On the same day the trailer forThe Last Voyage of the Demeterwas released, so was an interview of directorAndré Øvredaldiscussing the movie withBloody Disgusting. Based on a single chapter fromDraculaby Bram Stoker, the film is about the Count’s journey to England and the unfortunate crew who falls victim to him. Though it’s a very old story, told many times before, Øvredal indicated that thinking you know what to expect is a mistaken assumption.
“We’ve put a lot of effort into making the movie as unpredictable and as varied as possible in certain aspects. I always wanted to be very close to what the original text was, and I tried to embrace that as much as possible when making the movie. Of course, there are liberties taken because it’s just that’s the way it works. It’s a different medium, but I think we’re still very close to Stoker’s intent, the feeling, and the story. Generally, you’ll recognize many, many solid, clear plot points from the original text.”
The film’s cast consists of Corey Hawkins as the ship’s doctor Clemens, Aisling Franciosi as a stowaway named Anna, Liam Cunningham as the captain of the titular vessel, andDavid Dastmalchianas first mate Wojchek. Dracula himself will be played by Javier Botet, who previously worked with Øvredal onScary Stories To Tell In The Dark.
“As soon as we started talking about it, he was such a clear front-runner, and we wanted somebody who could be something else, something that can behave in a way that you don’t necessarily expect. He, of course, can do all that. Yes, that reference is also true, but I think just his talent as a creature performer and as an actor on screen was the leading choice, and of course, I love him. That was an easy plus and an easy bonus.”
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More On Dracula And The Film’s Tone
The poster and trailer show viewers that this depiction of the Count has gone away with the widow’s peak or classically handsome visage of most Draculas. As played byBotet, this version will have a much more bestial appearance. His behavior might likewise catch a few moviegoers off-guard as well.
“But you don’t follow Dracula around as a character, as the sophisticated aristocrat that he actually is. You find him as a feral blood addict who needs the blood; he’s desperate on this journey and needs to start taking down the crew one by one to survive. It’s a survival story in some ways on his part. I find that to be a great aspect of this story. I’m very curious to see how the audiences are feeling about the portrayal of Dracula, which I’m very proud of.”
Øvredal described the film as a “horror epic,” “haunted house at sea,” and with “anAlienon the ocean kind of tone.” The director also said that one of the script’s biggest appeals was depicting Dracula from the crew’s perspective “as a monster that’s invading their world and they cannot escape.” A monster that was also brought to life with a heavy usage of practical effects.
“Both producer Brad Fischer and I really love practical effects. After making a movie with Guillermo [del Toro], that also added variety to that love for it. We always try to keep it live on set and keep it with very grounded physical effects in the characters and in the way we approach. There is a lot of special effects makeup involved. It’s all been a very exciting and very intense journey making this movie, that’s for sure.”
The Last Voyage of the Demeteris scheduled to be released on August 11.
