The Anne Rice cinematic universe is well underway. In 2020, AMC Networks acquired the rights to the author’s two biggest series, The Vampire Chronicles and the Mayfair Witches—and they’ve wasted no time in bringing both to the screen. Interview with the Vampire debuted last Sunday, and now, the trailer for Mayfair Witches (debuted at New York Comic Con) gives us a first look at Rowan Mayfair, who does a bit of a double-take the first time she hears the word “witches.”
Mayfair Witches doesn’t have the immediate hook of Interview, but the series’ first book, The Witching Hour, is one of Rice’s most solid tomes (and not just because it’s almost a thousand pages long). It’s an epic saga, the story of the Mayfair family and the spirit conjured by one of their ancestors. AMC’s summary says,
Buy the Book
Lost in the Moment and Found
Mayfair Witches is an exploration of female power and the mortal implications of our decisions. Mayfair Witches focuses on an intuitive young neurosurgeon (Alexandra Daddario) who discovers that she is the unlikely heir to a family of witches. As she grapples with her newfound powers, she must contend with a sinister presence that has haunted her family for generations.
The trailer is all vibes: haunting, spooky, full of ominous shots of the Mayfair House and Daddario looking incredibly wide-eyed. It does, however, introduce the Talamasca, in the form of Tongayi Chirisa’s Ciprien. This secret society keeps watch on the paranormal, like Rice’s personal Torchwood or X-Files (though of course it predates both of those). Notably, the Talamasca appears in both the Vampire and Witches series.
The series also stars Harry Hamlin, being ominous and creepy as patriarch Cortland Mayfair; Jack Huston as the mysterious Lasher; Annabeth Gish as Deidre; Beth Grant as Carlotta; Eric Gimpel as Ellie; and Jen Richards as Jojo.
Rice’s Witches arrive on AMC on January 5th.
