How we cite our quotes: (Part.Paragraph)
Quote #7
"You don't drink after they're dead! [...] He'll suck you right down into death with him if you cling to him in death." (1.148)
This little factoid is an interesting addition to the vampire mythology. If a vampire drinks the blood of a dead person, it will make him sick and could even kill him. Anne Rice makes this a pivotal plot point when Claudia tricks Lestat into drinking from two dead boys.
Quote #8
"'[The white horse] took off up the hill, just wild. [...] And here it came, trotting right over the mounds, right through the flowers, and no one made a move to get hold of the bridle. And then suddenly it came to a stop, right on one of the graves.'" (2.90)
The ritual described here has roots in actual rituals that took place during this period, when paranoia over vampires was at its height (source). We're surprised a cliché didn't arise from this. You can lead a horse to a vampire, but you can't make him stake it. Hmm… we guess that isn't exactly a catchy one.
Quote #9
"'He reached up for his shovel and with both his arms he drove it sharp, right into the dead woman's throat. The head was off like that.'" (2.98)
These primitive rituals are the ones Anne Rice and her vampires are trying to move away from. The ancient Revenants of Eastern Europe may have met this gruesome fate, but Anne's modern vampires prefer to be manipulative and backstabbing. They're too civilized to go around decapitating each other with garden implements.