10 Captivating

10. Akasha - Queen Of The Damned

Remember the 2002 sequel to Neil Jordan's Interview with the Vampire in 2002? Queen of the Damned?

Of course not.

That was probably down to the fact that none of the original cast - Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt and Kirsten Dunst among them - from the first movie chose to return for the sequel and this subsequently resulted in a significant drop in both acting and overall film quality.

Queen of the Damned left out a fair few important characters and plotlines from the book series upon which it was based, which led to many critics and even the writer of the series, Anne Rice, denouncing the half-baked finished product. Rice would go on to say the filmmakers "mutilated" her work.

Despite the sequel's obvious pitfalls, one character did manage to find a way to stick out. Singer-actress Aaliyah's deliciously serpentine portrayal of the ancient vampire queen, Akasha, was both a triumph and an overwhelming shame.

Aaliyah would tragically die in a horrendous plane crash whilst the movie was in post-production, and this compelling performance - as the venomous villainess - stands as a reminder of just how brilliant a performer she could've gone on to be, had she not been taken at such a young age.