I feel as if I The last journey of Demeter last year, as I heard about it last summer when it was playing in some US cinemas and I thought it sounded really interesting. Then I waited for the UK release – which was cancelled, and conceded that it would be released on streaming – which it didn’t. Research has also shown that pre-production stretches back to the early 2000s, with names like David Slade and Neil Marshall slated to direct at various points, so this thing seems to have been a production and release nightmare from day one. Eventually it ended up in the hands of Trollhunter Director André Øvredal, and I was optimistic about the chance to watch it when I saw it in this year’s Frightfest program.
It won’t be a future classic, that much is certain. The last voyage of the DemeteIt’s far from a perfect film, but I really respect it as a unique and fresh take on a genre that’s become relatively worn out.
First of all, I love the setting because suspense, especially when it comes to monsters, thrives best when the place is claustrophobic, and Demeter is where we spend 95% of the film. It is worth noting that this is an adaptation of a chapter from Bram Stoker’s iconic Dracula Roman (if you remember BBC’s Dracula from a few years ago, this is essentially a feature-length version of the second episode), which does explain where the material comes from, but you don’t need any background knowledge to get into it. The fact that the creature is Dracula isn’t as important as the fear it instills in the crew – which is where the tension comes from and what drives the story forward.
People expect male vampires to look like Robert Pattinson or David Boreanaz, here Dracula couldn’t look less human, with the wings of a bat, the face of a demon, and the voice of Satan himself. It’s a great piece of motion capture CG, and I love that it’s not overused, as we don’t see much of it in the first half. We only see his terrifying shapes and shadows when he claims a victim at the end, but it’s worth it for some really beautiful, bloody kills that were definitely harder than I expected. The Demeter itself is a pretty big ship, but as the poop hits the fan, it feels less and less massive – the claustrophobia and rising tension are reflected in the performances.
The cast is much more impressive than I expected, with Corey Hawkins, Liam Cunningham, Aisling Franciosi, and David Dastmalchian making up the rest of the ensemble. While there are a few dodgy accents on occasion (David, I love you, but you might want to rethink what accent you’re doing), the acting is mostly top-notch, and the sense of doom the film creates is largely thanks to the talent of its cast. Cunningham, in particular, is fantastic as the old, wise captain who has to process a lot of emotions. I’ve never seen such a good actor. game of Thrones so I can’t judge how his acting performance is in this show, but he definitely impressed me here.
While it doesn’t really need a sequel (this is one of those open-ended endings that can be left to the imagination), I would love to see a land-based version of the story, in case they make another one.
So, The last journey of Demeter has a lot to offer. A cool setting, some great horror classics and a fantastic cast of actors to bring it all to life. So why has the general reaction to this film been rather mixed?
I think I understand a major issue people have, as horror fans (especially horror critics) are bound to get curious when a film takes a more “traditional” approach to the formula. The last journey of Demeter does not transpose this Dracula story in a modern setting and it doesn’t offer us any new twists – it just wants to tell the story in the setting it was written in. So if it doesn’t give you the same feeling as all the classic horror films of the 50s and 60s, you’re probably going to be rather disappointed. While The last journey of Demeter tries with all its might to be a classic horror film, but it is nevertheless a 2020s film and will therefore conform to more modern film conventions that slightly compromise its traditional goals – Exhibit A being that it is too long.
I know I often mention things being too long, and I promise it’s not because I have a short attention span, but a horror film with such a cramped setting as this one and a relatively simple crime story doesn’t need to be close to two hours long. It’s not that I’ve ever been bored, but when I notice the writers and director dragging something out unnecessarily, it annoys me. If this film were about fifteen minutes shorter, I wouldn’t really complain, but The last journey of Demeter gets a little carried away. The first act is a little slow and doesn’t really manage to build tension, because aside from a few shots of a box that we assume contains something monstrous and a nice short prologue, there isn’t much here that really hints at the grisly horror that is about to unfold. It’s a nice surprise when it happens, but knowing that the film is about a monster attacking a ship, you want to see the spectacle.
I appreciate the attention The last journey of Demeter gives its characters as there are some really interesting ones. I love the inclusion of Aisling Franciosi, who I first saw in Stop motion functionand she’s fantastic with what she gets here. I also think it’s great to focus on the main character, a doctor named Clemens, as he ultimately becomes the metaphorical “anchor” for the remaining crew of the Demeter, and he’s wonderfully dramatic once we get closer to the end.
There are moments where the film can get a little confusing. For example, in the second act you don’t really know which character to focus on, some disappear for multiple scenes at once, and the “rules of the beast” get a little confusing at times. Still, the different rules lead to some wonderfully gruesome murders and self-immolations that are really brave for a bigger budget horror film. The ending of the film is very satisfying, if a little sequel bait, and gives the film a focused, dramatic, and emotional conclusion after all the chaos. While it doesn’t really need a sequel (this is one of those open-ended endings that can be left to the imagination), I would love to see a land-based version of this story, in case they make another one.
Although I don’t believe The last journey of Demeter will be known as a future classic of the horror genre, I see it as a “cult favorite.” If you like traditional horror stories told with emotion and weight, then this is for you, and despite my reservations, I can definitely see myself rewatching it. Yes, it has problems, but it also has style and guts, two things that really make it stand out.
So when will the worldwide standard be published?
The British premiere of The Last Voyage of the Demeter took place at Frightfest 2024
