Review: DRACULA: THE LAST VOYAGE OF THE DEMETER

A ship runs aground on the coast of England on a dark 'n' stormy night. The captain's log has ominous lines about a struggle on board. A  month earlier, a young man in a European port tries out for a gig on a sailing vessel to get himself back home to Blighty. He reveals his medical training which proves handy when they discover a young woman in a very bad way had stowed away in one of the crates in the cargo hold. The doctor, Clemens, tries out a makeshift blood transfusion which seems to stave off whatever infection she has picked up. Then, the livestock aboard are attacked by neck bites and the real stowaway was also in the cargo. The woman, now conscious, tells them about Dracula. Alright? Well, on to England it is, then.

Andre Øvredal helms this adaptation of a chapter of Bram Stoker's novel and it comes after a lengthy history of rewrites. Those continued into the cinema. When I first saw this trailed it was just called The Last Voyage of The Demeter. This was good as it added intrigue to the visuals of the Nosferatu-like monster terrorising the crew of a sailing ship. Whether you were aware of the connection to the famous vampire novel or not there is a late reveal of the name in the dialogue which now has been spoiled by the title rewrite to Dracula: The Last Voyage of the Demeter.

That tells me that interference form the suits that be was turned up for this one, even though Andre had surely proven himself with the likes of Troll Hunter and The Autopsy of Jane Doe. Neither of those are game changers but they have devoted fans and show that the director can handle himself when having to deliver a conventional horror flick for the mainstream. Not enough, evidently.

Making Clemens black was a fine idea. It puts his social position in a strange place and allows him a decent monologue about it. Corey Hawkins keeps him appealing, front and centre, with some natural if understated magnetism. Stalwart Liam Cunningham gruffs his way through as the Captain. Very nice to see Aisling Franciosi in something after the harrowing The Nightingale. David Dastmalchian adds a string to his bow as Hollywood's go-to actor for ... anything (he's in everything) with an accent and a violent bent. the score knows when to turn on the creeps as well as get big and loud. What's not to love?

Well, it's a self-avowed high narrative genre tale connected to a property beloved of millions over time but it plays like movie based on a ride. It's hard to care about anyone on board, even when they are in danger. We get to see the baddy too well too early which lets us get used to him. He's more like Max Schrek's desiccated beast than the tuxed up disco lord of later generations and, for all the good work put into making him out of CG and also believably there or flying about the rigging, there seems to be no real suspense when he attacks. This is a good lesson in why jump scares never make up for a lack of tension. It's not that they are unearned (the situation alone takes care of that) but they just kind of happen rather than be built through dread.

Some moments in the finale impress but it's too little too late. The overall lack of atmosphere and power of the shared threat makes a few characters come across as numbered victims and those who push through simply going about their motions. I didn't fear to see Dracula once, however grotesquely he was portrayed. We should be quaking in our seats at the threat only of seeing him but it's as though the scenes featuring him feel like advanced blocking. In the end I thought it worked better as a weird seagoing tale instead of a piece of the Dracula extended universe.