Is it possible that the process of making a Dracula movie turns the actual filmmakers a little bloodthirsty themselves? That seems to be the case with director André Øvredal while filming “The Last Voyage of the Demeter.” Popular ship-faring films like “Master & Commander” or even “Pirates of the Caribbean” prove that such settings can feature several imaginative ways for unsuspecting sailors to wind up in a heap of trouble, but none quite compare with the classic premise of Dracula on a boat. In order to fully depict that on the big screen, of course, the creative team had to make use of quite a bit of fake blood.
With a laugh, Øvredal told IGN about his recollections of needing more and more of the red stuff to help dress up every horrifying kill on the deck of the Demeter. When in doubt, apparently, just add more blood. As he put it himself:
“I think we couldn’t get enough of it. We were like, ‘Okay, we’ve got to get more blood. Give us more blood.’ I don’t know how many times that was said.”
Fair enough! While the film is, unfortunately, sinking at the box office due to a slightly oversized budget, it’s tough to imagine that anyone expressed reservations over the resources spent on blood. In fact, producer Brad Fischer remained in lockstep with the director over this mission statement, saying, “[‘The Last Voyage of the Demeter’] is about blood, so it has to have a presence. The movie was always dependent on the gruesomeness of the journey.” Without such gore coating the deck and bulkheads of the Demeter, the movie hardly would’ve lived up to its atmospheric scares. We’re thankful the filmmakers agreed.
“The Last Voyage of the Demeter” is now playing in theaters.