Since the beginning of movies, Dracula has been one of the screen's most iconic characters. The legendary vampire returns to the big screen with the 2023 summer blockbuster The Last Voyage of the Demeter.
This is actually the second new movie in 2023 that features Dracula as a main character, as Nicolas Cage plays the iconic monster in the action comedy Renfield. But The Last Voyage of the Demeter is a straight up horror movie, chronicling a specific chapter from Bram Stoker's original novel of Dracula.
Here is everything that we know about The Last Voyage of the Demeter.
The Last Voyage of the Demeter release date
Sailing into movie theaters as part of the summer blockbuster season, The Last Voyage of the Demeter premieres on August 11 worldwide.
It helps headline one of the final big weekends of the summer, as it shares the August 11 date with Disney's Haunted Mansion and video game-inspired movie Gran Turismo.
The Last Voyage of the Demeter plot
Most people know the basics of Dracula's story, but what makes The Last Voyage of the Demeter different is that rather than tell Bram Stoker's entire legend, the movie is focusing on a single chapter from the book, "The Captain's Log," about Dracula's journey to London. Here is the official synopsis from Universal Pictures:
"Based on a single chilling chapter from Bram Stoker's classic novel Dracula, The Last Voyage of the Demeter tells the terrifying story of the merchant ship Demeter, which was chartered to carry private cargo — 50 unmarked wooden crates — from Carpathia to London.
"Strange events befall the doomed crew as they attempt to survive the ocean voyage, stalked each night by a merciless presence onboard the ship. When the Demeter finally arrives off the shores of England, it is a charred, derelict wreck. There is no trace of the crew."
The script was written by Bragi F. Schut, Stefan Ruzowitzky and Zak Olkewicz.
The Last Voyage of the Demeter trailer
The eerie, Victorian-era look of the horror movie in the trailer is great, but things get taken up to another level with the needle drop of The Smashing Pumpkins' "Bullet with Butterfly Wings." Watch the full trailer directly below:
The Last Voyage of the Demeter cast
In the Heights and Straight Outta Compton star Corey Hawkins plays the protagonist of The Last Voyage of the Demeter, Clemens, a doctor who joins the crew of the Demeter on its voyage. He is joined by Aisling Franciosi (Game of Thrones, The Nightingale) as Anna, a stowaway on the boat, Liam Cunningham (Game of Thrones, Hunger) as the captain of the Demeter and David Dastmalchian (Boston Strangler, The Suicide Squad) as his first mate.
Other members of the cast include Jon Jon Briones (Ratched, American Horror Story), Stefan Kapicic (Deadpool, Better Call Saul), Nikolai Nikolaeff (Stranger Things, Bruised) and Javier Botet (IT, Mama), who plays Dracula.
The Last Voyage of the Demeter director
Steering the ship, if you will, as The Last Voyage of the Demeter director is André Øvreda, a Norwegian director who is well versed in the horror genre. His previous movies include Troll Hunter and Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark.
