“You would have made a wonderful Captain… Pity we won’t make it to London.”

Story: It’s 1897, and the British ship Demeter gears up to sail for London from Romania. As the crew load up their cargo, people start to get spooked. The deliverymen wish them the best of luck, and leave “before the sun sets”. A crew member sees the crest on one of the boxes and immediately leaves, telling the rest of the crew their cargo, and by extension, the ship and crew, are cursed. But I’m sure everything’s fine, right? There’s a cute kid, adorable doggo, and a seasoned captain who’s planning on making this trip his last. Don’t get attached, y’all…

Genre I’d put it in: Classic Horror With A Twist
Release Date: 2023
Remake, Sequel, Based-On, or Original: Based on the novel Dracula, by Bram Stoker. More specifically, chapter seven of the novel.

Gotta say: Before I get into my thoughts, I need to vent. And you’re here, so hello captive audience! I often take a quick peek at other critic/reviewer takes before I jot mine down, just to see where I land on the love it/hate it spectrum. Not that I care – y’all know a few of my takes are piping hot – but I do get curious. And one critic said of Demeter “[t]he title gives everything away”. WELL NO SHIT SHERLOCK. Tell me you have absolutely no idea what the hell this story is based on, without writing that out longhand. Guess that person didn’t care for Titanic, Pride and Prejudice, Fruitvale Station, or any other film based on either true events or well known literature. Yeesh. Anyway, while that person is probably a better critic than I could ever be, and may just dig deeper into cinema than I ever do? I’m absolutely gobsmacked that there are people out there heading to review a horror movie by Universal Studios, with no knowledge of the material. Hell, we get press kits, y’all. Okay, I’ll breathe into a paper bag and continue on.

Demeter is a fascinating story that takes one chapter of Stoker’s epistolary novel and expands it to just under two hours of groovy ship-centric storytelling, “and then there were none” plotting, and original characterizations that held my attention throughout. Why did I enjoy this while others – HEM – didn’t? Let’s go…

Well’p, I enjoyed the hell out of Demeter, thanks to the attention to detail the creators gave to every bit of this film. The set design is outstanding, with the feel of being on a nineteenth century ship. There’s upper and lower decks, with various amounts of dust, dirt, and grit. The sails, rigging, and general lay of the ship’s “land” is wonderful to look at. In fact, non-horror lovers with a hankering for gorgeous tall ship visuals? Look no further. Edward Thomas’ production design – and all his crews who put in the work – deserve recognition come awards time. And as an art direction/set design nerd? I don’t say that lightly. The CGI is well done, mostly expertly hidden by the shadows and dimness of the late nights that Dracula calls his work hours. Cinematographer Roman Ostin and Tom Stern give a slight sepia tone to the daytime action, lending a classical look to the goings-on, while amping up the lights in nighttime scenes with blue filters obfuscating added lights. Things feel unsettling and downright treacherous at night, and comfortingly safe during the day, thanks to the work of so many talented individuals behind the scenes.

Then there’s the cast, which act as an ensemble in this story. They feel like a crew, with them weaving between bickering and backing each other up from moment to moment. As with most horrors, things are light and humorous to start, with things getting very serious as time goes on. Their fear is palpable, and the screenplay gives them lots to sink into, with most of the actions and dialogue feeling genuine. I know I’d be freaking the hell out and wanting to turn around…and I can also understand why others would want to stay put and collect their too-good-to-be-true big-ass bonuses for a quick trip. Special shout-outs to a few folks, so let’s put ’em in bullet form, shall we?

• Corey Hawkins as Clemens, a doctor who has the good fortune to be able to take the place of a crew member who bolts. Hawkins balances intellect with fear beautifully, and when things get dark? He’s no overblown Rambo, but believably effective.
• Liam Cunningham as Captain Eliot, a man who’s just trying to make it to London with as many crewmembers as possible, even when things aren’t looking great. Cunningham is always wonderful to watch, and Eliot/Eliot’s log is the glue that holds the tale together.
• Woody Norman as Toby, the ship’s boy and keeper of the livestock, who gives a helluva performance for someone so young. Will be keeping my eye out for this one.

Chapter seven of Dracula could have gone in many different directions, but Demeter takes the bones of the tale and fleshes them out with style and substance. And, naturally, spookiness. As with films that take their stories from tales we know well, it isn’t the destination that matters, but how we get there. And Demeter sails along nicely, thank you very much.

#Protip: Our Dracula, Javier Botet, cuts such a striking figure as the titular monster, giving literal life to the prosthetics and makeup, thanks to an almost balletic grace. This is due in part to Botet’s Marfan Syndrome. Luckily, he hasn’t been saddled with the more serious complications of the disease, and has used his tall, skinny, flexible physique to entertain us for years. May he be hale and hearty for many, many years to come.