The latest cinematic adaptation of the Prince of Darkness lies in the newest film directed by André Øvredal (“Trollhunter,” “The Autopsy of Jane Doe,” “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark”). His film, “The Last Voyage of the Demeter,” is based on the Captain’s log from famous Bram Stoker’s “Dracula.”
“The Last Voyage of the Demeter” closely bites on the tale of the doomed journey of the ship named Demeter (and its crew) carrying a special, yet unknown, cargo. It hides something that will unleash its true nature soon enough to change the whole experience into hell for the unaware passengers. If you had the opportunity to watch any Dracula movie from the past, or at least refreshed your memory with F.W. Murnau’s “Nosferatu” or Francis Ford Coppola’s “Dracula,” you might get a glimpse about the fact that Dracula had needed some vessel to travel to London.
Filming the Dreaded ‘Captain’s Log’
We follow the Demeter from the port in Varna, where it set sails to London. The journey should’ve taken them around two months. In the last moment, one crew member is changed and Clemens (Carry Hawkins) joins the team.
In the beginning focus is on the crew, their relationship, and ways to make it in time to London on time, in order to get paid extra. We get to know everyone: from Captain Eliot (Liam Cunningham), his grandson (Woody Norman), the captain next in charge, Wojchek (David Dastmalchian), and so forth. During a storm, some of the boxes in the storage are damaged, and here the crew finds a stowaway — a woman named Anna (Aisling Franciosi) with grave bite marks all over her body. Some crew members accept this moment as bad luck; but the movie just announces the beginning of a bloodshed.
‘The Captain’s Log’ from Bram Stoker’s “Dracula” is referred to as the bloodiest and scariest part of the novel and Øvredal stays loyal. He tries to establish a frightening and suspenseful atmosphere on the boat, which carries, as a matter of fact, pure evil. The plot, or better, its ending is pretty much obvious; however, as viewers we’re focusing on the presentation of the whole journey and demise of the ship crew.
Relying on Blood Instead of of Imagination
The suspense and dark atmosphere are created masterfully, keeping the viewer at the edge of their seats for the next kill as the vampire preys each night on the unaware passengers. Each kill makes Dracula stronger and bigger (towards the ending, it can already fly). Suddenly, we’re in the middle of a claustrophobic situation such as in Ridley Scott’s “Alien” or John Carpenter’s “The Thing.” The characters no longer trust each other confined on a boat; they’ve nowhere to hide or run from the pursuing evil.
Issues of film don’t lie in the delivery, nor in the plot, but on other levels. Firstly, the timeline is somewhat messy due to the fact they are travelling quite a while, but at the same time ‘each night’ the vampire attacks. Secondly, I was expecting a lesser demonic depiction of Dracula (or its raw form), and would prefer a much more romantic idea, where the thing uses more mind games and ‘charm’. However, the excessively bloody moments remind the audience we’re watching a truly horrific experience for a certain number of people.
Logic vs. Social Darwinism
However, there were two big issues brought up by —and via — Clemens’ character within the movie: science versus the irrational and racial problematic. Both interconnected by Clemens, as he experiences the world not the way he expected. He realizes his knowledge, as great as it can be, doesn’t matter due to his skin colour.
We’re now facing issues far bigger than just a beast attacking people for their blood. We are thrown into a discussion on finding a sense in this world enforcing them with irrational excuses. Dracula, or any of his adaptations, is just a tool of fear by the ruling groups/societies towards minorities. And the metaphor in “The Last Voyage of the Demeter” works tragically adequately in presenting the ‘logic’ of the world versus social darwinism, where bigger and richer groups ‘drain’ the smaller ones, whilst hiding their true nature.
In all, André Øvredal delivers a solid horror epic, paying homage to some great past adaptations of the infamous Dracula. In doing so, he also manages to include commentary on unresolved and crucial social dilemmas.
“The Last Voyage of the Demeter” is now available to rent on most digital platforms.
