#the autopsy of jane doe review

[clearcloudlesssky]

just finished the autopsy of jane doe - some thoughts

the beginning was exceptionally strong; i loved the creepiness of the setting, which also helped to create a cramped, stuffy atmosphere. additionally, the setup of the father-son relationship was pretty well done, the rising tension and the mystery of the corpse was really really fascinating and eerie

i thought the progression of the dissection was really fascinating, and i also appreciated how the two protagonists made intelligent decisions/connections, but were hampered in a more realistic manner (ex. first thought: let’s get the hell outta here)

i’m not the kind of person who thinks that senseless gore a fun movie makes, so i appreciated the clinical treatment of the body

BUT the reanimating of the corpses was done shoddily, i didn’t like the random reemergence/killing of the girlfriend, and i feel like the part that should have been the most terrifying just felt cheap in comparison to the wonderful air that was created in the beginning

what i did like was that there was still a sense of mystique at the end, and the implication that this will happen again, this cycle will continue until “jane doe” has been revitalized (and what will that mean for the world?)

the final radio cut/music playing was a great final touch, i just wish that the final 30ish minutes chunk (minus final 5 minutes) hadn’t been so comparatively weak

[mallsharks]

finally watched the autopsy of jane doe earlier today

overall it was pretty good, the gore effects for inside the body were nice (besides that missing tongue tbh) and there was lots of suspense. but tbh? the ending felt a bit... eh?

(spoilers ahead)

i think they revealed exactly what was going on with her a bit too late into the movie, and the reveal didn't fully make sense. was she actually a witch or an innocent girl? why did whatever happened to her give her body weird regeneration powers? why the hell was her body here now if she was from new England? i know movies dont have to spell out every answer for the audience but they left so much in the open it felt wrong to me. just like how wrong THE CAT DYING FELT OMFG. it just felt like they spent so much time building up how weird she was but then realized they had to come up with a reason at the last minute and left a bunch of things out. austin was already pushing for "shes more than just a corpse" so why not take that further and maybe have her give them like, magic tiny flashbacks to her life?

overall it was a good watch, i do like how they actually realized "oh hey we need to get the fuck out of here things are not going ok", shouldve realized that sooner though, and some twists like the gfs death and austin getting faked out of escaping actually caught us off guard

[anthrofiend]

The Last Voyage of the Demeter was a solid movie! There are only a few surprises for people who have read the novel, and it’s perhaps too reliant on jumpscares, but it also contains some great existential discussions and truly unsettling imagery. If you’re a fan of Bram Stoker’s novel or Andre Øvredal’s other movies like The Autopsy of Jane Doe, I’d recommend checking this one out while it’s still in theaters!

[h3artmate]

rewatching the autopsy of jane doe. one of my favorite horror movies in the entire world. fun fact: this is the movie that made me want to become a mortician (i am not a mortician).

there are a LOT of things that could be upsetting so i would recommend looking up a full list of triggers (doesthedogdie tracks a bunch of triggers for movies, shows, games, and books, it's my go-to).

with that out of the way, the acting is phenomenal (the cast is literally so good i love brian cox and emile hirsch), the sound and set design are amazing, the cinematography and photography are impeccable, the makeup and costume design are perfect, the (very few and very early on) comedic beats are well-timed, and the scares are INCREDIBLE. olwen catherine kelly got a paycheck for laying down for an hour and a half.

overall, one of the greatest horror movies ever made imo. 5/5 stars. i love it so much. if you guys like horror (and have a strong stomach for nasty and sad things) i would highly recommend you watch it. it's on netflix, hulu, and amc+ (all usa, not sure about other countries), came out in 2016, and was directed by andré øvredal, who also directed trollhunter (2010), scary stories to tell in the dark (2019), and the last voyage of the demeter (2023). he is one of my favorite horror directors.

[jimsmovieworld]

THE AUTOPSY OF JANE DOE- 2016 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Two coroners (father and son) are working late at the morgue on the night of a storm.

The sheriff brings in an unidentified female body and needs a cause of death by morning.

As they begin to cut deeper and unravel the mystery of Jane Doe's death, a strange and terrifying presence starts to haunt the morgue...

