Le bateau de la mort

Atrocious acting,nonsensical script,very low production values:all these elements can be found in Alvin Rakoff's "Death Ship".So why am I not going to trash this little movie?It's simple,I really like this film for those very reasons.It is everything low-budget horror movie should be,yet still manages to tell its story and generate a considerable amount of unease and dread.A cruise ship is destroyed by another ship(the Death Ship),killing most of the crew.The few survivors of the crash,who include the captain(George Kennedy from "Creepshow 2" or "Just Before Dawn"),a family of four and some others,decide that it would be a good idea to board the same ship that crashed their cruise ship.The death ship then starts killing its new victims.Despite so many bad comments "Death Ship" is still watchable.It has some really creepy scenes and memorable moments.Yes,the film doesn't make very much sense,but that's not what director Alvin Rakoff intended.Instead he puts together nightmarish sequences surrounded by an eerie sounds.You have to be a real horror fan to fully appreciate "Death Ship".Check this one out,it's pretty good.Highly recommended.

When I was a kid I hated this movie. But, after additional viewings and understanding that there is a creepiness to the film and some good ideas. Yet it is not a good horror film in my mind and those good ideas become wasted due to what I find are scenes that are too drawn out, stupid characters and it does become tiring watching the characters bumble around an empty ship.

The story is about a cruise ship with ultra-stuffy Captain Ashland (George Kennedy) on his final voyage. They crash into this mysterious ship and are sunk. The few shipwrecked survivours are in a lifeboat and come across that very ship that sunk them. Inside they begin to find horrific secrets and must escape before their very lives are taken.

Film also has a pretty darn good cast that also includes Richard Crenna, Nick Mancuso, Kate Reid and Saul Rubinek. Yet, in the end it just misses the mark.

This is one of those movies I saw as a kid, was terrified by and have been trying to find ever since.

I finally obtained a copy and watched it again for the first time in twenty years.

Until that moment though, I had sought out various opinions of the movie on the internet, the place where everyone has an opinion on everything, and I must say, the majority of comments I recieved were less than encouraging, however my mission would not be swayed.

Now, here I am having seen this obscure little flick again and I must say, it wasnt as bad as all that.

I think the sense of atmosphere and eeriness, while quite tacky, were effective and charming.

One scene that stood out in my mind since that fateful night I watched it as a child, is where Mrs. Morgan eats that poisoned lollie, turns into some creature, is killed and tossed overboard. Ah joyous memories

Professionally wanting as this may be, film-makers have re-worked the concept twice now. VIRUS in 1999 (rogue ship seemingly abandoned, which when boarded proves to be an unpleasant experience) and this year's GHOST SHIP, an even closer related caper, which has even ripped-off the original POSTER with only subtle alterations. Matter of fact the entire FILM has been ripped off with only subtle alterations....less Nazis, more ghosts!

You just know with Richard Crenna up front in the credits you're looking at a B-Grade production from the outset. Live with it! For my money too, give me a REAL ship with REAL people anytime...leaves the digitised variety for dead. The brooding leviathan that (I have to admit laughably) sneaks up on Crenna and the few survivors of the opening rammed-ship sequence (yeah, that wasn't great either!) is all menace from the opening scenes. Big brute too! one would wonder how 35-40,000 tons of ship can sneak up on four people floating in the Atlantic without a sound! Anyway, lets not get into semantics..it DOES and our intrepid bunch board the seemingly deserted vessel and make a most unpleasant if not illogical discovery. (Don't ask how the vessel has been cruising around for forty odd years without a grease and oil-change, never mind a re-fuelling!)

Some intense and really quite chilling scenes manage to lift the film way above the dialog which rarely gets past high school work-experience level. Some quite effective camera work too supports the view that the film has its moments and does not deserve to be consigned to the junk bin. Actually it plays way better these days if you go watch GHOST SHIP first. Not one in 2000 of today's viewers has ever heard of DEATH SHIP so the makers need never have been concerned with viewer comparison.

George Kennedy playing right against type is a hoot as Captain Ashland, who by degrees loses it, as he is "possessed" by the ship's original Germanic complement of officers. Trust me, it gets better after multiple viewings over twenty years.....and I paid $5 for it!

"Death Ship" was obviously produced on a flimsy budget, as the cost-conscious opening shipwreck demonstrates - we're not talking James Cameron here! There are other flaws - plot loopholes, dodgy acting and one extraordinary moment of bad editing/continuity. Nevertheless, I think it's an effective film because the basic idea is strong and there are some good creepy moments. Alvin Rakoff's direction makes the most of the location and the climax is well-managed.