‘The Last Voyage Of The Demeter Review: An Admirable Attempt At Gothic Horror
Bram Stoker's Dracula transformed my youth, sending me into the cold waters of gothic light. The paper format suggests a love of found footage and a future obsession with vampires. It shapes my mind, which still almost goes crazy with every adaptation of the novel. So I was very excited this year, especially with the recent release of The Last Voyage of Demeter . While the general public may not enjoy the Gothic Revival, lovers of dark alleys, candlelit bedrooms, and stormy nights will enjoy Andre Euredal, author of Scary Stories Told in the Dark and Jane's Autopsy. . female deer .
Specifically, it is an adaptation of the Dracula chapter titled The Captain's Diary, which details the strange events on the Demeter that lead Dracula to England. Corey Hawkins shines as the film's title character, Clemens, a doctor who is given a place aboard the Demeter after saving the life of Captain Elliot's (Liam Cunningham) nephew, Toby (Woody Norman). As he prepares to set sail for England with his motley crew, there are already many ominous omens about the mysterious cargo on board, which appears to be buried in a Dracula-like mound of earth. As soon as the cruise begins, a terrifying version of Dracula (played by the always wonderful Javier Batet) immediately begins taking out crew members.
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It is later revealed that Anna Aisling de Franciosi is Dracula's food on the trip, a bag of blood to keep him alive. As the puzzle pieces come together and the body count increases, humanity wages a deadly battle against the monstrous Count.
Writers Braga F. Schutt and Zak Olkiewicz attempted to take an original look at what led up to the tragedy as we know it. Ultimately, this hidden story is ripe for a horror movie collection, and it would be wiser to focus on one chapter than try to cram Dracula's epic scope into a two-hour movie. And Demeter's Last Voyage is certainly a bizarre film that isn't afraid to break some terribly successful taboos to create a furious story that tries to get to the heart of Bram Stoker's original text. The inclusion of Franciozzi's character provides another example of Dracula's cruelty, as he simply acts as a living slapstick. Cinematographers Roman Osin and Tom Stern went to great lengths to create Alien-esque tension , as the ship's belly is too wide and too narrow.
But the source material also destroys the narrative because we already know the details of the ending where Dracula achieves his goal and goes to London. However, the script wants us to believe that it is a mystery and that we don't know about the villain and his specific motivations. The audience is so far ahead of the story that in the second half of the movie, the story begins to drag. Instead of creating a weak and cruel creature, Demeter's Last Voyage doesn't trust the audience to know where its story is headed.
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The whole movie is very gothic and understated, great if you're into those kinds of movies (calling all Scarlet Peak fans). I count myself in the group of people who enjoy a good gothic game at the mansion (or on the boat) from time to time. But these kinds of stories don't necessarily appeal to the average horror audience. Also, the movie never matches its tone. It's bloody and bloodless, intense and slow. It's a confusing tone, not entirely bad, but annoying. You're never sure where this movie is headed, and while this kind of deliberate confusion works in some horror movies, that's not the case with Demeter's Last Voyage .
Demeter's Last Voyage is a beloved gothic horror film set on the high seas. Is it predictable not just because of the source material, but because of the tropes you often use? Yes. Could more blood be needed? Yes. But it's still a fun vampire masterpiece that casts our villain as a monstrous creature rather than a sympathetic humanoid. The cinematography is impressive and André Euredal proves once again that he knows how to direct a great horror movie. But ultimately too quiet to hit.
Instructions
The cinematography is incredible and André Euredal proves once again that he knows how to direct a great horror movie, but Demeter's Last Voyage is too quiet to have much of an impact.
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