The Last Voyage of the Demeter (2023)

Thick atmosphere and a gleeful mean streak make up for a premise with a foregone conclusion. It distinguishes itself with its delicious cruelty and willingness to go for the gore in nasty ways.

It is just Alien on a sailing ship but this new spin on Dracula has some bite and is worth the trip despite choppy seas. Solid direction, committed cast, and a central monster keep it engaging for horror fans.

The review highlights a rich sense of dread and spooky old-fashioned foreboding in this period horror but notes that the director unsuccessfully tries to add flimsy psychological depth and unconvincing emotional elements. The critic singles out the close-quarters suspense and gothic atmosphere for praise while faulting the lack of stakes for vampire fans.

The film fills in the blanks of the source chapter but renders Dracula as a mere goblin-like monster without his seductive qualities, resulting in a gory but parched experience stuck in a repetitive slasher groove. It praises the casting of David Dastmalchian and Corey Hawkins along with some nautical sequences and Expressionist nods, but finds the overall enterprise redundant and humorless.

The critic finds the film a squally scary movie set on a merchant ship transporting a vampire, but expresses frustration that characters do not confront the threat more decisively below deck. The update to the Dracula chapter is seen as only partially successful.

The critic sees this as a thin Dracula expansion that tries to be an Alien-like sea horror but ultimately has some bite. They single out the impressive 19th-century schooner set design and creature work for praise while noting over-reliance on CGI and unnecessary social commentary.

André Øvredal’s film is largely devoid of any palpable atmosphere or tension. It renders the premise bland and listless, with generic violence that grows tiresome and shamelessly sets up a sequel.

The critic finds the premise of expanding one chapter from Bram Stoker's Dracula into a full film works better in theory than in practice, resulting in a gory but ultimately unsatisfying 2-hour horror. They single out the lack of suspense and claustrophobia, along with a poorly designed Dracula, for complaint.

The film is a dull Dracula tale resembling a gory Masterpiece Theatre production with Hammer Films sensibility. Director handles atmospherics well but the slow-paced, formulaic screenplay lacks spark or dark wit.

The critic appreciates the film's old-fashioned, deliberate shipboard atmosphere and period drama feel, but finds the fast-moving CGI vampire conventional and at odds with the antique setup, resulting in a plodding slasher-like experience.

This is a huge August stinker and cruddy horror movie that aims to be Alien on a boat but fails badly. It serves up Dracula having sailors for dinner in a watery pile of ship.

It offers stripped-down nautical survival horror that fleshes out characters enough to lend tragedy to their fate and finds effective survival horror elements. Dracula's design and presentation have issues, but it remains deviously entertaining B-movie schlock.

The film suffers from banality that drains the life out of its story, leaving the cast with little direction. It occasionally delivers darkness and thrills but is largely sporadic and sluggish, with writing that fails characters like Anna.

The critic finds the film an atmospheric voyage that creates mood through its visual palette but falls short on horrifying surprises due to predictability. They single out the strong cast performances, particularly Corey Hawkins, for praise while noting the script's weaknesses prevent deeper character development.

The new take fails to realize what makes Dracula scary by making the monster too visible and the scares too telegraphed, drifting from potential Alien-like tension into something more like shark week with clumsy clues and announced jump scares. It singles out the bestial vampire design and the ship's atmosphere for some praise but criticizes the lack of suspense and the overly cinematic handling of key book details.

The critic describes the film as a bland horror tale that fails to deliver nuance or interest despite its premise. They single out the overly long runtime and emphasis on character dynamics over actual terror for complaint.

The film is a misbegotten misfire whose ambitions are swallowed by tedious anonymity and generic studio monster movie trappings. It lacks atmosphere or unease and fails to commit to its own idea, resulting in something nondescript and unmemorable.

The film is not clever and has no vision, embracing straightforward competence over style or flair. It is a frustrating standard monster movie that resists paranoia, body count, supernatural exploration, and subtext, leaving viewers watching characters be idiots in denial.