The Last Voyage Of The Demeter (2023)

“24 July-There seems some doom over this ship.”

Based upon a portion of Chapter 7 of Bram Stoker’s legendary Dracula, The Last Voyage of the Demeter gives us a glimpse into the horrific events that unfold aboard the doomed ship as it makes its way to England. There were only eighteen found entries in the captain’s log from the Demeter, and writer Bragi Schut, Jr., uses these entries as an outline for the 2023 film, expanding upon and adding to the story to flesh it out into a near two-hour display of horror.

There really isn’t much need to discuss the plot of the film, as it is fairly basic: The Demeter is headed to England to deliver cargo and along the way, crewmen systemically go missing or die violent deaths. The surviving crew attempt to discover the source of the murders and stay alive as well. If you’ve read Dracula, you know how this story ends. Spoiler alert: it doesn’t end well.

While the Demeter may be loaded with a bunch of boxes of dirt and Count Dracula, the film’s cast is loaded with an amazing group of actors. The film’s star is Corey Hawkins as Dr. Clemens. Horror fans will most likely recognize him as Heath from The Walking Dead. He has appeared in a number of prominent roles in films and on television such as in Straight Outta Compton, Kong: Skull Island, and 24: Legacy. Considering the other acting heavyweights that are aboard the Demeter with him, Hawkins stands out from the rest and does a brilliant job as Clemens. The ship’s captain is Liam Cunningham, perhaps best known for his work in Game Of Thrones, Dog Soldiers, First Knight, and Doctor Who. David Dastmalchian appears as Wojchek, the Demeter’s first mate. My readers will know him from his amazing work in the first two Ant-Man films, The Suicide Squad (2021), Dune, and The Dark Knight. Aisling Franciosi appears as Anna, a “stowaway” who warns the crew of the ship of its horrible fate. She portrayed Lyanna Stark in Game of Thrones and has appeared in a number of films recently. The film also features Woody Norman as Toby, Jon Jon Briones as Joseph, Stefan Kapicic as Olgaren, Nikolai Nikolaeff as Petrofsky, Martin Furulund as Larsen, and Chris Walley as Abrams. The Nosferatu-inspired Dracula creature is portrayed through a combination of practical and CGI effects. Javier Botet wears the suit and provided the mo-cap sequences of the monster. Botet has featured in numerous genre films and shows as various monsters. Some of his work includes the Insidious franchise, the REC franchise, Game Of Thrones, Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark, Mama, and It.

The film is very good, especially considering the very confined setting of a ship and an even smaller cast. The CGI looks a tad cheesy at times, but director Andre Ovredal does a brilliant job of keeping the film moving at a good clip. His direction, the cinematography of Tom Stern, and the music of Bear McCreary combine to give the film a relentless atmosphere of doom and desperation. One of my favorite scenes in the film is when the remaining crew make a final stand against Dracula and can literally see the coast of England, and safety, just off in the distance.

Although it is well known that none of the Demeter’s crew survive its ill-fated voyage, the film does end with a glimmer of hope and the potential for a sequel. There are also three nods, two obvious ones and a third fleeting one, to another creature from the Universal Monsters collection of creatures. I won’t say which monster is hinted at, but if you’re a hardcore fan of the classic Universal Monsters, you should have no issues catching all three of these nods.

The Last Voyage Of The Demeter is a very good film. While it might appear to be just another creature feature, it has an intelligence about it that makes it more than the sum of its parts. A brilliant cast, tons of amazing atmosphere, and a tale that keeps you intrigued makes seeing this film on the big screen worth it. Corey Hawkins’ star will only rise in my opinion and I can’t wait to see his next project.

Thanks for checking out my post. Please go see The Last Voyage Of The Demeter on the big screen. We need more horror films like this one!