Ok this was phenomenal. Cant believe ive never seen this before. A good slow burn to start things off, then it gets a bit creepy, then legitamately scary. Emile Hirsch and Brian Cox are both excellent, two great actors and liked the relationship between their characters. As far as horror movies in one location go, this has to be one of the best ive seen, great use of the space. Jane Doe was really interesting, intriguing backstory and a wide range of supernatural powers to use. 85 minute running time that just flies in. Stays scary right up until the end. Killer movie.

Directed by Andre Ovredal.

[blood-red-reviews-blog]

The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016)

Written by Ian Goldberg and Richard Naing Directed by Andre Ovredal Starring Emile Hirsch, Brian Cox, Olwen Kelly, Ophelia Lovibond, Michael McElhatton, Jane Perry and Parker Sawyers Plot: father and son coroners experience supernatural phenomenon while examining the body of a young woman This horror movie is part murder mystery, ask anyone that knows me and they’ll tell you I don’t care much…

[jaydipie]

~The Autopsy of Jane Doe~

Movie review.

Where do I start, I never heard of this movie before, someone requested I watch it so I decided I would tonight and boy do i have stuff to say about it!

_An explanation of the movie_

___________________

A Sheriff finds a dead woman in an open hole in the ground, leaving the police speechless, it didn’t look as if anyone dug her up but that she dug herself out.

She was sent to the morgue where a father and son perform an autopsy on her, they go through external and internal stages of the examination before they come to the conclusion that she’s more then just a dead woman.

the inside of her body was a mess but nothing to suggest she endured any of these horrific things from the outside.

Eventually after seeing enough and experiencing what they can only explain to be the impossible they come to terms with the fact that they are in danger and try to get rid of her, but fail miserably.

Throughout the movie they try to determine her Cause Of Death, peeling her scalp and cutting a piece of her brain to test.

They find a script with unreadable letters in her stomach, they discover the truth about her.

______________

*Rating 6/10*

Definitely scary and a great story behind it, I’d recommend it.

[fipindustries]

i was watching a review by genetically modified skeptic of a christian movie about an atheist psychologist interviewing a death row serial killer who is possesed by a demon.

the demon tells the doctor that he is a demon and he is very adamant in trying to make the doctor believe him. he also apparently hates atheists and goes on a huge rant about how atheist are stupid or whatever.

now, drew (genetically modified skeptic) rightfully points out that is silly for the demon to try to convince the atheist that he is a demon or for the demon to be angry that the doctor is an atheist, after all the demon would want people to not think he is a demon so its easier for him to corrupt them and spread lies and seed doubts about god, right?

so that got me thinking how i would write a good version of this story where the demon is interviewed by an atheist doctor and his goal is not to be discovered but then the atheist slowly comes to realize what he is truly dealing with by the end of it*. the premise sounds interesting, it would lend itself to some pretty good dialog between them, some interesting mindgames and there would be the constant ambiguity of "is he really a demon or not". similar to another horror movie that i really like "the autopsy of jane doe" where two scientifically minded doctors have to perform an autopsy on the body of a woman and they slowly come to realize she was a witch and her evil powers can still affect them even after death.

first we need to establish what is the goal of the demon here, probably he wants the doctor to diagnose him as insane so that he can do an insanity plea and not get killed. this is trickier than it sounds, getting an insanity plea can be hard and doctors will try hard to detect when someone is acting in bad faith. so that would be the first central tension of the movie, wether this guy is actually insane or not.

second we need something that would make even a skeptic start to suspect that the guy might actually be possesed by a demon, maybe the act of entering the body is extremely violent and traumatic to the point that the victim goes into epileptic, a fuge state and become extremely aggressive, maybe that is how he was trapped in the first place. maybe the killer tried to summon a demon and so he was found near the ritual site surrounded by sigils and diagrams and blood and candles and a victim that was sacrified or whatever.

afterwards we could make it so that a body that is possesed for long periods of time starts to slowly rot, maybe strange paranormal phenomena that the demon cannot control starts happening around him, like not being properly captured on camera or mirror reflections looking a little strange. all things that could make the doctor start asking questions that the demon has to find the way to answer convincingly while also selling the idea that he is insane.

the trick would be in making the external phenomena weird and notorious enough that even an atheist doctor would start to open his mind to the idea that he is dealing with something paranormal but also not make it so obvious that there isnt dramatic tension for the audience and there isnt a realistic possibility for the demon to get away with it.

