Bram Stoker's great-grandnephew enjoys screening of new 'Dracula'-inspired movie

Aug. 10—AUGUSTA — An Aiken resident who is a great-grandnephew of "Dracula" author Bram Stoker had the opportunity Wednesday night to enjoy the private screening of a new movie inspired the gothic horror novel.

After viewing the film, "The Last Voyage of the Demeter," at the Regal Augusta Exchange theater, Dacre Stoker was impressed.

"The suspense was wonderful, and I thought the special effects were really good," he said.

The movie is based on the seventh chapter of "Dracula," in which the iconic vampire stalks and kills nearly all of the crew on a ship during a doomed voyage from Eastern Europe to England.

When the vessel leaves the dock for its journey, the sailors and their captain don't know that the vessel's cargo includes a crate with a monster in it.

Only one of them survives.

"What I was looking for was to see if the tension was there — the horror and that sort of claustrophobic feel of being stuck on a ship when something is coming and you can't get away," Stoker said. "It (the movie) lived up to that for me."

He later wrote on Facebook that the film "combines just the right amount of faithfulness to Bram Stoker's novel, 'Dracula,' with enough originality to keep us on the edge of our seats, since most of us know what happens at the end ... or do we?"

Dacre Stoker has studied the life of his famous ancestor extensively and it is his mission to preserve the "Dracula" author's legacy.

Stoker has co-written a prequel and a sequel to "Dracula" and has been involved in the creation of other "Dracula"-related books.

He also leads "Dracula"-themed tours overseas and makes presentations at various events.

A friend, Aaron Sagers, arranged the private screening of "The Last Voyage of the Demeter," which is being distributed by Universal Pictures for Stoker.

Sagers is "a presenter and a host. He travels around a lot to horror conventions, and he lectures about movies and pop culture," Stoker said. "He also interviews people."

Last week, Stoker got a phone call from Sagers, who told him: "I'm about to do an interview with the Universal people about the film. Would you like me to tell them you would like to go watch a showing of it?"

Stoker's reply was an enthusiastic yes.

"Within two days," he said, "I got an email from the NBCUniversal people, who are doing the publicity, that said we can put on a special private screening for you over in Augusta, and you can bring your family and friends.

"Then it was it was fast and furious because I couldn't really start on it until Monday because it was such short notice," Stoker said. "I got in touch with three friends in Atlanta who are avid horror fans, and they drove over, and also some from Aiken, North Augusta and Beech Island."

As for Stoker's family, "most of them were already doing other things. They couldn't come. They were out of town," he said. "My wife (Jenne) isn't into horror movies. She doesn't want to see them even though she's great at doing the research for all of my horror books."

The private screening took place two days before the official release of "The Last Voyage of the Demeter."

A dozen or so people showed up at the Regal Augusta Exchange to join Stoker, who talked to them and signed autographs before and after the movie. He also gave the attendees some printed information about the author of "Dracula" and the research that he did while writing the book, which was published in 1897.

Among those in attendance was Aaron Campbell, who is the horticulturist, arborist and grounds supervisor for the City of Aiken.

"I thought it was really good," he said of the film. "It was pretty action-packed. It was very neat to be here. I came because I was interested in it."