The Last Voyage of the Demeter: release date, reviews, trailer and everything we know about the horror movie

The Last Voyage of the Demeter
(Image credit: Universal Pictures)

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 movie 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. Here is what you need to know about how to watch The Last Voyage of the Demeter.

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. Check out our more in-depth breakdown of what The Last Voyage of the Demeter is based on.

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. 

Check out our The Last Voyage of the Demeter ending explained feature for a quick recap of what happens.

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: 

You can also check out this clip from the movie, courtesy of IGN:

And here are a few more advance clips from the movie:

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 reviews

What to Watch's The Last Voyage of the Demeter review unfortunately finds the movie only delivers a passable level of entertainment, failing to captialize on its enticing presence.

That seems to be the broader sentiment, as the Rotten Tomatoes score for the movie, combining the scores of other critics, have it at just 40% positive (as of August 10), which ranks it as "Rotten."

How long is The Last Voyage of the Demeter?

The Last Voyage of the Demeter runtime comes in at just under two hours (credits included), officially clocking at one hour and 58 minutes.

What is The Last Voyage of the Demeter rated?

In the US, The Last Voyage of the Demeter is rated R for "bloody violence."

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

The Last Voyage of the Demeter poster

(Image credit: Universal Pictures)
Michael Balderston

Michael Balderston is a DC-based entertainment and assistant managing editor for What to Watch, who has previously written about the TV and movies with TV Technology, Awards Circuit and regional publications. Spending most of his time watching new movies at the theater or classics on TCM, some of Michael's favorite movies include Casablanca, Moulin Rouge!, Silence of the Lambs, Children of Men, One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest and Star Wars. On the TV side he enjoys Only Murders in the Building, Yellowstone, The Boys, Game of Thrones and is always up for a Seinfeld rerun. Follow on Letterboxd.