The Last Voyage of the Demeter Review

PLOT: The ill-fated ship, The Demeter, finds its crew being picked off one-by-one during an ill-fated voyage from Transylvania to London.

REVIEW: Dracula is one of the most filmed characters in history.  The only other to really come close to him is Sherlock Holmes.  Dracula’s story has been retold in numerous ways in these adaptations but there’s one part of the story that always seems to be glossed over until very recently: the lord of the undead’s voyage from Transylvania to England on board the doomed ship Demeter.

This part of the novel is perhaps one of the most disturbing because we know the ending before we get a glimpse into the story itself and it’s not a happy one.  The entries of the Captain are haunting and tell of a horror picking off his crew one by one and sailors who choose the cold embrace of the ocean over whatever fate has befallen their comrades.  In the end, the Captain is found dead at the wheel, never leaving his post as the Demeter is crashed upon the shore.  The log of the Captain is all that survives the ships encounter with Dracula.

The logs pages are covered within the single chapter of Dracula that focuses on the Demeter, and while it’s only a single chapter, the mystery of all that transpired has haunted readers and filmgoers for decades.  And the ramifications of the journey ripple throughout the story itself.  No one has really taken the time to look at the ship and her crew as well as the terrifying final journey they embark on.  One of the first to really delve into it in depth was the recent Netflix co production of Dracula, a mini-series retelling of the story of the vampire which included as its second episode a feature length look into the story.  But it wasn’t very accurate as to the actual setting in the book, instead having the ship be a passenger vessel.  The Demeter in the novel was nothing like that and was a cargo ship with hardened sailors who knew how to handle the waves, the wind, and the storms but not a creature from hell.

In The Last Voyage of the Demeter, the crew of the vessel get their due, with the focus on the journey and the people finding themselves trapped in the middle of the ocean on a ship with nowhere to flee from the monster stalking the corridors.  Director André Øvredal has described the film as Alien on a sailing ship and it’s a pretty accurate assessment.

The Last Voyage of the Demeter has been in the cards for a very very long time and finally got the greenlight right as the pandemic hit. The cast is a great one with veteran creature actor Javier Botet as Dracula.  Liam Cunningham, having shown his chops as a great sailor in Game of Thrones is the ships Captain, Captain Elliot.  Horror fan and fan favorite David Dastmalchian is Wojchek, the first mate, Aisling Franciosi is Anna, and Corey Hawkins is the ships physician Clemens.

While we assume we know the outcome of the voyage (it’s in the title that this is THE LAST voyage of the ship) it doesn’t play out in a way you would expect.  Demeter spends some time letting us get to know the characters, and some of the characters who are part of the crew may surprise you.  

Woody Norman’s innocent and sweet cabin boy for instance is one that is never mentioned in the novel but makes sense for the time.  Clemens is a black doctor looking for a way back home to England after his time in Transylvania.  The film doesn’t shy away from what would assuredly be some racism being faced by him.  But not only that, Clemens is a scientist who has to face something science could never explain while being surrounded by sailors, some of the most superstitious men you’ll ever meet.  The character of Anna, played by Franciosi, is also a unique and new character who adds an entire other level to the story not heard before.

The film is beautifully crafted when it comes to visuals as well as the sound and music, with the always amazing Bear McCreary writing the score.  It’s a dark film, but that’s the point.  Ships back in the time it’s set were wooden, so you didn’t want a lot of lanterns or candles about, and the shadows are a perfect place for a creature of the night to hide.  The set design is really a stand out here.

Last Voyage of the Demeter also makes Dracula a monster again.  This isn’t a seductive nobleman out to have dinner with you.  He’s a cunning and hungry creature that’s going to have you for dinner.  Dracula in this film is a disease in a way, a walking plague that corrupts everything that comes in contact with him.  He’s a parasite with intellect that slowly spreads throughout the crew and also the ship, tainting it with the evil that is the vampire.

Watching the crew and most notably Clemens have to realize what it is they are facing and having to change their notion of reality to fight it is what makes this film great.  There’s a doom, as the story says, over the ship.  We see loss and tragedy on levels you won’t expect, but we also see the crew fight the monster, knowing they may not win.

Dracula does represent corruption here.  He seems to relish the pain and horror he inflicts.  Those that are more easily tainted seem to fall prey quicker to him.  But in contrast to that we see nature and the elements within it such as the sun and the water itself purify the evil.  And that aspect is something that Øvredal shows both beautifully and tragically.  

Cunningham and Dastmalchian are fantastic as the two leaders of the ship trying to save the vessel they love and keep their crew safe as they realize what they are up against.  Hawkins and Franciosi also bring great performances as they take on the lord of darkness.  They all show a tension and grim determination that’s palpable.   

Last Voyage of the Demeter is a good mix of what feels like a Hammer Horror film and also some Italian Horror designs mixed with slick, modern production.  Øvredal has a good eye for the genre, and it shows here.  Much like he did with Trollhunter, Umma, and The Autopsy of Jane Doe, his film take a piece of classic folklore and spins it with his visual style so it’s a new take on an old story.  

My only complaint with the movie is when the CGI comes out to play with Dracula and the instances it just doesn’t work.  At those times it can take you out of everything.  But then you’ll return to Botet in the costume, and it resets you to being unnerved by the vampire again.  

The Last Voyage of the Demeter is the second entry from Universal this year of a Dracula story and you should go see it in a theater to experience the far darker side of the king of vampires.  It’s lush, creepy, and a monster of a film.  Set sail if you dare.