This year has been up and down for the horror genre with some hits and some misses. We've been bombarded with cliches and regurgitated subject matter. This movie had barely any marketing until a couple weeks ago it seemed. While this is a film revolving around a version of Dracula which is also a familiar story, it's executed in a unique enough way it thrives at times and may be the most authentic horror film of the year.
Ovredal has been bringing the visceral visuals for almost 15 years at this point and is clearly only rising . He has a very keen eye for the grim and brutal and this film has that in bunches. Another Dracula story in this day and age has to stand out and how he utilized the fantastic setting of being at sea on a ship in the 19th century based on a chapter of a Bram Stoker's original tale is absolutely awesome. The design of Dracula itself is probably my favorite part of the whole offering. The look is filthy and depraved, and the cgi and practical work is top notch. This I feel has been missing in the genre of late. There's nothing wrong with a good classic monster movie. The acting is also a standout with some familiar faces that truly capture the timeframe as well as the intensity.
Overall this was a very welcome surprise and a needed entry to this year's inconsistent slate of horror. I can't wait to see this director keep getting larger budgets as he must love what he does and it's evident. It may not get the attention it deserves at first but it will surely be talked about by horror aficionados.
