It’s hard to get excited about a new Dracula movie these days when the legendary vampire has been thrown onto screens both big and small so often over the decades, but a ringing endorsement from Stephen King could work wonders for The Last Voyage of the Demeter.
Adapting the chapter “The Captain’s Log” from Bram Stoker’s novel, the incoming horror releases in theaters tomorrow, and finds the crew of the titular ship under attack from the mysterious beast they’ve inadvertently been harboring on a journey to England.
Having Trollhunter, The Autopsy of Jane Doe, and Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark director André Øvredal is another reason to get excited, but the titan of terror himself describing it as a “throat-ripping good time” is a show of support that’s arguably worth more than a dozen rave reviews.
King knows a thing or two about horror, while he’s no stranger when it comes to the bloodsucking undead either, and The Last Voyage of the Demeter has evidently appealed to his love of the classic Hammer stories of old. Whether or not the film manages to find any box office success or critical glory remains up for debate, but getting the thumbs-up from one of the genre’s most legendary figures is no small feat.
Nobody really needs another spin on Dracula to exist, but as an isolated standalone adventure focusing on a passage in the book that’s never really factored all that heavily into previous adaptations is reason enough to give Demeter the benefit of the doubt, although King’s hype certainly helps.