Ever since Universal gave up on their planned cinematic universe of monster movies after Tom Cruise’s The Mummy movie flopped, they’ve been having fun with their monster characters. The Last Voyage of the Demeter is the second time this year that we have seen an adaptation of Dracula on the big screen. However, this interpretation offers none of the over-the-top Nicolas Cage-isms that we saw in Renfield. This is a dark, thrilling horror movie with all the potential of becoming reevaluated as a fan favorite in the next few years.
Many movies start out strong and then lose themselves along the way. Personally, I think the biggest mistake The Last Voyage of the Demeter commits occurs in the opening scene. The film begins with title cards detailing how this is an adaptation of a chapter from Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel Dracula. This title card plays over a scene that occurs after all the horrifying events have taken place, and then we cut to a few days prior, and then the movie plays out. This prologue works to the movie’s detriment, as it not only reminds us that what we’re watching is fictional, but it spoils what could have been a surprise that Dracula is haunting them, and it more or less spoils where the ship and its passengers end up by the end of the tale.
It’s a common choice in films to begin your movie with the ending. The key to making this work is making sure the journey leading up to that ending is satisfying. André Øvredal, director of movies like Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark and The Autopsy of Jane Doe, helms The Last Voyage of the Demeter. He generally does a good job with this film. Although a few of the horror scenes lack ingenuity and feel familiar, he crafts an impeccable atmosphere with undying tension. Most of this movie takes place on a boat, surrounded by crashing waves and thunderstorms. It’s an exceptional variation of the horror movie that finds our characters in a house isolated from society.
A movie like this feels reminiscent of Alien, which also features a group of characters trapped in a confined location as an otherworldly creature hunts them down one by one. The claustrophobia of this premise works in its favor. The movie can also be disturbing and violent, earning its R rating with a few bloody kills and going to darker places than you would expect from your average horror flick. It’s also fascinating how The Last Voyage of the Demeter was inspired by a miniature that writer Bragi Schut Jr. saw used in the 1992 Gary Oldman film Bram Stoker’s Dracula.
Corey Hawkins is a star. His career has had a strong start, with small roles in Iron Man 3 and Non-Stop and then venturing into bigger roles in movies like In the Heights and The Tragedy of Macbeth in 2021. This is his first horror movie role, and he gets some fantastic moments in the film. David Dastmalchian shines even more in this film than he has in any movie this year. This is impressive when you realize he has already appeared in Oppenheimer, The Boogeyman, Boston Strangler, and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania in 2023. Liam Cunningham, known for his role in Game of Thrones, has a challenging role that he pulls off to perfection.
Ultimately, The Last Voyage of the Demeter is a solid horror movie. Rough around the edges and not one of the standouts in its genre, this is a thrilling film that offers one hell of a finale with a surprising layer of emotion. Although the movie does not reach its full potential, particularly with the paranoia aspect the premise offers, it remains a simple, effective nightmare. It’s bloody, exciting, and everything you would expect.
SCORE: 7/10
As ComingSoon’s review policy explains, a score of 7 equates to “Good.” A successful piece of entertainment that is worth checking out, but it may not appeal to everyone.
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