Summary
- The Last Voyage of the Demeter offers a unique take on Bram Stoker’s Dracula, focusing on the ship that brings Dracula to Whitby.
- Stephen King praises the movie, comparing it to the “throat-ripping” horror films of the 60s and 70s.
- Guillermo Del Toro enjoys the movie’s stunning visuals, describing it as “gorgeous, lavish, and savage.”
The story of Dracula has been told many times in the last hundred years, but this weekend’s release of The Last Voyage of the Demeter is an unusual and unique take on Bram Stoker’s novel. Rather than following the journey of Jonathan Harker to the home of the infamous Count, the film focuses on several chapters of the novel that are written in the form a Captain’s log and detail the fateful voyage of the Demeter; the ship that brings Dracula to the shores of Whitby. Although the movie has met a lukewarm reception from critics, two of biggest names in tales of horror have thrown their weight behind it.
In recent comments, Stephen King, who has delivered his fair share of vampire stories in the likes of Salem’s Lot, and director Guillermo Del Toro, have shared their feelings on The Last Voyage of the Demeter, and have delivered some high praise indeed for André Øvredal’s directorial effort. King said of the movie:
“I was doubtful about THE LAST VOYAGE OF THE DEMETER, but it’s a throat-ripping good time. It reminded me of the best of the Hammer movies from the 60s and 70s.”
For del Toro, who is known for delivering some stunning visuals in his work, it is no surprise that the look of the movie is a big part of his review. He wrote:
“I enjoyed Last Voyage of the Demeter so much: gorgeous, lavish and savage!!”
However, the opening box office for The Last Voyage of the Demeter looks to be as lacking as its praise from Rotten Tomatoes critics, who only rated the movie with a 45% approval rather, although that has increased from a lowly 32% after the first wave of reviews. Having said that, audiences are more on board the voyage with a 73%, which in recent times has been a growing trend among many movies.
Guillermo del Toro Handed The Last Voyage of the Demeter To Its Director
Guillermo del Toro giving his seal of approval to The Last Voyage of the Demeter will be a big boost to director André Øvredal, who was handed the project when del Toro had to step away from directing the movie. Although they had previously worked together, there is nothing more daunting than taking over a project from an Oscar winning director like del Toro. Øvredal said in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter:
“I had great conversations with him at the beginning, before we got off the ground, and they were extremely helpful. I learned so much from working with him on ‘Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark’ that I was already inside his mind to the degree that I can be.”
With audiences being more inclined to agree with del Toro and King as opposed to critics, it is clear that this Dracula outing is connecting with the audience it set out to please.