(*) in re-reading this i have come to realize that this is actually more or less the plot of the exorcist, for most of the movie the people are desperatly trying to find out what is wrong with the girl by diagnosing her with mental illness and doing MRI scans and whatever, and the priest himself is very skeptic of the idea that an exorcism is needed, the exorcism doesnt happen until the very end

[bogleech]

31 Days of Bizarre Movie Monsters Wrapup Tumblr Post

Deep Dark: the monster is a sexy hole and not really the villain.

Vanishing on 7th Street: the world is consumed by darkness, literally.

Vivarium: human cuckoo birds still not sure how to take care of the humans.

Tetsuo the Iron Man: repressed homosexuality might give you rocket shoes.

The Babadook: sometimes trauma is a weird guy.

The Autopsy of Jane Doe: when a dead witch is actually neither thing.

The Empty Man: psychic cults, tulpas and a hare-brained human internet. Ties in with a short comic series that provides more essential lore.

Smile: sometimes trauma is where a weird guy lives.

Little Otik: a piece of wood thinks it’s a baby, but doesn’t get it quite right.

Rubber: a tire kills people in a confounding meta-meta narrative.

Honorable Mentions I: some monsters that didn’t make it in.

The Ritual: a fucked up deer thing might be a norse demigod? This wound up the most normal monster in the list and could have probably stood to be a different choice, but I had fun reviewing it.

Galaxy of Terror: please pick up after your children before going extinct. The only movie I included that’s considered “so bad it’s good.”

Eraserhead: he’s just a little guy :(

Amulet: weird bats, a mollusk goddess of revenge and a truly horrific final twist.

Event Horizon: the famous “spa

ceship possessed by hell” movie. She just wants to go home, that’s all.

In the Tall Grass: this time the Stephen King monster IS the midwest. A field of grass warps space/time to torment intruders.

It Follows: about a sexually transmitted stalker.

Honorable Mentions II: more movies that were left out of the main feature.

Malignant: also just a little guy but also kind of a prick. An atmospheric horror film that (intentionally) becomes cheesy horror-action.

Incarnation: a single mom vs. a forgotten goddess in a heartwrenching and creatively immersive found footage film.

Possum: about a man and his terrifying puppet, but neither are the real monster.

Await Further Instructions: a toxic family are prisoners of their television.

Terrified: ghostly encounters that are really something completely different.

The Tingler: doctors hate him! Local man discovers the weird bug that lives in everybody’s vertebrae.

Oculus: mirror hates people, dogs and houseplants, may be most unbeatable antagonist featured.

Fiend Without a Face: the original “tentacled brain” monster movie and more.

1408: rude customer vs. sadistic trickster god hotel room with multiple, equally canon endings.

Pontypool: the most “abstract” monster in the entire feature.

Ring: a weirder horror franchise than most people actually know, and Sadako to begin with is weirder than most people remember.

Ana and Bruno: like I say at the end of the review, it’s a more touching Toy Story meets an even darker Babadook

[period-dramallama]

Becoming Elizabeth: the autopsy

I just realised I never did a review of episode 8. Lol. Lmao even. This isn't an episode review but rather a discussion of the show upon rewatch.

Basically this is a show where the whole is not equal to the sum of its parts.

When I talk about the problems with the writing, I generally mean the narrative choices. The literal writing itself is good. Particularly for Tommy S, because those funny and witty/endearing lines explain his charm and why he is able to win over people and make them think he's a nice guy he's a funny guy he's a lovable rogue he's an adventurer. Tommy S does need to have some charm/charisma in order to be an effective villain. He can't go around being obviously evil.

There are still too many F words, but i was pleasantly surprised that there weren't as many as I remembered. And some F words I couldn't bear to part with: "The fuck is that?" And "what the fuck is wrong with you?!" In episode 5 for example.

I've seen some people say that the quality of the writing dropped in the episodes that aren't Anya Reiss but.... I think the quality of the writing was consistent. The iconic "I wish to take my c***ing bath" was not in an Anya episode, and neither was one of my favourite scenes in the whole show (yes it's the Dudley swordfighting training scene but it's an objectively good scene and not just because it's cute boys in fencing gear).

