The Last Voyage of the Demeter has finally docked into cinemas in the US, and its arrival has sparked a boat-load of hilarious Dracula memes. While the horror-thriller has received mostly negative reviews, social media users are reveling in its not-so-novel premise, which sees a ship's crew terrorized by a vampiric stowaway.
Based on 'The Captain's Log', a chapter from Bram Stoker's 1897 book Dracula, the movie stars Corey Hawkins, Aisling Franciosi, Liam Cunningham, and The Boogeyman's David Dastmalchian. André Øvredal, who has previously helmed genre flicks like The Autopsy of Jane Doe and Trollhunter, directs.
dracula having a panic attack cuz the sun’s shining directly on the boat https://t.co/eqN7PQsf8r pic.twitter.com/sfOn5R1iglAugust 11, 2023
One perfect shot: THE LAST VOYAGE OF THE DEMETER (2023 dir. André Øvredal) pic.twitter.com/kZ0ym5Iw6yAugust 7, 2023
If they marketed this movie with the hashtag #DraculaBoat it would make a billion dollars opening weekend. https://t.co/fyP1mCZBTIAugust 10, 2023
You know it probably won’t actually be the last voyage of the Demeter. The boat itself is fine it’s just everyone on it is dead. They don’t throw away boats just because a dracula was on them.August 3, 2023
You’re never gonna believe it, folks. They get on the boat, and who’s there? It’s Dracula. It’s Dracula on a boat, folks, truly unbelievable pic.twitter.com/IRENLoNr7kAugust 11, 2023
Some aren't enjoying the bit as much, however, suggesting that those poking fun at the Demeter's Alien or Snakes on a Plane-esque plot clearly aren't familiar with the fact that Dracula ends up at sea in several titles.
"What's astonishing about wading through the great 'Dracula on a boat' memes is how many people aren't in on the joke," one critic wrote, alongside stills from Dracula (1931), Nosferatu, and Dracula (1979). "Like, the boatfuls of people who are completely unaware that 'Dracula on a boat' has been a sequence in almost every Dracula movie. He was never not on a boat."
While it's unlikely anyone writing about the film above had actually seen it yet when they tweeted, Twitter has also seen its fair share of endorsements of the fang-filled flick from those who were able to check it out prior to release.
"I was doubtful about THE LAST VOYAGE OF THE DEMETER, but it's a throat-ripping good time. It reminded me of the best of the Hammer movies from the 60s and 70s," said author Stephen King.
"I enjoyed Last Voyage of the Demeter so much: gorgeous, lavish and savage," gushed filmmaker Guillermo del Toro. And well, given those two's works, that's all the reassurance we need.
The Last Voyage of the Demeter is in US cinemas now, though we've yet to receive news on when it'll release in the UK. Initially, it was due to come out on the same day as overseas, but when eOne – the distributor handling the film in the UK, as opposed to Universal in the US – was acquired by Lionsgate, it was suddenly pulled from the schedule. Elsewhere, theater chain Cineworld confirmed the movie "has been delayed indefinitely".
For more, check out our list of upcoming horror movies coming our way throughout 2023 and beyond.
