Draculais one of the most iconic movie monsters of all time. This is something that was proven again with two very different takes on Bram Stoker’s vampire taking flight in 2023 in the form of Nicolas Cage and Nicholas Hoult’s comedy-horrorRenfieldand the less comicalThe Last Voyage of the Demeter. Although fans have Robert Egger’sNosferaturemake to look forward to in 2024, they shouldn’t hold their breath for a follow-up to this year’s seabound vampire offering.
The Last Voyage of the Demeterexpanded several chapters of Stoker’s original novel that are often only touched upon in movies;the journey of Draculafrom Romania to England on board the Demeter. Like many adaptations, the movie doesn’t stick exactly to the letter of Stoker’s “Captain’s Log” chapters in the novel, and rather than everyone perishing at the hands of Dracula, there is one survivor of the nightmare in Corey Hawkins’ Clemens. While this could be a sign that this vampire story is looking for another bite of the box office, producerBrad Fischerhas suggested this is probably not going to be the case. He toldSYFY WIRE:
“We had two Dracula movies this year, so clearly, there’s a lot of imagination out there, running through the heads of creatives about what you may do with that character and story. [Robert Eggers'] Nosferatu is also coming out next year. So no, we haven’t really talked about continuing Clemens' story specifically. But the Dracula novel is so epic and there’s so much story there … I’m sure that there will be more Dracula-inspired stories and narratives that end up being committed to screen.”
Related:Why The Last Voyage of the Demeter Sank at the Box Office
Are We Heading for “Dracula Fatigue”?
There has been much talk about the fabled principle of “superhero fatigue” being felt among audiences due to the many Marvel and DC movies that have assailed the box office for the last several years. Many of these movies have been critically panned, and in 2023 things seemed to come to a head with all but one DCEU/MCU movie massively under performing in cinemas.
The question whether this same kind of thing can happen in other franchises has not really been raised, but with three back-to-back Dracula movies in two years, it is a very real prospect. Since the 1920s ushered in the Hungarian movieThe Death of Draculain 1921 andF.W. Murnau’s unofficial Dracula adaptation,Nosferatu, there have been over 200 movies made that feature the iconic vampire, with only Sherlock Holmes having appeared on-screen more times.
Despite that, the public’s love of the bloodsucking count doesn’t seem to diminish, even though this year’s offerings were both box office failures and drew very mixed reviews. There is a lot of expectation onEgger’s new vision ofNosferatutoreignite the love of Dracula once more – even if the movie doesn’t technically feature Dracula by name. ThoughThe Last Voyage of the Demeterappears not be getting its own sequel, there are no doubt plenty more takes on the Dracula mythology out there waiting for their chance to rise from the grave.
Last Voyage of the Demeter