I initially thought episode 7 was my least favourite episode, but looking back there isn't really a good episode or a bad episode. Every episode has something I like and a bunch of stuff I'd change. If I had to pick 2 favourite episodes I'd pick 1 and 6. But because the problems are with narrative choices they're spread across the series. Even in episode 1, we have Elizabeth "I said at 9 i didn't want to marry so a lot would need to happen to change my mind" Tudor suddenly deciding she wants to marry a man she barely knows because hormones and they had a nice conversation one time. The rot set in quickly.

After the first four episodes I started skipping Mary and Tommy S scenes. I won't say any more on Katherine Parr because I've already said all I have to say on her characterisation. I did do some soul searching because I wondered if my dislike of her was subconscious internalised misogyny, given my affection for morally ambiguous male characters. But no, she really does lack both charm and depth.

So why is Becoming Elizabeth so narratively unsatisfying? Aside from Elizabeth being OOC, I think it's that the story feels like it's going around in circles.

Jane and Elizabeth clash. They make up. Then in episode 7 they fall out again. Mary and Edward fight, make up, fight, make up, fight again. Elizabeth realises Tommy S is dangerous, then she forgets, then she realises again. Mary scolds this character and they don't listen and then this character and they don't listen.

Yes character development isn't linear but it isn't circular either. It GOES somewhere. Setup and payoff are mutually reinforcing. It's fun to watch the setup because you know what's coming as a result of it. Payoff is fun because you saw how we got here. But it isn't satisfying to watch something that you know won't result in anything permanent. I don't feel anything watching Jane be tactless to Elizabeth in episode 1 because I know she'll be even MORE tactless in episode 7. And I don't feel anything seeing Elizabeth reach out the hand of friendship to Jane after the recital fiasco because I know in episode 7 they'll just fall out again. Whereas with Mary and Elizabeth they at least end the series with their relationship in a different place (hell).

And I have every sympathy with the writers because I'm up to my eyeballs at editing and I know what it's like to take historical events and try and make a plot and character arcs out of them. But the letter subplot and the Danish marriage subplot were largely fictional anyway. And they kinda went nowhere.

I understand that the showrunners wanted a complex villain in Tommy S. I get it. My favourite characters in this show are people capable of great love and also great harm. But to humanise him you only really needed that conversation with Elizabeth in episode 1 establishing his uncertainty and confusion, and the excellent "goshawk hatching out of a goose egg" scene with Jane. That establishes that he has the ability to be good he just chooses to be awful. So yes, the show really did give him too much screen time. He's not the main character, Elizabeth is! He should not have screen time comparable with her and her siblings! This wasn't supposed to be the Tommy S show! Nobody asked for that!

Gardiner is another problem IMHO. Setting aside the fact he's way too young to be the real Gardiner. He really shouldn't be here. He spent Edward's reign in the Tower. I know he shows up as a result of the fictional plots... so why write those fictional plots to the point you have to bring him in?? Cranmer IS important. You could have had Cranmer pushing Edward to be radical, Ed pushing him to be more lenient, and Daddy Dudley balancing the two. Voila, a dynamic!

And I get that Elizabeth wasn't doing much politically 1550-3 but you could still show her reacting and learning from events around her rather than warping Edward's reign completely out of shape AND making her a side character in her own story.

[candyredterezii]

Any fresh new recs for the upcoming spooky season Dani? I still have to watch Reanimator but Ginger Snaps and Jennifer's Body were fire for last year!!

HELL YEAH HERE WE GO

Renfield - Nic Cage dracula. Does anything else need to be said? Okay yeah it's p gory, p funny, sooo enjoyable honestly.

Orphan: First Kill - Even if you haven't seen the first Orphan movie, it's ok, cus this is a prequel !! There's like. Multiple twists and the big one really fucking got me CHOKED. Suspenseful and such a fun ride 2 watch

Bodies Bodies Bodies - A modern murder mystery dark comedy, def is like ... Kinda cringe if you take it too seriously, but I don't think the movie is even trying to with a lot shit but. I had fun with it

Frankenhooker - I judged the movie by it's cover at first, but no this is one of my favorite movies. I fucking love it okay.

