When Irish author Bram Stoker wrote the novel Dracula in 1897 he clearly nailed it.
Virtually every filmed version – and many films inspired by it – stick remarkably close to the original story. As does a film called The Last Voyage of the Demeter, though in this case it concentrates on just one chapter.
This is the part of the book that most retellings tend to gloss over.
Photo: Screenshot
Having established the Count in Transylvania, you may remember, he’s then taken by ship in a large wooden box to England, where the rest of the story takes place.
But what happened on the ship between Middle Europe and when it crashes on the shores of England?
Thereby hangs this tale, which opens in a Romanian port on the Black Sea. Captain Elliott – Game of Thrones’ stalwart Liam Cunningham – needs a crew to sail the good ship Demeter to Whitby.
Which is where he meets the down on his luck Doctor Clemens, played by Corey Hawkins. Clemens joins the crew in hauling several mysterious, heavy crates into the hold.
Then the Captain’s grandson Toby shows him around the ship.
It’s a long trip from the back of Romania to the shores of Britain, especially if you lose your way. Someone should tell the Norwegian director that Whitby is nowhere near London.
But that’s not important right now. Because one night all the livestock on board is mysteriously slaughtered.
Clemens also unearths an unexpected, and mysteriously anaemic, stowaway. She reveals her name is Anna, but not much more.
The rest of the motley crew all seem to hail from the most superstitious parts of the world.
There’s clearly something sinister aboard the Demeter. And things go from bad to worse when whatever it is runs out of goats and chickens and turns to members of the crew.
Meanwhile Doctor Clemens has managed to gain Anna’s trust, though she tells him rather more than he wants to hear.
Of course, the rest of us have been waiting to hear the name “Dracula” ever since we saw the Romanian gypsies drop off the crates, then take off, furiously crossing themselves.
And in the best traditions of this sort of tale, we suspect more than we see for a good chunk of the film.
When we see him, he’s far from the suave, tuxedoed villain we’re used to in previous Draculas.
This one’s more reminiscent of the unearthly Max Schreck in the silent classic Nosferatu. Though, even clearly visible, he’s capable of more than one shock and surprise.
The trouble with this story is we’re pretty sure we know how it ends up. After all, we’ve been told countless times what happens to the Demeter, and who - if anyone - survives after it’s wrecked.
But to the credit of the scriptwriters, they manage to throw in a few surprises without messing with the rest of Dracula itself.
The biggest surprise was how much Dreamworks spent on what seems to be a minor production.
The digitally-enhanced sets of Romania and London look great, and the scary moments on board the ship are far more authentic than what’s offered in the usual cost-cutting vampire movies.
That said, The Last Voyage of the Demeter has had a lukewarm reception from horror film purists.
But since that’s not me, I’ll take what I’m given – nice performances from Liam Cunningham and Corey Hawkins, a few great stunts and a well-told version of the missing chapter from a classic novel.
