due to his looks and personality, is forever reminded of the life that was taken from him, and aware that the face he sees every day is what drew his maker to him, and ultimately is the reason he was turned. Both of these characters are frozen in time, as one experiencing the impact of trauma often is.
We also must also acknowledge an important aspect of Louis in particular within the television series reimagining of the Vampire Chronicles, the racial and queer aspects of the character. The vampire as a metaphor for the experience of being discriminated against due to inherent aspects of yourself is so poignant because it so perfectly encapsulates the feelings of isolation, demonisation and the trauma that comes with facing that from your fellow human being. Louis is not only traumatised by centuries of general loss, grief and violence, but this is intersected by his centuries of experiencing racial and sexuality based discrimination and violence, which he would be still experiencing in 2025. Feeling different is an āintegral part of experiencing traumaā, and hence Louis himself appears to encompass all the potential metaphors vampirism has portrayed.
The vampires within this series, due to their immortality, endure multiple lifetimes of death, loss, violence, fear and rejection by others and society, persecuted by both humans and other vampires. Within the AMC series, Louisā story in particular is scattered with this over the century of his life. From the psychological perspective, the impact of this repeated trauma on the brain would be very pronounced. Studies have shown that traumatic experiences during early life can influence the way chemicals in the brain react to stimuli such as future stressors, in particular with cortisol, norepinephrine and dopamine and the elevated levels of these chemicals in the brain during crucial brain development periods. Repeated trauma in childhood can result in regions of the brain, such as the prefrontal cortex, not functioning how we would expect in adulthood, resulting in greater stress responses to events that we would not expect an individual to have such a reaction to. There is also evidence that continual elevated levels of stress hormones can result in the dysfunction of regular brain circuits. This trauma to the brain can result in issues with cognition, decision making and mood ā including problems forming and recalling memories. Within the AMC+ program, we see that Louis has significant issues recalling whether or not the memories he has of the events at the beginning of his vampiric life are accurate, and will often unintentionally omit or change certain events that occurred during that time of increased stress and trauma. Whilst this could be the impact of some vampiric magic (i.e. his partner Armand changing the memories to fit the narrative he wishes to push), it could also be the impact of trauma on his brain. Similarly, within the books and briefly in the television show, we are shown that some older vampires, who have lived for centuries, can sometimes lose their faculties and appear to present with a malady similar to dementia, often speaking incoherently and presenting with strange affect. Interestingly, not all older vampires present with this. This could perhaps be portraying the impact of the trait of resilience on the endurance of these elder vampires.
Considering this, Louis and Lestat present another important aspect of trauma ā resilience. Despite centuries of traumatic experiences, both of these vampires endure. Within the television show and the books, vampires can choose to end their immortality by immolating themselves, yet the older a vampire is the harder it is for them to end their immortality. It is as if the resilience necessary to sustain their lives for 500 or more years develops a resilience within themselves, making them stronger and stronger with lifetimes of loss but also with endurance. Resilience is another, less discussed, feature of trauma. Many individuals cope with trauma through finding a community and living with a renewed sense of purpose towards their life and how they live it. Similarly, we see these characters find a sense of renewal in their turning as they age, viewing their vampirism as a gift.
Therefore, a more optimistic view of Louis and Lestat (and one I prefer) is that they are a representation of hope. Lestat and Louis were both created in moments of violence, and have endured the loss of extremely important people in their lives, who they must grieve eternally. They have endured the homophobia of societies over centuries, but continue to live with complete acceptance and pride of their whole selves, Louis has endured a century of racism, yet continues to succeed at his ventures in spite of those who doubt him. That is not to say that Louis and Lestat have not suffered, and that their suffering should not be acknowledged, nor to imply that one must go through horrible things in their life in order to grow strong. Louis and Lestat hold their losses and pain with them, and these experiences guide them away from what no longer resonates with them and towards what does. Across the two seasons of the AMC show, we see Louis transform into someone who superficially trusts himself and is healed, to someone who completely understands and trusts his intuition and emotions and acts accordingly. Louis (and Lestat) to me ultimately reflect that regardless of how many years one endures trauma, discrimination, violence and loss, an individual can still develop self-trust and resilience, and become the person that they truly are, both beyond and when considering what they have been through. Overall, after finishing the second season of Interview with The Vampire on AMC+, I realised that it is never too late to heal (especially when you have eternity).
