Rare Exports: The Last Voyage of the Demeter is hearty meat-and-potatoes horror

August 10, 2023

Abby Olcese,

Courtesy Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment

Some movies are based on fanfiction—Fifty Shades of Grey, that bizarre After series that’s apparently still going on—and other movies are fanfiction by their very nature. The Last Voyage of the Demeter is the latter, speculating on a single chapter from Bram Stoker’s Dracula to imagine the experience of the doomed crew that unwittingly transported the vampiric count from Romania to England.

The result is a solid meat-and-potatoes horror adventure that plays like a combination of Neil Marshall’s Dog Soldiers and the indie video game Return of the Obra Dinn. André Øvredal’s movie could stand to go a little harder than it does, but it remains a perfectly good, icky creepfest with period trappings that give it some cross-genre appeal.

In Dracula, the Demeter is a cargo ship that sets out from Bulgaria carrying a shipment of items headed for London, among them several large crates belonging to Count Dracula, one of which is the vampire himself, shut up in his coffin. The ship vanishes, then reappears, wrecked, off the coast of Whitby, England, with the captain found dead at the wheel and no other living souls on board. Entries from the captain’s log detail what happened on the voyage, implying that Dracula got loose and began attacking the crew on the voyage.

The Last Voyage of the Demeter beefs up the story, turning the voyage into a single-location horror movie. Captain Eliot (Liam Cunningham) is about to retire and leave command of the ship to first mate Wojchek (David Dastmalchian). Clemens (Corey Hawkins), an Oxford-educated doctor, joins the crew in Bulgaria so he can make his way back home, winning a spot on board when he saves Eliot’s wide-eyed moppet grandson (Woody Norman) from being crushed by errant cargo.

[Editor’s note: This is the film Overland Park’s own Dastmalchian was filming when we interviewed him for a cover story in the October 2021 issue.]

At sea, the crew discovers a woman (Aisling Franciosi) in one of the crates, who claims there’s a demon aboard. The supernatural antics that follow prove exactly how right she is.

The movie is true to the story; this is a grim journey where bad things happen to people who don’t deserve it, and the ones who remain slowly lose their minds. Øvredal’s film is more moody than frightening, however, with telegraphed jump scares that don’t necessarily make you jump so much as nod appreciatively at the payoff.

The tight-quarters paranoia also isn’t as heightened as other movies of this type (see Ravenous if you want an example of the gold standard). This all leads to a generally tamer approach that’s more widely palatable, but also keeps The Last Voyage of the Demeter from reaching its full potential.

Courtesy Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment

That said, the movie’s performances keep it admirably grounded, with characters that suggest interesting internal lives and backstories. Hawkins steps up well to leading-man status here with intelligence and command that make him an interesting hero. Franciosi doesn’t get enough to do until the final act, but still displays brains and toughness that would’ve been nice to see more of. Dastmalchian probably comes off the best here, in a meaty role that’s different from his squirrelly oddball wheelhouse. Dastmalchian’s Wojchek is surly, suspicious, but ultimately honorable. It’s great to see him successfully flex his acting muscles in a different direction.

As fun as it would be to see Øvredal go fully off the leash (this is no The Autopsy of Jane Doe), what we get here is still solid, enjoyable genre work. If you prefer your scares to have a more gothic, seafaring flavor, or you’re a Dracula superfan, you’ll find a lot to enjoy with The Last Voyage of the Demeter.

The story is tragic, the vibes are excellent, and the ensemble sells every minute. It may feel subdued, but you’ll probably still leave with a satisfying chill.