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Michael Rymer‘S Queen of the Damned is all about the search for a second life – as a vampire, of course. Audiences and critics were initially uninterested in the sequel to Interview with the vampire. But the film itself found its second life due to a shocking real-life event that took place after its release. The film, which was released on Anne Rices book, follows the vampire Lestat (Stuart Townsend) in modern times after the events of Interview with the vampire. He wakes up and gets into an affair with the titular vampire queen Akasha., played by the late R&B singer AaliyahThe character Akasha was already a big topic of conversation in the film, as it was Aaliyah’s last appearance before her untimely death. But less than a year after the film’s release Queen of the Damned gained even greater infamy when it became the scene of a gruesome murder.

Queen of the Damned

Release date

February 22, 2002

director

Michael Rymer

Pour

Stuart Townsend, Marguerite Moreau, Aaliyah, Vincent Perez, Paul McGann, Lena Olin, Christian Manon, Claudia Black

Duration

101 minutes

Authors

Anne Rice, Scott Abbott, Michael Petroni

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Allan Menzies killed his friend after watching Queen of the Damned over 100 times

Queen of the Damned was released in February 2002, six months after Aaliyah died in a plane crash. Music fans everywhere mourned the loss of the talented singer. It was tragic enough that she died at just 22 years old, but for many fans, Aaliyah’s last project was just a slap in the face. Her performance was one of the highlights of Queen of the Damned, That’s certainly true, but the film as a whole was a flop – it currently stands at just 17% on Rotten Tomatoes. Nevertheless, the film made a special impression on one viewer: a young Scotsman named Allan Menzies.

According to the Guardian, Menzies had observed Queen of the Damned over 100 times until December 2002. He was specifically possessed by the vampire Akasha. This possession led him to brutally murder his best friendThomas McKendrick, whom he had known since they were four years old. McKendrick paid his friend a visit on December 11, 2002. Menzies was already suffering from delusions that he could become a vampire like Akasha when McKendrick visited him that day. Menzies claimed that McKendrick insulted the figure, which prompted Menzies to kill his friend. During his trial, Menzies said he believed that by killing McKendrick he would become a vampire like the Queen of the DamnedMenzies reportedly said, “At the end of the day, I knew I was going to have to kill someone anyway (to become a vampire).” The alleged insult became the prelude to Menzies’ imaginary transformation. He attacked his friend, He hit him on the head at least ten times with a hammer. He then stabbed McKendrick 42 times with a Bowie knife.

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The harrowing nature of this incident does not end with the murder, however. Menzies fell even deeper into his vampire madness after McKendrick was dead. In addition to the murder Menzies claimed to have both drunk McKendrick’s blood and eaten part of his head. After the murder, he took McKendrick’s body to the nearby woods and buried it in a shallow grave. It took nearly six weeks for local police to find the body; when they visited Menzies’ house, they apparently found several pieces of vampire literature. Police arrested Menzies in 2003 for McKendrick’s murder and Queen of the DamnedThe connection to the murder was solidified.

Menzies believed Aaliyah’s character from “Queen of the Damned” ordered him to kill her

After his arrest for the murder of Thomas McKendrick, Allan Menzies claimed Akasha, Aaliyah’s character from Queen of the Damned, told him to do it. It is important to note that Three different psychologists diagnosed Menzies with psychopathyor a severe personality disorder, during his trial. This disorder apparently manifested itself in his obsession with the vampire film and delusions related to Akasha. Menzies claimed that the fictional character often visited him in his bedroom. He believed that Akasha told him that he would become an immortal vampire in the next life if he committed murder. Even after McKendrick’s murder Menzies believed that the vampire queen continued to visit himeven when he was a patient at Carstairs State Hospital during the trial. Menzies also stated that he was “disappointed” that no other “vampires” were in the hospital with him. The murder of Thomas McKendrick was not the first case of violence by Allan Menzies. He is said to have threatened a family member with a knife in the past and stabbed a classmate to death at the age of 14. He was also sentenced to three years in prison in 1996 for assaulting another student.

Blaming the “Queen of the Damned” did not save Menzies from prison

Due to his alleged delusions Menzies’ lawyer tried to prove “diminished responsibility” for Menzies’ actions, but the confession was rejected. Although they diagnosed him with a personality disorder, at least two of the doctors involved in the case stated that Menzies was aware of what he was doing at the time of the attack. The jury unanimously found Menzies guilty of murder, and during the sentencing the judge said Menzies “completely lacked remorse.” He sentenced Allan Menzies to life imprisonment and a minimum of 18 years in prison before parole is possible. BBC News reported that Allan Menzies was found dead in his cell just one year after his conviction; he had apparently taken his own life.

Despite its poor performance at the box office and with critics, Queen of the Damned should be remembered for the unparalleled talent of its late star. While the film and character inspired a truly heinous murder, the connection to a real crime should not diminish Aaliyah’s abilities in the lead role of Akasha.

Queen of the Damned can be rented from Amazon in the USA

Rent from Amazon