I figure it’s only appropriate that I cover this film because there’s a vast exploitation genre with many subgenres under it, from Nunsploitation, Naziploitation, to Ozploitation, which I covered on the site, by reviewing various movies such as The Demons [1973], Reichsfuhrer-SS [2015], and Turkey Shoot [1982]. In addition, as some can tell I enjoy sea-faring haunted house stories, often horror fans can name at least three, I could many more than that, among them Ghost Ship (2002) which is nearly a remake of this movie, DeepStar Six (1989), Dead Calm (1989), and Below (2002), mostly recently Mary (2019) and Blood Vessel (2019). These types of movies dominating the horror genre from the 70s through 80s, and then became sporadic from 1990 to 2010, yet finds itself coming back every so often. Hence, the movie Death Ship a drifting demonic vessel, done on a minuscule budget ($1.1 million) from director Alvin Rakoff (Three Dangerous Ladies [1977]) using a screenplay (an version of The Flying Dutchman tale) from David P. Lewis, John Robins and Jack Hill who some recall his name in association with both The Terror (1963) and Dementia 13 (1963). While the movie was originally released by AVCO Embassy Pictures, it sailed into other ports for distribution before getting a proper Blu-ray rendition from Scorpion Releasing.
The story starts well out at sea on a luxury cruise ship, and horrible filming (one could get sick watching an out of focus and camera action feels as if on inner tube on the ocean) a strict Captain Ashland (George Kennedy (Wacko [1982])) is about to hand over command to his replacement, Marshall (Richard Crenna (Leviathan [1989])), he’s a very unhappy gentleman, sick and tired of obtrusive tourists. Marshall has his family aboard, his wife Margaret (Sally Ann Howes) and children Robin (Jennifer McKinney) and Ben (Danny Higham); none of them pleases Ashland. Soon enough the bridge crew notices a strange echo lurking on the radar screen, without much of a warning the mysterious ship sailing aimless on the ocean crashing into the party cruise some of the damage viewers witness actually comes from The Last Voyage (1960), it all becomes a hurried haphazard scramble for their lifeboats. Sadly, only a few escapes with Marshall’s family (of course), band member Jackie (Saul Rubinek), lovers Nick (Nick Mancuso) and Lori (Victoria Burgoyne), passenger Sylvia (Kate Reid) and mysteriously Ashland floats up to their debris and brought aboard in an even more angry mood. Shortly afterward the same vessel that struck them returns, (note its anchor) but as they all board, the ship starts moving again and the deaths start early (well continue if you count all who die on cruise ship), and they notice it’s very odd. The creaking doors, and strange noises that sounds like moans, though it could just the vessel itself. Soon enough Ashland becomes possessed and changes uniforms into a Nazi commander, shouting commands in German, however Kennedy doesn’t appear to really sell his character’s involvement. The rest of the survivors find many personal remains, learn the ship was used for torturing poor souls, this goes from demented moments to thoroughly offensive scenes (I won’t mention them here). There’s one that had only one take as it involved a blood shower, which freaked out the actress in it and the director wanted to put his spin on shower scene from Psycho (1960). All the bloodshed and torture lead to an adequate finale and some further uneasiness.
One glaring error is the incredible amount of German chatter, dialogue, with no subtitles, this leaves a lot of viewers in the dark, which is strange since there’s a lot other offensive material shown in the film; one can understand from the images what it all means. It includes the typical tropes of horror films, people wandering off, the lovebirds needing to strip on a mysterious Nazi vessel filled with possessions, and lack of realistic character responses. The film contained an important scene which sadly found it deleted, it explained what the ship was used for, how it freed itself and strange preaching from Ashland professing how ships have a life of their own. Another interest tidbit, while filming took place in several places, one of which was off the coast Mobile, Alabama, in the Gulf Mexico a near tragedy of real death for crew and cast occurred when Hurricane Bob struck, luckily the vessel withstood the thrashing; however the trailers on land were flattened. The pacing just seems a tad off, as trying to rely on the creep factor of the German freighter, (in reality a American vessel known as ‘Maurine K’ painted black); actually stopped working and the crew needed to be become creative to give the allusion of a floating monstrosity, though some of their shadows are present. However, from a historical point of view the Nazis did commandeer all sorts of seafaring ships from freighters to cruise vessels masking them as floating torture chambers.
Movies that take place on ships basically become a floating haunted house, just like spaceships i.e. Alien [1979] they contain darkened corridors, narrow passageways, a few dead ends as well as deafening sounds, with plenty locations filled with dangerous or deadly consequences. It truly allows the set designers to use a location to the fullest and director working to create solid jump scares if done correct or herein a tad schlocky, a rising body count, and free flowing blood splatter make for strange viewing but still entertaining, an abundance of negative reviews greeted the movie upon the release however it grew a cult following.
TAGLINES:
What in the living hell is on board?
Those who survive the ghost ship are better off dead!
Out Of A Sea Of Endless Terror… Into A World Of Eternal Damnation.
It’s not just a ship… it’s a killing machine!
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080603/
IMDb Rating: 4.9/10
Baron’s Rating: 4.5/10