Summary
CONTENIDOS DE LA PAGINA
- The Last Voyage of the Demeter is a star-studded horror movie that brings new life to Bram Stoker’s Dracula with likable characters and powerful performances.
- Liam Cunningham and David Dastmalchian discuss their interest in the Demeter story and the opportunity to work with top-notch talent in this extraordinary script.
- The dynamic between their characters, Wojchek and Elliot, is integral to the film’s success and adds depth to the story, making the audience invested in their fate.
Before imposing his will on the Harkers, Dracula took to terrifying a group of unwitting sailors, as seen in The Last Voyage of the Demeter. Adapting «The Captain’s Log» from Bram Stoker’s Dracula, the movie revolves around the crew of the titular merchant ship as they incidentally incur the iconic vampire’s wrath when they discover a stowaway with mysterious ties to him.
Corey Hawkins leads the star-studded cast of The Last Voyage of the Demeter alongside Aisling Franciosi, David Dastmalchian, Javier Botet, Liam Cunningham and Woody Norman. Introducing a collection of likable characters with fleshed-out dynamics and powerful performances behind them, the movie elevates its Alien-like formula to be a more moving take on the novel.
As anticipation grows for the movie, Screen Rant spoke exclusively with stars Liam Cunningham and David Dastmalchian to discuss The Last Voyage of the Demeter, developing a close rapport with one another on set and being choosy about when to return to the horror genre. Note: This interview was conducted before the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, and the movie covered here would not exist without the labor of the writers and actors in WGA and SAG-AFTRA.
Cunningham & Dastmalchian Talk The Last Voyage of the Demeter
Screen Rant: The Last Voyage of the Demeter is an absolute blast from start to finish. You are both no strangers to the horror genre, but what about the Demeter really sparked your interest?
Liam Cunningham: When you’ve got, like myself and David, a couple of horror things under your belt, you tend not to want to go back to it unless it’s something extraordinary — and the script was extraordinary. The fact that they were going back to the original book, which translated in 1922 with Nosferatu. 100 years later, we’re going back to this book, and this original monster, it was a great attraction for me, and then the caliber of people that I was going to be working with, Amblin producing the movie, Universal, the home of monsters, distributing the movie, you’d want to be a sick puppy to say no. [Chuckles]
David Dastmalchian: [Laughs] I will say that when you’ve been addicted to, possessed by, the power of cinema since childhood like myself, thanks to the wonders of the late night Creature Feature, and watching horror films, and understanding the power and the potential of what these kinds of stories can have on audiences, there was this lifelong dream for me of getting to be a part of a cinematic adaptation of the Demeter, the story of «The Captain’s Log» from Bram Stoker’s Dracula. So, it was kind of surreal, and a bit of fate, when I found out that this movie was actually being made. Then, because I kept counting the people making it, I was given the chance to audition for it, and then I was given the chance to actually be in it?! Holy crap, man, it’s crazy. It blows my monster kid brain every day that I get to be in a Dracula film for Universal Pictures, and I just can’t wait for people to see it.
I also love the dynamic that you two have throughout this film, there’s this real father-son, or even just really close friends, dynamic. What was it like building that rapport with one another prior to filming as well as during?
David Dastmalchian: It was everything to my performance, because all of my character’s life, not just his entire professional life, but personal life, is hinged upon this man, Captain Elliot. This learned, smart man of the sea who I’ve looked to for all the answers in my life. As the story begins, the captain is giving me his blessing, he is my hero, and as the horror unfolds before us, and as I see my hero start to lose hold of our ship, and start to lose hold of the answers, I start to see through to the truth of what is true for all of us — none of us is without fear. As I see my own hero’s fears start to take hold of him, what it does to my heart as a character was so important in motivating my battle, and the war, that I wanted to wage against Dracula himself.
Liam Cunningham: Yeah, definitely the relationship between Wojchek and Elliot is part of the backbone of this story. You’ve got to have empathy with these people that you’re seeing on screen, otherwise, they’re just victims. You’re waiting for them to pop off, to be killed, or whatever. As an audience, you’ve got to not want to see these people harmed. They’re good people, they’re decent people, they’re hard-working people. They’re not military men, they’re not heroes, and this monster shows up on the ship, in this claustrophobic setting. You’ve got to have those characters, otherwise, we just don’t care. So, it was incredibly important that we had this relationship, and working with David was an absolute joy. If our relationship didn’t work, then a large portion of the film wouldn’t have worked.
About The Last Voyage of the Demeter
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—fifty 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.
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Source: Screen Rant Plus
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The Last Voyage of Demeter
