The Last Voyage Of The Demeter

One of my favorite books as a kid was the original Dracula. I remember the name of the boat that Dracula travelled on was name the Demeter which I thought was a great name for a doomed ship. This film takes that small part of the book and tells the tale of the crew's final voyage. I usually don't like horror films but I was all over this one.

There are few things that scare me more than a sailing ship during  storm. Can you imagine the same ship with a vampire name DRACULA on board. That is the premise of this story and it's an effective thriller.

The setting an production design is fantastic. I really felt that I was in the 1800s.but an air of death hangs over everything. Every warning sign appears on dock before the ship even leaves for London. The crates are burned with symbols that fear many who know who the ship has brought on board. It's all so grim and I know from the beginning that no one is getting out of this one alive.

The ship itself is a great setting with it's dark corners and claustrophobic feel. I feel as trapped as the crew. It's a tense and trilling ride unlike most vampire films you have ever seen. It has an audience score of 78% on Rotten Tomatoes and that is a fair score.

Shorty after the journey begins a female stowaway is found in one of the crates that has mysteriously opened one night. She is our source of information of the real devil on board. Slowly the animals and the crew are taken out one by one until all dead but not before fighting back in the only way they know how.

A formulaic yet effective take on the horror icon, Dracula. The Last Voyage of the Demeter nails the atmosphere, the creature design and the crew of this ship. An easy watch with potential for more in the future!