We all know there has been countless versions of Bram Stoker’s Dracula over the last 100 years, some pretty good and others . . . eh. Some of them try hard to stick to the novel, which is always a difficult task for any fiction adaptation just due to the size of the content, while others take a few liberties with the storyline and leave Stoker’s tale far behind. But I recently came across a new film that is due to come out next year that is based on a single chapter in Stoker’s novel, which is the journey the count takes from his native land in the Carpathia to England, on the Russian ship the Demeter. The film is called Last Voyage of the Demeter.

Directed by André Øvredal, and starring Aisling Franciosi (The Nightingale, 2018), David Dastmalchian, and Liam Cunningham, the story is just about the journey on this ill-fated voyage that is carrying several large crates of dirt, that during the journey, one by one, the crew starts to disappear. Now we know Øvredal’s work from the recent Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (2019) but let us also not forget The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016) as well. When doing a prequel, or a part of the story where we basically already know the ending, it can be challenging to still make what we’re seeing engaging enough to keep the audience’s attention, and not think about the fact they know the ending.

But . . . the main reason I am excited about this film is the fact that Dracula is being played by Spanish actor Javier Botet. If you don’t know Botet by name, you probably know him by his performances, which is usually hidden underneath a ton of makeup. Much like our own Doug Jones, Botet is mainly known for playing hideous monsters, but also because of his body type and having Marfan Syndrome, a genetic disorder which effects the body’s connective tissues, his is able to manipulate his body like most cannot, causing a very surreal and often scary results. A perfect example of this is his performance in the film Mama (2013), but not in the final product. If you look it up on YouTube and see the test footage of him in the makeup, before it was covered up by CGI, you can see how effective Botet can be as an actor. Or go back to the first film I saw him in, as the scary old lady, Niña Medeiros, in the original [REC] (2007). A truly terrifying performance, given completely covered under latex and makeup. Just look up his filmography and you’ll be amazed at all the films he’s appeared in that you’ve already seen.

SO . . . the fact that Botet is playing Dracula in this Demeter film, I am very excited to see what him, along with director Øvredal will do with it. Not sure when exactly it will be coming out and may even be going straight to Netflix, but no matter where it plays, I know I’m looking forward to it.