A film that may not have gotten the hype of the other summer movies but that has remained high on my ‘most anticipated’ list is director André Øvredal’s “The Last Voyage of the Demeter”. Adapted from one lone chapter from Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel “Dracula”, the film is actually an impressively self-contained feature that turns out to be a late summer season surprise.
Co-written by Bragi Schut Jr. and Zak Olkewicz, “The Last Voyage of the Demeter” is a devilishly crafty high seas horror tale. It’s a movie that embraces classic frights and vigorous period detail to create something that at times feels plucked out of a bygone era. At the same time, Øvredal’s imaginative vision is brought to screen through some brilliant modern day craftsmanship. The extraordinary production design, cinematography, and sound work together to develop a delightfully dark and immersive experience.
Over the years there have been countless Dracula stories told on the big screen and television. “Demeter” differentiates itself in a number of fresh and effective ways. First there’s Dracula himself (played by Javier Botet). You’ll find nothing alluring or sensual about Øvredal’s version. Instead this Dracula is a vicious creature who uses brutality and smarts as a means of survival. Second there’s the terrifying setting – an isolated and inescapable vessel (think “Alien” on the open seas). Then there’s the story – a chapter of the Dracula mythos that many people will be experiencing for the first time.
The story is a bit of a slow burn but there’s no dead weight or wasted scenes. Øvredal puts a lot of time into defining his characters, creating and developing atmosphere, and building a steadily intensifying sense of dread. Set in 1897 and framed as a recording from a Captain’s log, it all begins in a bustling Romanian coastal town where a Russian freighter called the Demeter and its noble Captain Elliot (an excellent Liam Cunningham) are in port loading cargo for their doomed voyage to England.
Shorthanded, Captain Elliot sends his first mate Wojchek (David Dastmalchian) into town to select three men to help fill out their small but sea-worthy crew. Among them is Clemens (Corey Hawkins), a doctor and self-proclaimed man of science and nature. Initially the crew are suspicious of the Cambridge educated doctor. But soon he’s proving himself valuable and even befriends the Captain’s 8-year-old grandson Toby (Woody Norman) who has come along for the ride.
But things turn creepy in the Aegean Sea after a deckhand named Olgaren (Stefan Kapičić) reports seeing a strange and menacing figure on the ship. It gets even creepier when the crew discovers that all the livestock onboard has been savagely slaughtered. But the creepiest turn comes after a storm causes a crate in the cargo hold to fall and bust open. Inside they find a young woman buried in soil and barely alive. Is she stowaway or something else?
As Clemens attempts to nurse the woman back to health, Captain Elliot tries to hold his superstitious crew together. But soon they find themselves targeted by a calculated and bloodthirsty evil who begins methodically taking them out, one frightened seaman at a time. That’s when this gnarly gothic chiller really kicks into gear sporting a horror flavor reminiscent of the Hammer films from the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Marked by terrific performances (Hawkins, Cunningham, and Dastmalchian being the standouts), an ominous score from Bear McCreary (one of my favorites of the year), brilliant practical effects and makeup, and a director with a firm grasp of atmosphere, tension, and terror, “Demeter” is as gripping as it is gruesome. It’s a dread-drenched stop on the Dracula timeline that has enough to please the iconic villain’s long-time fans and plenty to win over new ones as well. “The Last Voyage of the Demeter” is in theaters now.
VERDICT – 4.5 STARS
Keith & the Movies 
Even I might! Love Liam Cunningham.
Cunningham is so good. And I will say this, while it is gory in spots, it’s not your typical horror movie. Not a lot of jump scares and cheap frights. It’s more about atmosphere and setting. I loved it.
Para todos aquellos que tengan una crítica negativa del DEMETER les digo…aún no han leído la novela…este es uno de los capítulos más emocionantes de la historia yo la tengo en tapa dura..desde hace 24 años y 4 meses y es el capítulo que más leo,,, lo más irónico es que aún no la he visto pero solo el trailer me emociono mucho y estoy seguro que la producción tiene lo que necesita…espero no me decepcione….saludos…
If you liked the chapter I think you’ll really like how they have brought it to screen. It’s so well made and a lot went into developing atmosphere and creating a truly immersive setting. It’s fantastic.
There is literally NO marketing for this movie. I saw my theater opened it and was like “wth is this?” I’m glad to hear it’s actually good.
Someone else had mentioned that and it really surprised me. It’s funny, I had seen its trailer 5 or 6 times in the theater. Even more on YouTube and Twitter (or X or whatever it is now). Apparently it didn’t go everywhere though.
I’ve also heard that several countries don’t even have release dates announced yet.
I have heard about this but very little marketing for this as I am intrigued by this considering that Stephen King had really good things to say about it.
So did Guillermo del Toro. I loved it.
Ooh! I need to see this one. Of all of the classic monsters, vampires are my favorites. They’ve gone sexy for too long. They are meant to be mesmerizing in order to exploit their victims, but NOT SEXY. That said I have violated that rule by watching sexy vampires in movies 😉
Let me just say there’s nothing sexy about this one. LOL. I’m a big fan. Can’t wait to see it again.
The setting, where everyone is trapped, I bet it’s scary as hell. Not to get technical, and about vampires generally, doesn’t the vampire need to sleep sometime? They know where he is. Let him fall “asleep” in the day and stake him!
Not quite that simple (tease, hint). The movie handles that well. 🙂
Now I’m even more intrigued!
🙂
Looking forward to seeing it!!!!!!!
It’s really good. I hate that it has struggled at the box office. It deserves better.
I really enjoyed it! An engrossing and scary creature feature. I like how the word “vampire” is never uttered once.
Love hearing that. I’m a BiG fan of it and can’t wait to see it again
Finally got to see this film and wow , now that’s a Dracula movie. I grew up in classic Universal Monsters movies and then the hammer horror with Cushing and Lee and this was in that vein. It was well cast , had a cool slow burn and was very creepy and atmospheric. It should have been so better recieved and bigger at the box-office. Should Have been released at Halloween. These are the type of horror movies I love . It had some good jumps and decent gore but not over board. Plus the cast was again stellar. We need more like this .9 fangs for this one
Wasn’t it great? Man I loved it so much and have been looking forward to seeing it again. Of every movie I’ve seen this year, the lack of turnout for this one frustrated me most. Hoping to grab it on 4K soon.
Yeah I will bring getting it for my collection.It was here and gone in my area so I never got a chance to see it in the theatre. But I agree , it deserved a wide audience and it is baffling why it did not .
It’s especially baffling when you look at some of the “horror” that did get big audiences. 🤷🏻♂️
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Saw it on DVD, a little on the dark side, as in not bright. Did you get the feeling they set up a sequel? I did.
I think they ended it in a way that left it open for sure. I doubt it will get made considering how few people saw it, but I would be down for it.