Evil Dead Rise - Okay, at the end of the day? It's a super fun movie. If you're not like.. An Evil Dead Purist and can just like, turn that side of the brain off for a bit, it's a fun movie. Gory and fun as hell

Frogs - I'm just gonna post a Letterboxd Review of this movie that sums it up perfectly

One Cut Of The Dead - Listen. I recommend going in absolutely blind into this movie. Don't even read a synopsis or anything. I went in blind to this and it definitely makes the experience 100 times better

Popcorn (1991) - I only seen this once but like, I remember being very interested in the story. Takes place at a horror film festival at a theater where shit happened in the past ... And it happens again! IIRC Main Character is also tied to the tragic backstory of the theater unknowingly .. hmm!!

Demons (1985) - Another movie where people are trapped in a movie theater, yippi!! But this one is produced by our guy Dario Argento !!!!!! Some demons end up infesting the theater and turns everyone one by one UHOH

M3GAN - I don't need to say anything do I.

Freaky (2020) - If you appreciate acting talent/performances ? This is a double hitter. A serial killer and high school girl end up switching bodies - antics ensue!

Last Night In Soho - It has it's issues, sure, and it's p long iirc? But man, I was interested the entire damn time.

Autopsy of Jane Doe - A mortician and his son work the graveyard shift trying to figure out the cause of death of this seemingly untouched body of a Jane Doe, found half buried in the basement of a home where the entire family inside was mutilated. Things ensue!

but yeah thats like. all the ones that i see that r p recent on my letterboxd that i could recommend for some spooks n fun ig!!

[rae-arachne]

🕸the spider's gaze: horror film reviews🕸

Welcome to the spider's gaze, where I pluck something from the Cave of Carnography and see what it has to say about drugs, sex, violence, and the human condition.Tonight's film...

All the Colors of the Dark (1972) (Originally: Tutti i colori del buio)

(Internet Archive) (Dog the Dog Die)

Horror: 2.5/5 (Bloody and intense, but not very scary)

Horny/Homoerotic: 3.5/5 (Great if you like boobs)

Good as in well constructed: 2.5/5

Good as in I liked it: 3/5

Overall: B- (which is perfect for some nights)

Summary: A classic horror story where a woman descending into "hysteria" has to figure out if she can trust anyone in her life, including herself (a tale as old as Freud).

In this case, Jane is recovering from a car-crash induced miscarriage and is plagued with dreams/visions of a knife-wielding man with striking blue eyes.

In the first corner of people vying for her trust are her long-term fiance Richard, who is doing just all of the suspicious boyfriend things: telling her it's nothing, basically forcing her to drink some kind of brightly colored medicine, staring at her sister get dressed (there's a lot of titties in this one), the whole shebang. Not to mention that he's the one who caused the car crash.

In the second corner we have the aforementioned exhibitionist sister, Barbara and her psychoanalyst of choice, Dr.Burton. In a rare turn of events, Barbara is actually supportive of Jane and her suspicions of Richard, and that something really is wrong.

And in a surprise third corner there is the mysterious new neighbor, Mary, who after one cup of tea, invites Jane to a creepy sex cult (I don't invite people to my creepy sex cult until the third cup of tea, but I'm old fashion like that.)

After drinking some blood (you really want to check out the Does the Dog Die page) and orgy-ing it up with the cult, things start to look good for Jane, but the cult soon gets overly possessive (plot twist?) A bunch of stuff that may or may not have happened happens (or it doesn't), and it turns out Richard is actually not a part of the creepy sex cult and actually has Jane's best interests at heart (at least, more than Barbara, who was a part of the creepy sex cult.) The movie ends when Richard throws the cult leader off of a roof and Jane tells him, "I'm scared to not be myself anymore."

Review/Analysis: A very 70's giallo movie, and a kind of predecessor to Perfect Blue and Black Swan. If that doesn't spark your fancy, then there's probably not much in this for you. However, if you like the blurring line between reality and fantasy and a kind of sexual liberation that involves an identity crisis. (and of course, lots of tits), it doesn't get much more schlocky yet sincere than this.

If you've ever doubted that porn and horror and sisters, you should watch this movie and remove that ridiculous doubt. This is a very porny horror movie, which is exactly what I look for within the Cave of Carnography. It's not just that there are a lot of long lingering shots of women, it's structured almost exactly like erotica, switching between the mundane and the evocative, building up in intensity until...well, in this case, until it kind of just peters out. After the cult orgy (which has some awesome music, boosts the movie up a whole letter grade), it's a lot of the cult trying to track her down and kill the people in their way for at least an hour. Just like Detective Pikachu, the third act of All the Colours of the Dark doesn't really make anything out of the interesting concepts it sets-up. It's very twisty, but so much that it loses a lot of it's impact, like The Autopsy of Jane Doe, or a bad episode of Rick and Morty. It doesn't actually answer the questions of sexual liberation and autonomy it invokes, partially because it purposefully leaves it ambiguous and partially because it didn't actually think that much about them.

