--- title: "The Last Voyage of the Demeter: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-last-voyage-of-the-demeter/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-last-voyage-of-the-demeter" critics_score: 45 critics_reviews: 18 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Last Voyage of the Demeter (2023): what the critics said Critics' score 45 from 18 reviews: 3 positive, 6 mixed, 9 negative. Most critics are unconvinced. The consensus is that stretching one chapter of Stoker’s novel into a two-hour film works better as an idea than as a picture. Where praise lands, it is on the setting: the 19th-century schooner and the close-quarters foreboding of a ship with something in the hold. Several reviews also single out the cast, Corey Hawkins and David Dastmalchian in particular, for committing to material that gives them little. The handful of admirers enjoy its mean streak and its nastiness with the gore. The reservations cluster on the vampire. Many find him too visible, too fast and too much a CGI goblin, with none of Dracula’s seductiveness, and the scares telegraphed well in advance; the word slasher recurs. The spread is wide, from a B at The AV Club to IndieWire, which dismisses it as a stinker. Slant Magazine dissents from the majority in the other direction, finding no atmosphere at all. ## Vulture Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 11 August 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. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/article/movie-review-last-voyage-of-the-demeter-dracula-on-a-boat.html) ## The AV Club Rating B. 10 August 2023. 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. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/a-review-of-the-last-voyage-of-the-demeter-1850723732) ## Screen Daily Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 10 August 2023. 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. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-last-voyage-of-the-demeter-review/5184812.article) ## Film Comment — Adam Nayman Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 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. [Read the review](https://www.filmcomment.com/hard-rainreview-the-last-voyage-of-the-demeter/) ## The New York Times — Natalia Winkelman Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 10 August 2023. 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. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/10/movies/the-last-voyage-of-the-demeter-review.html) ## Time Out — Stephen A Russell Rating 3 out of 5 stars. 7 September 2023. 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. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-last-voyage-of-the-demeter-2023) ## Slant Magazine Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 10 August 2023. 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. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/the-last-voyage-of-the-demeter-review/) ## The Guardian Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 10 August 2023. 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. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2023/aug/10/last-voyage-demeter-movie-review-dracula-horror) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Frank Scheck Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 10 August 2023. 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. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/the-last-voyage-of-the-demeter-review-corey-hawkins-1235559847/) ## Variety — Owen Gleiberman Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 10 August 2023. 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. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2023/film/reviews/the-last-voyage-of-the-demeter-review-1235692332/) ## IndieWire — David Ehrlich Fi1m's normalised score 10/100 (inferred from the text). 10 August 2023. 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. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/the-last-voyage-of-the-demeter-review-1234894162/) ## Consequence Rating B-. 10 August 2023. 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. [Read the review](https://consequence.net/2023/08/the-last-voyage-of-the-demeter-is-deviously-entertaining-b-movie-schlock-review/) ## Collider — Chase Hutchinson Rating C+. 10 August 2023. 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. [Read the review](https://collider.com/the-last-voyage-of-the-demeter-review/) ## Deadline — Valerie Complex Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 10 August 2023. 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. [Read the review](https://deadline.com/2023/08/the-last-voyage-of-the-demeter-review-an-atmospheric-short-of-horrifying-surprises-1235459504/) ## Den of Geek — Tony Sokol Rating 2/5. 11 August 2023. 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. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/the-last-voyage-of-the-demeter-fails-makes-dracula-scary/) ## The Wrap Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 10 August 2023. 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. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/the-last-voyage-of-the-demeter-review/) ## Paste — Trace Sauveur Rating 4.5. 10 August 2023. 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. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/dracula/the-last-voyage-of-the-demeter-review) ## Polygon — Joshua Rivera Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 10 August 2023. 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. [Read the review](https://www.polygon.com/reviews/23827272/last-voyage-of-the-demeter-review-dracula-bram-stoker) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/the-last-voyage-of-the-demeter.md