QotD director Michael Rymer defends the creative license taken with Anne Rice's novel:

from Region 4, an Aussie DVD magazine.

"We'd agree with some of the criticisms that it isn't a perfect translation of the book, but we'd like to believe it's true to the spirit of the book. I love all the backstory...but I think the shape of the movie that would have come out of that would be a three hour epic art movie where you would have a good half to two thirds of the movie take place in flashback...that was a film that was beyond our means to make at the time."

"isn't a perfect translation of the book"?

Two words: No shit!

(and that's just going on heresay seeing as I haven't had the pleasure of ripping out my eyeballs after viewing it...}