"The Last Voyage Of The Demeter" Gives Dracula His Fangs Back (Movie Review)

 

As a fan of the classic Universal Monsters horror films of the '30's and '40's, I was absolutely THRILLED to go into the theaters to see a Dracula film based on the source material from Bram Stoker and distributed by Universal Studios. Not only was I pleased with the outcome, I was overjoyed to see the immortal character of Dracula repackaged as a truly frightening and evil entity. An old character that's been through countless interpretations given a ghastly new look and presence that rivals any new movie monster yet still is faithful to the source material. 

The Last Voyage Of The Demeter

Based on the 'Captains Log' chapter of the Bram Stoker novel, the film mainly takes place at sea, with the captain and crew of The Demeter trapped onboard with the infamous vampire himself. The film is a slow burn but not a boring slow burn that has no payoff. It truly creates tension and makes the great Dracula truly frightening. I've been a fan of this character all my life and I can't tell you how much joy this film gave me. 

The entire cast is fantastic but much praise must be given to Javier Botet, who portrayed Dracula. An absolutely brilliant performance, giving Dracula physical menace and giving moviegoers chills.

The film ultimately ended its run with mixed critical acclaim and wasn't a box office hit. I'm not sure it will get a follow-up and that has unfortunately been the story with Universal Studios Monsters (A.K.A. The MonsterVerse). These characters and films started the cinematic connectivity but it just hasn't had the push by filmgoers to do so in the modern age. Which is fine by me. As a standalone film it does a great job of bringing classic elements and modern day frights to an old character and story. So thanks to Universal Studios for a truly chilling new adaptation of a classic story. I believe in future years this film will be seen in a positive light. And possibly as one of the great adaptations of Bram Stoker's immortal novel...Dracula.

By Jess Solis