The Last Voyage of the Demeter – FrightFest 2024 Movie Review
Director: André Øvredal
Writer: Bragi F Schut, Zak Olkewicz (Screenplay)
Writer: Bram Stoker (Log of the Demeter ‘Dracula’)
Cast
- Corey Hawkins (Kong Skull Island)
- Aisling Franciosi (Stopmotion)
- Liam Cunningham (Game of Thrones)
- David Dastmalchian (The Suicide Squad)
- Chris Walley (1917)
Plot: A crew sailing from Varna (Bulgaria) by the Black Sea to England find that they are carrying very dangerous cargo.
Runtime: 1 Hour 58 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: The Last Voyage of the Demeter starts when the ship the Demeter washes up abandoned and in a wreck. It has a Captain’s log which leaves a warning behind. 4-weeks-earlier Captain Eliot (Cunningham) prepares to set sail. However, Wojchek (Dastmalchian) is assigned to find three more hands for the ship.
Clemens (Hawkins) joins the crew and despite warnings from the locals in Bulgaria, they set sail. Once they set sail, they find an injured young woman Anna (Franciosi) and must decide what to do with her. Meanwhile, they discover something in the cargo has caused them to lose their livestock and their voyage becomes a lot more dangerous.
Verdict on The Last Voyage of the Demeter
The Last Voyage of the Demeter is a horror thriller following the crew of a ship which comes under attack. They start having their numbers cut and food supplies stolen. However, they are not prepared for what is going to come next and must fight to survive.
This movie takes a chapter from the famous Dracula novel and builds on the story from the captain’s log. It creates a contained environment for Dracula to hunt his victims and the panic of the religious beliefs. This does revolve around a creature feature idea, which keeps us on edge, as we see the characters stalked through the darkness. The ferociousness of the attacks stands out, making Dracula feel more like an animal, compared to many Dracula concepts.
When it comes to the performances, the fear and horror reactions are great. Liam Cunningham is fantastic as the captain and having him narrate anything is a joy to listen to. However, some of the other accents are not the strongest. In the end, it brings something new to the vampire sub-genre and you can enjoy the creepy atmosphere created.
Final Thoughts – The Last Voyage of the Demeter is a creepy, atmospheric and ferocious vampire movie.
