The Last Voyage of the Demeter – A Bloody Good Time

At this point, the story of Dracula has been told and retold so many different times and in so many different ways that it would be entirely understandable to think audiences would never want to watch any adaptation about literature’s most famous vampire ever again. That being said, every so often, there comes something that takes the source material and brings it to the screen in a way that is so unique and so masterfully crafted that it makes these old stories and classic characters feel like new. The Last Voyage of the Demeter is one such movie.

Based on chapter entitled “The Captain’s Log” from Bram Stoker’s iconic novel, The Last Voyage of the Demeter follows the crew of the titular doomed ship as it sails to England with a mysterious cargo of dirt-filled boxes. When crew members suddenly become violently murdered, it soon becomes apparent that an evil entity walks the deck of the Demeter.

From to start to finish, it delivers a spookily satisfying story that pays homage to the legend of Dracula while also expanding on it. A film based on a singular chapter of a classic novel could easily wind up being boring and uneventful, however, The Last Voyage of the Demeter is anything but. Solid direction and quality writing elevate it into something unlike anything fans of horror are used to seeing. The film has all the heart and artistic integrity of an independent drama coupled with just enough flash of a summer blockbuster. Øvredal handles the gore and creepiness well, creating a monster movie that is a must-see for anyone who loves a spine-chilling, multi-killing, thrilling vampire movie. Where the film truly succeeds is within its subtlety. It delivers classic old-school scares that are both completely uncomplicated or unpretentious. In the end, what makes it successful horror is simply for how it devotes its efforts to being scary, not concerning itself with a convoluted plot, dull characters or stale action sequences. The result is classic horror for a new age.

Meanwhile, the setting being an enclosed environment, allowing for character suspicions and fear to run rampant, brings to mind such iconic horror movies as Alien or The Thing, which each set the bar when it comes to monster movies. Audiences haven’t been given many monster movies as of late but is definitely one of the best ones to hit the big screen seen in recent memory. Speaking of monsters, it was so refreshing to actually see Dracula and not have the character concealed by shadows or quick edits that water down the terror of seeing a legendary monster come to life.  The frights are excellently paced and build on each other, making sure that The Last Voyage of the Demeter culminates in a finale that is explosive to say the least.

Universal should take note from The Last Voyage of the Demeter. THIS is how filmmakers should bring these legendary monsters to audiences in the 21st century. The key is to put them in films that are well-written, well-acted and don’t need to rely on bloated action sequences, or the promise of spin-offs or a shared cinematic universe.

In the end, for fans of horror, vampires or Dracula, The Last Voyage of the Demeter is a must see and love at first bite.

still courtesy of Universal Pictures

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Luke Elisio

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