The Last Voyage of the Demeter – review

Director: André Øvredal

Release date: 2023

Contains spoilers

Let us get the *stuff* out of the way first shall we. First were the attacks on this film, pre-release, with accusations of “woke gone mad”. This slice of toxic fandom was because the film – based on the Demeter section of the novel Dracula – happened to cast a black actor, a female actor and a child actor in the film. But, the toxic fan moans, they're not in the book. So what? The relationship of Dracula and Mina in Dracula 1992 wasn’t in the book, in fact there isn’t a single film of Dracula that doesn’t deviate one way or another from the book.

Corey Hawkins as Clemens

So, the female character, Anna (Aisling Franciosi), was a snack Dracula (Javier Botet, The Mummy) had in one of the crates – this seems reasonable. The child, Toby (Woody Norman), is the orphaned grandson of Captain Eliot (Liam Cunningham) and looks after the livestock needed for the voyage – again reasonable. Finally, the main character of Clemens (Corey Hawkins), who is taken on as a general hand and doctor – well, firstly Stoker never mentions the skin colour of the crew, secondly. though not numerous. there were black physicians educated in British universities in the 19th century and last... if you have an issue due to his ethnicity then (and I say this sincerely) the problem is with you and not the casting. Especially as it is Corey Hawkins's performance that carried the film.

bat form

Next to the complaint that I read about Dracula being monstrous. Yes, he does take on "man bat" form at one point – something done in other renderings and, notably, in the 92 Dracula. His main form is more Orlock, indeed the character is credited as “Dracula/Nosferatu”. Stoker’s Count was not the later handsome Count, his physiognomy based in large part on the descriptions in Baring-Gould’s The Book of Were-Wolves, and Nosferatu – Eine Symphonie des Grauens is still one of the best vampire movies made. Dracula, in the book, doesn’t spend the voyage making conversation with the crew (and that has already been done in Dracula 2020), rather he hides within his earth and then feeds at night.

Aisling Franciosi as Anna

Finally, there is the fact that this has flopped. It really doesn’t deserve to have flopped but there are reasons. One might be the fact that the Dracula name wasn’t attached to the title and there may have been fewer sales as a result. Then was the fact that whilst it was released in 2,715 US cinemas (less than half of the cinemas in the US), its distribution was not successful at all in other parts of the world – the distribution company for the UK and some other European companies, for instance, went bust and thus the film wasn’t actually released in many countries. Of course, a Halloween release, rather than August might have been a better fit too. I say all this because the film is really very good. It looks fab and has a nice horror tension through it – because it is a horror film, that is clear throughout. The fact that, at time of writing, it has failed to emerge on physical format (bar in the US and a less than legitimate Malaysian release, as far as I know) or hit international streaming feels like the producers staking the film through the heart.

The Demeter

The film itself is fairly simple in plot, as you would imagine – the Demeter is chartered to take boxes (of earth) to England. Clemens, trying to find passage home, attempts to get onto the crew and fails but, after a hired sailor realises there is the dragon symbol on the crates and manages to drop one quayside (and nearly kills Toby, who is saved by Clemens), the Doctor takes the hand’s place. Once at sea they soon discover Anna – Clemens giving her transfusions seemed a leap, given the time period but the script makes it clear that they don’t always work and no one knows why (it was before blood typing).

sunlight immolation

The livestock are slaughtered first and then Dracula works his way through the crew. A bite turns, but not, it seems, into a full vampire, but more a clouded-eyed thrall of the master vampire. Dracula can certainly, as per the book, cause fog to surround the ship and control the weather generally. A violent fiery reaction to sunlight was not, of course, part of the book but was introduced into the megatext via Nosferatu. Dracula smashes through the hold grate but also seems able to pass into areas without disturbing the door. He starts the film looking weak, after all he is moving because of scarcity of food, and yet still capable of bursts of speed.

Javier Botet as Dracula

I mentioned Corey Hawkins’ performance and he really is the glue of the story, though the full ensemble cast do a great job. There is great photography and the ship looks fabulous. The best part of this, however, is the decision to make it a horror film, a cold and monstrous vampire pitted against a baffled crew who must decide how to survive and, later, how they can ensure he does not reach English shores. I really enjoyed this and think it deserves a strong 8 out of 10.

The imdb page is here.

On Blu-Ray @ Amazon US

On Blu-Ray @ Amazon UK