If there is such a thing as life after death, late R&B singer Aaliyah has achieved it as “Queen of the Damned.”

Starring as a 4,000-year-old Egyptian queen, the mesmerizing singer rules from beyond the grave in the film adaptation of Anne Rice’s 1993 vampire novel about a queen who has no qualms about killing her own kind.

When Aaliyah makes her first appearance in “Queen of the Damned,” it’s obvious judging by audience reaction that her death has affected many people, not just the fans of her music. As the actress saunters and sways in the role of Queen Akasha the way only a trained dancer could, it’s hard to keep a dry eye watching the talented actress die for the second time.

Joining Aaliyah in this tale of ancient vampires mingling with the conventions of modern society is the fanatically adored character Lestat, played by Stuart Townsend.

Given much more of a rubberized, goth god appearance than Tom Cruise received as the previous Lestat in “Interview with the Vampire,” Townsend brings the arrogant brattiness of the character to life in a way that was painfully absent in “Interview,” Anne Rice’s last movie based on her “Vampire Chronicles.”

Having risen from his long slumber underground to the sound of goth music being played in his former New Orleans home, Lestat joins up with the band to create music of his own, in hopes of ruling the world.

As Lestat belts out his siren songs from the stage, Korn frontman Jonathan Davis acts as his singing voice from behind the scenes, adding all the more to the marketability of this film’s soundtrack.

An underlying corny streak within the film kicks into high gear during a scene in which Lestat is playing a large concert in Death Valley, Calif. As he parades around the stage in the ubiquitous leather pants ensemble that’s so popular in films these days, a grouping of angry vampires eye him from the crowd. Identifiable as vampires because of their glowing eyes, they zip toward the stage with the help of what only can be referred to as a rip-off of the special effects used several years ago in “The Matrix.” This use of stop-action special effects was cool when it first was noticed in movies, but now that studio executives are finding ways to fit them into everything ranging from science fiction films to Hallmark commercials, it’s becoming a bit trite.

Although the book “Queen of the Damned” was far better than the film version in terms of character development and accuracy, it’s exciting to see the magic of film bring these familiar characters to life. Someone who’s never read a single Anne Rice novel would most likely enjoy this movie, but don’t expect it to live up to what you’ve created in your head if you have read the book.

Lestat and his cohorts are better left between the pages, but if a film absolutely must be based on their characters, this one is great for the simple fact that it doesn’t star Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt.

The late Aaliyah stars with Stuart Townsend in “Queen of the Damned,” which is another volume in “The Vampire Chronicles.”