REVIEW: ‘The Last Voyage of The Demeter’ Starts Strong

Dracula is a literary figure that has been imagined and reimagined across every type of media. His story has been retold and reinvented countless times, which makes any subsequent take on the character and his journey a monumental effort. One way to relieve that burden is simple, find a story in between the pages of the novel, in a section left largely unexplored. The Last Voyage of the Demeter embraces ambiguity to craft a period horror piece that leans heavily on the unknown of Dracula’s trip on the Demeter, fleshing out the darkness aboard the ship.

The Last Voyage of the Demeter is directed by André Øvredal, features a screenplay by Bragi F. Schut and Zak Olkewicz, and features a screen story by Schut specifically developed around the one chapter of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, the log of the Demeter. The film crafts a terrifying story that takes place almost exclusively on the merchant ship Demeter, which was chartered to carry private cargo—fifty unmarked wooden crates—from Carpathia to London. Set to make a healthy payday if they arrive in London quickly, the crew isn’t keen to stop at any port along the way as strange events turn into violent ones night after night.

The crew in question is led by its Captain Elliot (Liam Cunningham), his grandson Toby (Woody Norman), the Demeter’s first mate Wojchek (David Dastmalchian), and the rest of the crew that has sailed together for quite some time, Olgaren (Stefan Kapicic), Joseph (Jon Jon Briones), Larsen (Martin Furulund), Abrams (Chris Walley), and Petrofsky (Nikolai Nikolaeff). But while the bulk of the existing crew is unprotected prey for a hungry Dracula, the new additions to the ship, like its new doctor Clemens (Corey Hawkins) and its harbinger of doom stowaway Anna (Aisling Franciosi), carry the bulk of the narrative action.

The Last Voyage of the Demeter embraces the benefits of a horror story on a boat—you can’t leave. Confinement drives the thrilling elements of watching each crewmember be stalked as they attempt to survive the ocean voyage. Ultimately though, the audience knows the end of the film as it starts with the reading of the end of the Captain’s log and the derelict wreck of the Demeter washed on the shores of England. With no trace of the crew, the inevitable tragic outcome hangs over the Demeter as you meet the crew, learn about them, and watch them fight. However, that hopelessness helps propel the action elements of the film well. It makes the claustrophobic quality of the ship deeper and darker as the characters try to plan their way out of becoming meals for a devil.

Additionally, the film pulls no punches in the deaths shown on-screen or the subsequent aftermath. It’s a choice that offers enough of a shock to make some moments stick emotionally more than others. Watching a racist Russian crewmate die is one thing; watching an innocent? Well, that delivers a blow for the audience and the crew. And all of these brutal last moments would be nothing without the monster, the creature behind the maiming and the bloodletting, Dracula.

Played by Javier Botet, a physical genius known for bringing monsters to life, Dracula in The Last Voyage of the Demeter isn’t the charming bloodsucking count who uses his human form to woo any and everyone. When compared with the depiction of the Demeter in BBC’s Dracula series which aired in the US on Netflix, this one is more sullen and desperate. In the BBC depiction of Dracula’s time on the sea, it’s on a passenger ship, one that allows our count to grow more human with each kill and eventually move freely. Here though, the thoughtful and stellar creature design is a choice to make him more of a beast or devil instead of a man, allowing Dracula to move through the night as a pure predator.

Sure, he morphs from something small into something large, but never once does he take on the suave human appearance we know in pop culture. Instead, he remains an image of Nosferatu, and with that, Botet is allowed to use his body to crawl, snatch, scratch, and showcase otherworldly intimidation that highlights the importance of actors in a creature’s skin. From the extravagant to the dreary rat-filled ship of a hardworking crew,  the change pays off in spades when it comes to highlighting horror.

In addition to Botet’s physical performance, the cast of the Demeter does wonderful work to each stand out as dynamic characters in one story, playing off of each other well. That said, it’s easy to see the strength that both Corey Hawkins as Clemens and David Dastmalchian as Wojchek carry in the film. Hawkins’ character is the core of the film with his decisions and skepticism grounding the narrative and the horror within it while Dastmalchian’s salty first mate delivers a performance that puts his ship and crew constantly in full view.

That said, for all of its strengths, its biggest fault is its finale. Without mincing words, not everything needs a sequel. Not everything needs a “…for now” tacked onto “the end” and the choice to leave the ending open is one that hurts the emotional impact and ominous nature of the fate of those aboard the Demeter. It’s a choice that feels hamfisted in, forced into a narrative that had a conclusion in order for a studio to make more money if this studio horror finds its sea legs and is a success. The Last Voyage of the Demeter is a reflection of a trend that undercuts films to plan for an uncertain future instead of allowing finite narratives with a resounding impact.

Still, judged among other Stoker adaptations and the wider landscape of theater horror, The Last Voyage of the Demeter, is a solid entry into the Dracula legacy. Even with its fumbling in the final moments of the film The Last Voyage of the Demeter pulls together the best elements of a creature feature, single-location storytelling, and use of darkness and landscape to pull off thoughtful scares. Additionally, it should be noted that this film isn’t a vampire movie in the way that you would normally associate with Dracula. With talks of sickness and the way some turn, it’s more akin to a ship trying to survive an outbreak while also fighting off a beast. This means that it crosses a large section of horror fans and is aiming to meet both Dracula fans and those who haven’t read the original work in the same place—a difficult feat that it ultimately executes well.

The Last Voyage of the Demeter is playing in theaters nationwide on August 11, 2023.