I assume the creators were assuming you probably wouldn't be watching too closely by that part though. With plenty of blood and sex in the first half, it's the perfect kick-off if you've brought over a special goth friend of your for the night.

[man-made-misery]

*crashes through the ceiling* Good evening, dear! 💜 I need to ask now: what are your favourite horror movies? 💜

I could literally go on about horror movies forever so I've tried to keep this short or it could be a whole essay haha

-Suspiria (2018) but I don't need to tell you about how great it is 😈

-As Above so Below (2014)

-The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016)

-the V/H/S series, but especially V/H/S 99 (2022)

-Impetigore (2019), maybe my favourite horror ever? So so underrated and so creepy. it's in Indonesian but definitley worth it if you can find a subtitled version

- Gaia (2021), also so worth watching if you can find subtitles. It doesn't have great reviews which is sad, but if you like the last of us or environmental-based horror I'd definitely reccomend it

- Let Us Prey (2014) also super underrated! I watched it about 5 years ago and still can't get it out of my head

💜💜💜

[celiastjamesoscar]

Lol "because I hate old people" that's me with children!! Every horror movie with children disgusts me. So I totally feel you.

Your letterboxd account is amazing! You're freaking hilarious, the reviews made me laugh out loud. My favorites are:

God forbid women have hobbies

Gay thoughts about Mila Kunis

Roasted by a 12 year old, you'd never hear from me again

I need Cate Blanchett to beat the unholy hell out of me. Your humor is unmatched!!

The autopsy of Jane Doe, You're next and Ready or not are fucking amazing! You have to watch these first. Plus, if you haven't seen Malignant then I also recommend that one! I was like "what the fuck".

These stupid videos always find me, no matter how many sexy women/Sam videos I like. I guess we just attract weirdness 🤷🏻‍♀️

That’s also me with children! Children and old people are my worst nightmares

Honestly though, god forbid women have hobbies!! Like it’s not my fault women want to occasionally murder people 🙄 and she looked hot doing it (cough* Sam *cough)

I will definitely watch those next!! I will also add Malignant to the list!! Are there any others I also need to see? I’m always looking for movie recommendations

Honestly same here. The weirdness will always find me no matter how hard I try to get rid of it

[monogramsalarm]

okay actual review of the autopsy of jane doe is that i absolutely LOVED the atmosphere it created, it had a mildly claustrophobic feeling as things started to escalate and they were still in the same room through most of the movie, and the audio cues of the same children’s song coming over the radio and the BELLS ON THE FEET OF THE CORPSES fantastic i LOOOVE atmospheric horror

AND the fact that jane doe was an actual actress and not just a mannequin on a table was FANTASTIC it really set an uneasy tone of “oh this person looks like she could move at Any Second” even tho it’s a cadaver, LOVE love loved that

[fearsmagazine]

THE LAST VOYAGE OF THE DEMETER - Review

DISTRIBUTOR: Universal Pictures

SYNOPSIS: Based on a single chapter from Bram Stoker's novel “Dracula,” the film 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 of the Demeter 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.

REVIEW: This project was bouncing around Hollywood for a bit till André Øvredal landed in the directors chair and it set sail. Over the years this chapter of the Stoker novel has been immortalized in several great films that have tackled the “Dracula” novel. In THE LAST VOYAGE OF THE DEMETER we are introduced to the crew and passengers on the two week sail from Carpathia to London and the rise of Dracula.

