Whether you’ve seen F.W. Murnau’s silent masterpiece Nosferatu or not, the image of Count Orlok emerging from below the deck of the Demeter is one of the most iconic in cinema history. And whilst we have Robert Eggers take on the 1922 classic currently in cinemas, Norwegian director André Øvredal (Troll Hunter, The Autopsy of Jane Doe) has also put his spin on the vampire tale. 

The Last Voyage of the Demeter begins in the windswept, lightning-frazzled shores of Whitby in August 1897. A wreck bobs unevenly against the coastline, its sails torn and frame splintered. A rain splattered Captain’s log issues the warning, “May God have mercy on your souls.” From there, we are taken to Varna, a beige-bricked port town in Bulgaria where trunks of earth are loaded onto the ship, each bearing the mark of the dragon. A crew is hastily assembled, unaware that their journey will be doomed by their cargo. 

Øvredal does a tremendous job of establishing what life on a ship is like. From the get go, it hums with activity, with every crew member preparing for the voyage through various acts of manual labour. There are high spirits with well-prepared meals and the promise of a pay day. Within the interior, faces are lit by the deep orange glow of candlelight whilst sea spray filters in through the windows. On the exterior, the sea and sky meet in an endless inky pool, perforated by stars. The wood creaks under the weight of a step and the hold is full of the squawks and squeals of the various livestock on board. Øvredal plays with camera angles, often allowing the frame to rock and sway along with the boat. There are plenty of shadowy corridors to lose yourself in. Glowing lamps look like eyes in the dark. Fog rolls across the deck like bony fingers and the ship’s figurehead casts a menacing figure in the darkness. 

The performances are very convincing, here, too. Corey Hawkins stars as Clemens, a black Cambridge graduate who has trained to be a doctor. He sees himself as a thinker, a scientist, but he knows his way around a ship, too. Horror favourite David Dastmalchian, as Wojchek, is bristly and suspicious. He is next in line to be Captain and needs the respect and co-operation of his crew. Liam Cunnigham sports a wondrous moustache as Captain Eliot, who has brought his grandson Toby (Woody Norman) along for the voyage. The crew talk of superstitions and rituals that are known to seamen the world over but, crucially, none of them are familiar with vampire lore. Speak No Evil’s Aisling Franciosi appears as the stowaway Anna, a Romanian woman who has been gifted to a violent local Count by her village. 

And, of course, we know that said Count is on the boat, sleeping in his own earth. Øvredal does not ever show us a Dracula that looks human. Instead, his facial features are highly reminiscent of Max Schrek’s Orlok whilst his body is entirely that of a bat. The most important thing to note about this vampire is that he is fast … and incredibly thirsty. He grunts and gurgles as he feasts on the crew, one by one. He moves like an animal – there are lots of tracking shots across the deck that make you feel like you are stalking prey. 

There’s also a lot of violence within this particular voyage. We think we see a body lurking in the shadows, only for a lightning strike to confirm the vampire’s presence in all its odious glory. There are faces smashed off decks, necks and torsos ripped open, dripping blood from the crow’s nest. We see bodies blister and erupt into flames. There is an endless sense of foreboding, knowing that this crew are entirely trapped on their vessel. “We no longer plot our own course, the devil below does. And we all know where he means to deliver us to,” Captain Eliot trembles. As night falls, Bear McCreary’s rumbling score ramps up whilst every sound on the boat feels amplified tenfold. 

If there’s one small issue with this film – which is taken directly from the Captain’s Log section within Bram Stroker’s Dracula – it’s that the CGI for the vampire is a little ropey, which can take away from some of the more dramatic scenes. The Count works best when he is lurking in the shadowy depths of the hold. That being said, it’s still a very enjoyable monster movie with plenty of jumpscares to keep you engrossed. 

Øvredal teases his audience with sufficiently spooky and open ending closing scenes, which will make you keen to see the next part of this horror story, should there ever be one. With its sinister soundscape and engaging cast, The Last Voyage of the Demeter gives us a side of the Dracula story that we haven’t really seen before. A fun watch for fans of a creature feature. 

Dazzler Media presents The Last Voyage of the Demeter on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD from 3 February