Its plot follows the doomed crew of the merchant ship Demeter who attempt to survive the treacherous ocean voyage from Transylvania to London while being stalked by a legendary vampire known as Dracula (Javier Botet).

Planning for the film adaptation of "The Captain's Log" began when Schut wrote the initial spec script when he befriended a colleague who worked on Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992), but did not come to fruition, languishing in development hell for more than two decades.

One month earlier, Demeter has made port in Varna, Bulgaria, to receive cargo bound for London.

However, upon delivery of the cargo, they will not proceed, instead declaring that they must leave the area before sundown; one of the men pays the quartermaster (Wojchek) and another crewman (Olgaren) a large sum of money and wishes Demeter a safe voyage, before departing with the others.

Anna, the woman in the crate, awakens and warns the crew about a "monster" from Transylvania, a creature that feeds on the blood of humans.

Olgaren is temporarily restrained but breaks free and begins hunting Toby, trapping him in the captain's quarters along with Dracula.

The next morning, the vampiric Olgaren, who had been tied to the mast by the crew, bursts into flames as the rising sun touches his body.

The remaining crew want to destroy the ship and drown Dracula to prevent him from causing chaos once they reach London.

As Anna and Clemens float on debris, she reveals to him that she is now becoming a vampire after Dracula's bite; the blood transfusions only delayed the process.

He hears the knocking signal from the Demeter's crew of "all clear", and then sees Dracula, dressed as an aristocrat, laughing at him; the vampire disappears.

[10] Based on the chapter "The Captain's Log" from Bram Stoker's novel Dracula, Schut researched the time period to ensure authenticity.

[11] In 2003, Phoenix Pictures acquired the film and tapped Robert Schwentke to direct and rewrite the script with Mitch Brian.

[12][13] Progression on the film would stagger until December 2006 when James V. Hart, screenwriter of Bram Stoker's Dracula, turned in a new draft of the script.

By March 2010, the studio moved onto Stefan Ruzowitzky to direct while Mike Medavoy, Arnold W. Messer, and Bradley J. Fischer were slated to produce.

"[38] Lundström said that the practical makeup effects team collaborated little with the post-production team responsible for creating the film's computer-generated (CG) effects, stating, "We did interact a little on set; I showed them what we had, I gave them scans of all our sculptures, they took photos of all the eyeballs we had made to put in front of Javier's eyes, and they scanned him on set in the suit.

The website's consensus reads: "The Last Voyage of the Demeter finds a fresh angle on Dracula's oft-told tale, although lackluster execution often undercuts the story's claustrophobic tension.

"[48] Peter Sobczynski of RogerEbert.com gave the film 3.5/4 stars, calling it "a smart, well-made, and sometimes downright creepy take on the tale that both horror buffs and regular moviegoers can appreciate in equal measure.

"[49] The Boston Globe's Odie Henderson gave it 3/4 stars, writing, "This is good, fun summer fare, shot in ominous shades of darkness by cinematographers Roman Osin and Tom Stern and fueled by an effective score by Bear McCreary that isn't obtrusive.

"[50] Horror author Stephen King (who wrote the vampire-centered Salem's Lot) praised the film, calling it "a throat-ripping good time" that "reminded [him] of the best of the Hammer movies from the 60s and 70s."

[51] Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter praised Øvredal's direction, but added, "he's not able to bring much spark to Bragi Schut, Jr. and Zak Olkewicz's slow-paced, formulaic screenplay, which lacks the dark wit necessary to keep us invested in the gory proceedings.

"[52] The Guardian's Benjamin Lee gave it 2/5 stars, writing, "There's no real surprise to where we're heading, given the source material, and so a great deal of the film is a rather meandering wait for the inevitable.

"[53] IndieWire's David Ehrlich gave it a D grade, saying that Øvredal "falls back on chaos and cruelty, his movie sorely lacking the sense of dread required to justify either one", and concluded, "if you're going to make an R-rated horror wank about Dracula slurping throats with a smile on his face, make sure that the rest of the movie doesn't suck as hard as he does.