Dracula sets sail in effective horror, thriller 'The Last Voyage of the Demeter'

SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — The Last Voyage of the Demeter
3 out of 5 Stars
Director: André Øvredal
Writers: Bragi F. Schut, Zak Olkewicz, Bram Stoker
Starring: Corey Hawkins, Aisling Franciosi, Liam Cunningham
Genre: Horror
Rated: R for bloody violence

SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) – Studio Synopsis: Based on a single chilling chapter from Bram Stoker’s classic novel Dracula, The Last Voyage of the Demeter tells the terrifying story of the merchant ship Demeter, which was chartered to carry private cargo—50 unmarked wooden crates—from Carpathia to London.

Strange events befall the doomed crew as they attempt to survive the ocean voyage, stalked each night by a merciless presence onboard the ship. When the Demeter finally arrives off the shores of England, it is a charred, derelict wreck. There is no trace of the crew.

Review: Even if you’ve never read Bram Stoker’s “Dracula” you probably know a thing or two about the character and its mythology. Stoker’s novel has been adapted numerous times and hundreds of films have used the character in one form or another.

Stoker’s story of how Dracula traveled from Romania to England is merely part of the novel’s first chapter. It often appears in films, but only has a passing sequence. It goes something like this:

EXT. OCEAN

Torrents of rain, Demeter, a merchant’s ship, traverse rough waters, violently rising and falling with the waves.

INT. BOAT CARGO HOLD

Cluttered interior of merchant ship’s cargo hold. An ornately decorated coffin-sized box sits among similar-sized wooden containers. The lid shifts, a shriveled and dirty hand emerges from within the box.

EXT. OCEAN

Calm waters. A tattered and torn Demeter drifts ashore.

And then we move on to Dracula’s nightlife. It’s a murderous tale of wanting.

“The Last Voyage of the Demeter” fleshes out the journey between Transylvania and London. Who were the unfortunate, ignorant souls who manned the Demeter? Where were they when the ship was recovered? What was their fate?

Captain Eliot (Liam Cunningham) oversees a small, interchangeable crew of tattooed men. Eliot is accompanied by his grandson, Toby (Woody Norman), a young and foolishly brave young boy. Needing extra hands, Eliot sends Wojchek (David Dastmalchian) his trusted firsthand, to find able men. Dismissed at first, Clemens (Corey Hawkins), an educated man of science who life has tread upon because of the blackness of his skin. Eliot is tasked with transporting 50 crates. Their contents are unknown and seemingly unimportant.

Initially, all is well aboard the Demeter. The cargo shifts. One of the crates spills open. Clemens discovers a young, sickly woman (Aisling Franciosi). It soon becomes apparent that she is not the ship’s only stowaway.

“The Last Voyage of the Demeter” is partly a period drama with a serious tone. It is character driven to a point, half of the small crew are expendable and featureless. It is also a classic monster horror film built on tension with occasional outbursts of gore. There are a handful of jump scares, but it’s never quite as creepy as it could be.

Character design is strong. Dracula goes through a film-long transition from a frail creature forced to feed on the defenseless to being a full-blown menace.

Performances are solid, cinematography is nicely polished with grime. The narrative is a bit clunky. It’s been a while since I read “Dracula,” but I suspect that some of the not-quite-logical moments are lifted from the source material. The film is nearly two hours long and could have been more tightly edited. I understand why some of the scenes linger. It’s an effort to keep the audience on edge but isn’t entirely successful.

Overall, I enjoyed “The Last Voyage of the Demeter.” Universal isn’t directly pitching the film as a reboot to their Monster-verse, but it’s not a bad place to build from.