ThoughBill Skarsgård’s Count Orlok asserts he is nothing more than an appetite inNosferatu, there aren’t many depictions of this appetite aside from his interactions with Ellen (Lily-Rose Depp) and Thomas Hutter (Nicholas Hoult). While what Jonathan Harker (or inNosferatu, Thomas) faces at the hands and fangs of Dracula (Count Orlok) while visiting the Count’s ancestral castle in Transylvania is horrifying, these are only the beginning of the horrors thatDraculahas to tell. When the Count departs his native land to make a new hunting ground on a distant land awaiting him,he first imparts his horrors on the high seas, decimating the entire crew and passengers on board the merchant ship The Demeter, as is told entirely in Chapter 7 ofBram Stoker’s novel through the ship’s log.
Despite setting an eerie tone for The Demeter’s voyage in his 2024 version ofNosferatu,Robert Eggersis another director in the long line of Dracula adaptations that largely push this portion of the story to the wayside. Rather than showcasing the full terror the Count carries out onboard The Demeter, he instead chooses to let audiences fill in the gaps for themselves when the ship arrives wrecked and without a living soul in sight aside from plague-infested rats. Thankfully, for those who want to see the horrors on the high seas fully, a 2023 release allows audiences to see the horrors of these passages from Bram Stoker’sDraculaplay out,with a depiction of the titular vampire even more monstrous thanNosferatu.
The Voyage of the Demeter is An Under-Told Piece of ‘Dracula’
InThe Last Voyage of the Demeter, the merchant ship The Demeter is discovered in August 1897 wrecked along the English coast, with its crew missing and the captain deceased. The ship’s log recounts the harrowing events that transpired during its voyage from Varna, Bulgaria, to London, for which she had been chartered to transport twenty-four unmarked wooden crates filled with soil. Shortly after setting sail, the crew discovers an unconscious woman named Anna hidden among the cargo. As they attempt to care for her, inexplicable occurrences begin: livestock are found slaughtered, and crew members start to disappear under mysterious circumstances. Anna regains consciousness and warns the crew about a monstrous presence aboard. Despite their efforts to defend themselves, the crew is systematically hunted by the monster. The film culminates withThe Demeter arriving in England as a derelict vessel, devoid of life, setting the stage for Dracula’s reign of terror onshore.
With a central commentary inNosferaturegarding Count Orlok being nothing more than an appetite, The Demeter’s story is an unfortunate one not to feature, becausethe Count’s time being transported to his new home demonstrates the horrifying potential of his thirst for blood if gone unchecked.WhileThe Last Voyage of the Demeterdidn’t attain the critical successor box office numbersNosferatudid, the film is still a fantastic example of one of the more under-told pieces of Dracula lore, andAndré Øvredalwas a fantastic selection for director for the film. With Øvredal’s filmography including multiple entries that showcase his capability to build tension and narrative depth, his sense of direction allowed the depiction of The Demeter’s story to feel as claustrophobic for audiences as it ends up being for the ship’s passengers and crew.
‘Nosferatu’ Wasn’t Our First Brush First With a Dracula-Inspired Vampire Sporting a Dead Sexy Mustache
Sorry, but nobody did the dramatic vamp-stache like Christopher Lee.
Øvredal’s films are characterized by their atmospheric tension and meticulous pacing, such as inThe Autopsy of Jane DoeandScary Stories to Tell in the Dark. His aptitude for twisting ordinary settings into sources of dread aligns seamlessly with the claustrophobic and ominous environment aboard The Demeter, combined with a natural fear toward the open sea that is central to some of the horror genre’s most iconic releases. In terms of communicating the sheer horror the Count is capable of inflicting and how inescapable and bleak a situation like this would be,it’s hard to argue Øvredal didn’t provide exactly what was needed for this story, clearly emulating the tone and destruction of Bram Stoker’s original telling of the story inDracula.
More Monstrous Than Orlok
The Last Voyage of the Demeteralso capitalizes on Øvredal’sdemonstrated abilities with practical effects,puttingJavier Botetin makeup and prostheticsthat result in a Countmore monstrousthan even the rotting corpse inNosferatu. In high-seas horror, there is no moment where the Count is smooth-talking potential victims, no lies to lure his next meal into complacency, no manipulative behavior in order to hide who he truly is. All the vampire has to offer in the film is sharp teeth, claws, and outstretched wings, which he uses to hunt down his prey. As a result, the vampire audiences see inThe Last Voyage of the Demeteris purely and literally a monster who is onlyevolving as the film carries on, offering nothing aside from the predatory hunting and consumption of those alive on The Demeter.
In a story with as many causalities asDraculaand its many iterations throughout the years, the passages of Chapter 7 have always stood out as some of the more gut-wrenching to consume, as they’re a prime example of how insatiable the Count’s appetite is. By the end ofThe Last Voyage of the Demeter, there is no hope to hold onto and no resolution to the monster’s behavior —the Count has only provided a sample of what is to come should he have his way in his new hunting ground.
