Screamboat

I have to admit that I harbored zero expectations to this 2025 horror comedy titled "Screamboat", given all the crap that has been released recently with the likes of Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Popeye, etc. But still, I hadn't watched this movie already, and given my love o all things horror, of course I had to check it out.

Writers Matthew Garcia-Dunn and Steven LaMorte put together a pretty straightforward script. It wasn't particularly outstanding, but I will admit that the movie was actually oddly entertaining for the cheesy thing it was, pardon the pun. There was something oddly enjoyable about the movie, which I suppose was because it was so far out there.

The only one on the cast list that I was familiar with was David Howard Thornton, and he was portraying the mouse. It should be noted that the acting performances in "Screamboat" were fair.

Sure, "Screamboat" is by no means a cinematic gem in the horror genre, but it was actually an entertaining enough off-beat slasher horror comedy.

And there was actually enough blood and mayhem to keep a seasoned gorehound such as myself sated.

My rating of director Steven LaMorte's 2025 movie "Screamboat" lands on a five out of ten stars.

Since a few years we are bombarded with rancid, extremely gory, and pretty idiotic trash-horror movies revolving around the legendary cartoon characters we all grew up with, like Mickey Mouse, Winnie the Pooh, and Popeye. Why is that? Well, because those nostalgic figures are now so old that all copyrights are expired, and they ended up in the public domain. One might hope that there is still more than enough respect left not to touch these iconic figures - let alone ridicule them - but that is of course not taking into account a lot of untalented horror directors nowadays.

"Screamboat" is not the first horror movie about Mickey Mouse (there are also "Mickey's Mouse Trap" and "Mouseboat Massacre") but I honestly think this is the best of the three. Of course, though, you have to take "best" with a serious grain of salt in this case. There were competent people working on this production - more specifically the producers of "Terrifier" - and there are certainly a handful of inventive & deliciously raunchy kills in it, but all in all it remains an indescribably silly experience to watch in the cinema.

On the nightly ferry back and forth to Staten Island, New York, a monstrous rodent wakes up and promptly begins a massacre. The crew of the ferry and all the other weird characters who take the nightly journey are horrendously slaughtered. "Screamboat" starts off energetically, and especially the first half of the film is shamelessly entertaining thanks to the over-the-top gore, the tongue-in-cheek humor, and the surprisingly subtle references to a whole lot of other Disney classics (Cinderella, Tarzan, Frozen, ...). But then, for some inexplicable reason, things go wrong entirely. The psychotic mouse turns into a melancholic lover in search of his lost Minnie, the kills become bland and repetitive, and the final act seems to last forever. Perhaps the funny effect of a murderous Mickey Mouse wore off quickly, and the energy and good atmosphere on the set was short-lived. One thing is for sure, I'm glad Walt Disney isn't around anymore since many years, so he never had to see this.

I went to see Screamboat on opening night, and to my surprise, I actually kind of enjoyed it. I don't usually watch low-budget films in theaters, but the strong online marketing-along with the fact that Terrifier's David Howard Thornton was in it-pulled me in. I was also intrigued to see how they would take the story of Mickey Mouse's first cartoon and twist it into a horror film.

Having watched the Terrifier series last year, I had a pretty good idea of what I was getting into with Screamboat. While I generally enjoyed the story, the film had the feel of a '90s TV horror movie. That said, the setting was a highlight-being trapped on a slow-moving ferry added a real sense of claustrophobia and tension, making the characters' predicament feel even more desperate.

As for the cast, performances were a mix of good and bad. Some moments felt a bit cheesy and over-the-top, but I particularly enjoyed Allison Pittel and Jesse Posey as Selena and Pete. Their chemistry kept the film engaging and gave the audience characters to root for.

Director Steven LaMorte did a decent job bringing this low-budget horror film to the big screen. The gruesome kills and jump scares will definitely satisfy horror fans. However, there were a few drawbacks. Willie's costume design felt too amateurish and comical to be truly scary. Additionally, the film ran about 20 minutes too long-certain scenes felt repetitive and could have been trimmed to improve pacing.

Despite these issues, I was entertained from start to finish. Screamboat is far from perfect, but if you enjoy gory horror, it's worth a watch.

Final Rating: 5.5/10.

Unfortunately I really struggled getting through this one. The deaths were really bad, not one memorable on in the mix which I think this film absolutely needed. It felt like an old sci fi movie, not something you'd see at the cinema which is maybe why I am especially annoyed that I spent on this cinema ticket and watched something that would be on tv late night.

The acting was really cringe and some of those Disney princess actors were especially bad. David Howard did a decent job but there wasn't much for him to do than just stand in one spot and wiggle around a load and giggle.. which soon got a bit boring.

Script was the big problem, the setting on the boat got really tired for me seeing people walking around the same set locations making bad decisions.

I really wanted to like this but it was just so cringe. I don't feel like I heard one laugh actually hit. The budget felt too small, the mouse nothing like steamboat which was daissopiinting. The Disney princesses were a fun idea but then it didn't finish the joke as in none of them were killed in the fashion of the princesses they were. Also the acting.. Really took me out of it. Better than Mouse Trap, but that is not saying much.

The Disney nods didn't entertain me, the film feels like an eternity, the kills just aren't good largely due to the fact a rat is doing them. The lighting is abysmal, the performances are terrible and it felt like a chore to get through. The rat design is laughable, obviously the budget is low so there are limitations but I just couldn't get on board with this. I'm sure there's a crowd out there that will like it tho so please go form your own opinion.