André Øvredal’s The Last Voyage of the Demeter has had a tumultuous journey to UK shores. Having already been released in the US and other parts of the world during 2023, the film has yet to get an official release in the United Kingdom. This was due to the sale of eOne, the film’s original distributor for the UK and Ireland, which meant all forthcoming releases, including The Last Voyage of the Demeter, were put on hold. The company was bought by Lionsgate, and now that the dust has settled the film has finally set sail with a screening at Pigeon Shrine FrightFest.
Whilst many who were keen to watch The Last Voyage of the Demeter have likely already sought it out via other means, those that have patiently waited will at least be able to experience the film as it was intended – on the cinema screen. Based on a chapter from Bram Stoker’s Dracula, The Last Voyage of the Demeter chronicles the fate of those onboard the ship that transported Count Dracula to England. In Stoker’s novel the chapter is a short sequence of logs from the ship’s captain; writers Bragi F. Schut and Zak Olkewicz have done fine work in expanding the world and story. Quite whether it is enough to sustain the film’s near two hour run time is debatable, but they have populated the script with an interesting rogues gallery of characters.
Leading The Last Voyage of the Demeter is Corey Hawkins’ Clemens, a qualified physician who is struggling to find work due to the colour of his skin. After inadvertently saving the life of the grandchild of the Demeter’s Captain (Liam Cunnigham), Clemens is granted passage on a ship. The stranger finds himself in troubled waters with some of the crew, but worse is to come. By night the ship’s numbers begin dwindling, and as suspicion turns to paranoia, the true identity of the cause is revealed. Trapped at sea with a hungry devil on board, Clemens and the others must put aside their differences in order to survive.
Those that are familiar with Stoker’s source material may wonder exactly why The Last Voyage of the Demeter is worth their time. The short chapter has a definitive outcome, but Øvredal’s incarnation features plenty of extra material. A far more action-packed account of the hardships faced by the ill-fated crew, The Last Voyage of the Demeter has as much in common with the likes of Master and Commander as it does horror. The set pieces at sea are accomplished, but when set at night, it can become hard to work out details. Similarly, with so many crew (at least initially) it can become difficult to remember who is who. It’s a similar story to that in Alien 3 for which all the inmates looked the same. Outside of the recognisable faces of Hawkins, Cunningham, Aisling Franciosi, and David Dastmalchian, faces blur into one another and it is difficult to follow different characters, especially when placed under the cloak of darkness.
Dracula himself is played by regular creature actor Javier Botet, but rather than be in typical Count form, here he is in beast mode. This switches up expectations and allows Øvredal to push the horror elements further. Sadly, he never reaches the heights of his own impeccable scare fest, The Autopsy of Jane Doe, Øvredal does manage to get a couple of fun frights in. Although overall The Last Voyage of the Demeter is one of Øvredal’s weakest films, it does still manage to be an entertaining watch. Best seen on the big screen to fully experience the scope of the world that has been created, fingers crossed The Last Voyage of the Demeter will soon get some sort of cinema release, even if just for one night only.
The Last Voyage of the Demeter
Summary
Øvredal’s latest film doesn’t quite match the excellence of his former work, but remains a solid adaptation of an often overlooked segment in Stoker’s classic.
The Last Voyage of the Demeter was reviewed at Pigeon Shrine FrightFest 2024.
