“The movie is really Alien-on-a-ship in 1897,” director André Øvredal says of his horror film The Last Voyage of the Demeter, which sails into theaters on Aug. 11. “Dracula is the creature that they have to contend with.”
The recently-released trailer for Øvredal’s film, based on Bram Stoker’s classic novel Dracula, focuses on the section of the book where the Count embarks on a treacherous sea journey from central Europe to England on board the merchant vessel Demeter.
Check out the trailer below to get a glimpse of what’s in store:
“It’s the story of the crew experiencing what, to them, is a crazy event, things they cannot fathom or understand,” says Øvredal, who previously terrified audiences with 2016’s Brian Cox-starring The Autopsy of Jane Doe and 2019’s Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark.
“In the pantheon of Dracula movies, that is a very unique and interesting take, to twist it around completely, where nobody knows who Dracula is. He is just the enemy. He is just the alien. We get to know these crew members from various parts of the world, who just happened to be gathered on this specific ship. And obviously, horror ensues.”
Javier Botet Cast As Dracula
Spanish actor Javier Botet is set to portray the iconic character of Dracula in the upcoming movie. Although you may not recognize his name, you have likely seen his remarkable performances, which are often obscured by heavy makeup.
Botet is renowned for his ability to embody grotesque monsters, owing in part to his distinctive body type and Marfan Syndrome, a genetic disorder affecting the body’s connective tissues that enables him to contort his body in surreal and often eerie ways.
One of Botet’s most memorable performances can be seen in the horror film Mama (2013), particularly in the test footage where his remarkable acting skills are evident before being augmented by CGI. You can see this footage below:
