In the book it was just a random farm scythe. Stronger element of JUSTICE in the movie version, for Santiago to be killed by his own – and very real, not a prop – scythe.
“In a kitchen garden I saw something, something that had only been vague in my thoughts until I had my hands on it. It was a small scythe, its sharp curved blade still caked with green weeds from the last mowing. And once I’d wiped it clean and run my finger along the sharp blade, it was as if my plan came clear to me and I could move fast to my other errands…” – Louis de Pointe du Lac, Interview with the Vampire
Poor Madeleine! Did not deserve to die like that ;A; Unfortunately, I’d say she was condembed to die by proxy, being so attached to Claudia.
I don’t think Madeleine’s death was totally under Armand’s control. He was not really the leader of the TdV (see more quotes on that below the cut); in TVA Armand says: “For the record, [Claudia] was slain by my Coven of mad demon actors and actresses,… it became all too clear to too many that she had tried to murder her principal Maker, The Vampire Lestat. It was a crime punishable by death, the murdering of one’s creator or the attempt at it”
^“slain by my Coven”but not that he ordered them to do it. Just that he didn’t stop it from happening.
This is an #unreliable narrator situation again, as there are at least three different accounts of the trial that was held under TdV (see more below the cut)(four if you include the above statement from TVA). In all instances, the important part of the “trial” was that Claudia was the one who had to be convicted and sentenced to death. Louis and Madeleine were secondary concerns.
There was no explanation for why Madeleine was also condemned to death, I would suggest that Santiago (and/or Armand) wanted to kill Madeleine bc she was mad (the extent of which we don’t really know) and/or they didn’t really know what else to do with her. Santiago probably wanted to do it bc it’s thrilling to kill another vampire, as Armand pointed out in book!IWTV: “`You see,’ he said, `killing other vampires is very exciting; that is why it is forbidden under penalty of death.’
518. Brad Pitt “Louis” hero Scythe from Interview
with the Vampire. (Geffen Pictures, 1994)
[^X] From a Profiles in History auction that was held in Calabasas, CA 12/21/2013:
“…This scythe was used
by Louis to slay “Armand’s” (Antonio Banderas) evil group
of vampires after they kill his beloved “Claudia” (Kirsten
Dunst). Louis can be seen swinging this blade at enemy
vampires after they awaken in a fire he’s set in their crypt. He
uses the scythe to cleave “Santiago” (Stephen Rea) in two. There were
two versions of this scythe made for use in the film and can clearly
be distinguished on screen, one with a smooth blade, and this version,
which has a ridge at the top of the blade. The ridge is clearly visible in
shots of Pitt holding the prop. Featuring a long, angular wooden staff
with various marks and dents from production use. At the lower part
of the staff there is a small metal handle that is attached by a round
metal ring. At the top, a large curved, black metal blade is attached by
a small metal bracket that allows the blade to swing open and closed. The blade was dulled for safety on set. A handle on the bottom of the
piece is no longer present. This scythe measures 60 in. and the sinister
blade, 22 in. long. In production-used good condition. Special shipping
arrangements will apply. $6,000 – $8,000″
I don’t know how much it sold for but that was a real scythe!
I-want-my-IWTV 