The past few years have been full of variations on Bram Stoker’s classic novel Dracula. The iconic vampire has been sent to us via email, become an evil mastermind on Netflix, and even become an anime anti-hero. Most recently, Dracula is a campy Nic Cage in the horror-comedy Renfield.
But we are now about to see not a man, but a beast. This adaptation comes from Universal, who released the first trailer for The Last Voyage Of The Demeter. The film is inspired by a single chapter of the original novel, as Dracula’s coffin travels from Romania to London. André Øvredal (Trollhunter, The Autopsy of Jane Doe, Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark) handles directorial duties in this seaborne horror.
“The Last Voyage Of The Demeter” Brings True Horror To Dracula
The Last Voyage Of The Demeter follows The Demeter, a trading ship carrying private cargo between Romania and London. Under the watchful eye of The Captain (Game Of Thrones‘ Liam Cunningham), the ship sets sail with one final addition, British-educated doctor Clemens (Corey Hawkins of The Walking Dead). However, as night falls, a creature unfurls itself from a casket and begins to stalk the crew. Those who survive the initial assault must find a way to kill the creature before the ship reaches London. Also among the cast are Aisling Franciosi (The Nightingale, The Fall, Game Of Thrones), David Dastmalchian (The Suicide Squad), and Javier Botet (REC, Mama, Scary Stories To Tell In the Dark) as Dracula.
Unlike other adaptations, The Last Voyage Of The Demeter has no interest in showing us a human-like Dracula. Instead, the film focuses on a purely bestial and monstrous creature who has nothing but a hunger to be sated. It is set to be a bloody, and visceral, fight for survival. Furthermore, as the trailer implies, this version of Dracula has the ability to “infect” individuals. That unnerving ability adds a tantalizing splash of paranoia to the film’s tone. Expect no mercy in this brutal, bloody, and tense take on the classic vampire. The Last Voyage Of The Demeter sails into theaters on August 11.
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