Bragi Schut Jr. and Zak Olkewicz’s screenplay is a solid evolution of Stoker’s chapter. They jump right into the tale and the mythology as the Demeter quickly sets out of port. We are given a quick introduction to Clemens, a doctor and a man of science trying to get passage back to England. As the story progresses and we are presented more of his background story he clearly becomes a stand-in for VanHelsing, but a novice. There are a total of eight other men on the ship, a bunch of livestock, and a stowaway, Anna, who is a snack for Dracula. You could easily draw references to a classic haunted house tale or 79’s “Alien.” Other than Clemens and Anna we get a flavor for the other characters and a sense of dynamics of the ship. The film has a classic genre film feel and as such there is no depth of character that emotionally engages the viewer. The plot assumes we bring an awareness of Dracula and the rules. While the viewer might know the rules of the game, clearly these characters do not. I was surprised that Anna, who lived in the village under the shadow of Dracula’s castle, didn’t have anything to offer them to fight the demon. It does treat the material with respect and is a mature horror film that presents some of the issues presented in the novel but never fully embraces them. I think they take a couple of liberties with the vampire rules, but they are exploited in a way that I found ambiguous.

The production values are breathtaking. They built the Demeter’s interior in Germany and the exterior in Malta, and it was set in a water tank that looked out on the ocean. The ocean sequences look as good as any seafaring film with a larger budget. The creature design is a combination of prosthetics and visual effects and looks great, especially how they go about showing it the shadows and darkness, and it evolves. There is just the right amount of blood and gore, after all it is a vampire film, and it looks great. Director André Øvredal, whose credits include “Trollhunter,” “The Autopsy of Jane Doe,” and “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark,” is a fan and well versed in the cinematic language of the genre and crafts a thrilling and terrifying film. The score is by composer Bear McCreary, whose TV shows such as “The Walking Dead,” “Battlestar Galactica,” “Caprica,” and films like “Happy Death Day” and “Godzilla: King of the Monsters.” He delivers another amazing composition that enhances the atmosphere and tone of the film.

The film has a solid ensemble cast. Veteran actor Liam Cunningham as Captain Elliot presents a complex character who is thinking beyond the voyage and his future, but still presents the gravitas of a veteran sea captain. Doctor Clemens is played by Corey Hawkins, with credits on the stage and screen. He does a solid job creating the character’s troubled psyche and he is believable as a man of science struggling to deal with this supernatural entity. Actress Aisling Franciosi, who plays Anna, and the young actor Woody Norman, Toby, create these likable characters that offer the viewer the opportunity to feel a little sympathy for them. Both are fighters and I found myself rooting for them right up to their bitter end.

THE LAST VOYAGE OF THE DEMETER is an excellent high seas horror epic that does a terrifying job of expanding this segment of Stoker’s novel “Dracula.” It’s a solid addition to the evolving “Dracula” mythology. I know there are some Stoker and “Dracula” fans and scholars who might be put off by some of the liberties they take in the final act of the film. However, there is enough here and is well written that they should be happy with the majority of the film. Regardless, vampire devotees are sure to love everything about the film and it will be the hot topic of their discussion for the next few weeks.

CAST: Corey Hawkins, Aisling Franciosi, Liam Cunningham, David Dastmalchian, Jon Jon Briones, Stefan Kapicic, Nikolai Nikolaeff, & Javier Botet. CREW: Director - André Øvredal; Screenplay - Bragi Schut Jr. & Zak Olkewicz; Based on "The Captain's Log" from “Dracula” by Bram Stoker; Producers - Bradley J. Fischer, Mike Medavoy, & Arnold W. Messner; Cinematographer - Tom Stern; Score - Bear McCreary; Editor - Patrick Larsgaard; Production Designer - Edward Thomas; Costume Designer - Carlo Poggioli; Special Effects Makeup - Quantum Creation Inc. & Twilight Creations; Creature Makeup Designer - Göran Lundström; Concept Artist - Daniel Carrasco; Special Effects Supervisor - Uli Nefzer; Special Effects - Patrick Tatopoulos; Visual Effects - RISE Visual Effects Studios, MPC, Firebrand VFX; Halon Entertainment, Jellyfish Pictures, & Onyx VFX; Visual Effects Supervisor - William E. Garrett. OFFICIAL: www.demetermovie.com FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/DemeterMovie/ TWITTER: www.twitter.com/universalhorror TRAILER: https://youtu.be/4J2S6U87mQk RELEASE DATE: In Theaters AUgust 11th, 2023

**Until we can all head back into the theaters our “COVID Reel Value” will be similar to how you rate a film on digital platforms - 👍 (Like), 👌 (It’s just okay), or 👎 (Dislike)

Reviewed by Joseph B Mauceri