Dracula: Voyage of the Demeter

This review may contain spoilers! 

Dracula: Voyage of the Demeter is an adaptation of chapter seven of Bram Stoker's Dracula, a fascinating log from the perspective of the captain of the ship Demeter. As far as retelling the Dracula myth goes, this is one of the most unique perspectives we've really been offered up in a long time. This film lands that neat period setting quite well, transporting you to another era while also steadily introducing the gothic horror elements. I loved that the film doesn't push the horror in full force, instead choosing to allow moments of fear to steadily pervade and never once shying away from a Dracula that is clearly tipping a hat to Nosferatu. The design of Dracula as monstrous here is really clever, it allows us to treat him as something more beast-like to be afraid of; yet as he reveals his own cunning against his prey the stakes of the danger really ramp up. I loved that this film has a noteworthy character actor cast working strongly as an ensemble in such a tight quarters setting, the boat location really does feel like a box for our protagonists to die in. There are some very nice moments throughout the narrative as well in which we see hope/innocence lost or when crew who have been othered by society must stand against the monstrous other that is Dracula. This feels like a very classic creature feature horror with all the sensibilities of a modern shoot. I cannot stress enough how rare it is for horror to be positioned in a period setting and actually manage to land such a bone-chilling tone.

The way this film is shot is really creative and varied, it makes the space of the boat go from being expansive and vast to cramped and claustrophobic. The camera also isn't afraid to move a lot to really add an edge to the scarier scenes and simulate Dracula hunting prey. The special effects seen throughout are very nice; the design of the Demeter on the water is impressive, as are the moments in which the turned thralls erupt into flames. But no special effect is greater than the design of Dracula, a truly terrifying otherworldly being who is still humanoid enough to elevate what this film is trying to do. Bear McCreary does the music for this and it is honestly one of his best scores in 2023, the film goes from a whimsical nautical style to this heavy foreboding dirge that creeps into your ears and refuses to let go until the credits roll.

 

Corey Hawkins, who played Clemens, is a very restrained yet compelling protagonist; I loved Hawkins' moment in which his character professes why killing Dracula matters to him so much - it really fleshed the role out immensely. David Dastmalchian, who played Wojchek, seriously nearly outpaced Cunningham for my favourite performance in this; Dastmalchian stomps through this performance with so much frustration and control masking barely contained ambition and love for his ship that he served on. Chris Walley, who played Abrams, is the closest this feature gets to a comedic presence and it works well; Walley's many japes in the early days of the crew sailing together really breathes a sense of liveliness into the first half of the feature. Stefan Kapicic, who played Olgaren, gives a role who has a quiet wisdom and empathy to him; Kapicic spotting Dracula first and remarking upon it really foreshadowed the dread to come perfectly. Woody Norman, who played Toby, is one of the best young performances that I've seen this year; Norman is immensely charismatic but also plucks at your heart strings in how he shows his character's feelings of being unable to live up to expectations of his father figure (Cunningham).

However, the best performance came from Liam Cunningham, who played Captain Eliot. This man is a very seasoned character performer and steps into the part of nautical leader and occassional narrator well. When first we meet Cunningham's Captain Eliot the man comes across as gruff, he has an edge to him that takes no nonsense and exudes authority. Yet we swiftly see the hardened edges of this man have eroded, he has a fatherly nature to him that allows a sense of kindness and genorisity. There is a real sense of camaraderie Cunningham establishes with his fellow shipmate cast members. Yet as the horror begins to creep in that sense of command creeps back, and as Cunningham tightens his sense of control over his crew things only worsen. Watching the inevitable fight begin to leave this man and the grief he has to portray in this film is some of the more emotional points of performance. I was entirely captivated by Cunningham from beginning to end as he opened and closed out with the the Demeter.

 

Many horrors and vampire films struggle with being a bit stereotypical or formulaic these days; this is even tougher when you're making a film based on one of the original vampire works. This film does adhere really closely to expectations and rarely throws in a twist that will really take you by surprise, it is masterful in simplicity. But for at least the first act, you will note that things move in a way that seems steady and not at all surprising to follow. I also thought the big climax fight sequence veered a little closer to action than horror and undercut the tone in places. 

Aisling Franciosi, who played Anna, is handled as more of a plot device than a fleshed out role for most of her screen time; I also found this character to be the one with the most quips and exposition which meant she never got to mesh in as nicely as the rest of the cast. Jon Jon Briones, who played Joseph, really brings the ultra-conservative religious role on a bit strongly; I also found Briones gave a very montonous delivery on his dialogue. Martin Furulund, who played Larsen, is one of the most forgettable characters in the crew ensemble; Furulund is content with the background and never makes his role stand out in his scenes of dialogue. Nikolai Nikolaeff, who played Petrofsky, was pretty generic as the minor antagonist; I really think with more of a fresh approach the film could have made more use of Nikolaeff's performance.

 

One of the best vampire films I've seen in years, and easily a top contender for one of my favourite 2023 horrors! I would give Dracula: Voyage of the Demeter an 8.5/10.