Movie Review: Death Ship (1980)
Synopsis: A passenger cruise ship under the command of soon-to-be-retired Captain Ashland is on the final leg of its journey when it is rammed by a mystery ship and sinks, leaving only an unconscious Ashland and eight others alive. They believe they are rescued when they come across a freighter but soon learn the ship, German and dating back to World War II, is deserted. Not long after, their lives are put in danger as the ship seems to be actively trying to kill them. To make matters worse, Ashland regains consciousness and seems to be under the ship's control.
Who's in it? The movie stars George Kennedy, Richard Crenna, Kate Reid, Nick Mancuso and Victoria Burgoyne.
Review: My wife looked for a movie to watch yesterday evening while I cooked dinner on the grill. She was still trying to make up her mind by the time I was done and, since Death Ship looked somewhat interesting, we decided to just give it a try. While not the worst horror movie I've watched, it did kind of fall a bit flat.
This is one of those movies that only happens because the victims aren't the brightest people on the planet. This starts with the fact their ship was just purposely rammed by another boat and yet nobody seems to put two-and-two together when they find a rusted ship in the middle of nowhere. I mean, I know they were desperate, but it would have made me at least proceed with a lot more caution.
Then, once on the boat and after watching one of their own dying in the most "haunted ship" way possible not long after, they went about their normal business as though that didn't just happen. I'm sorry, but I'd be swiping one of the lifeboats and leaving long before I'd be looking for a place to bunk for the night after seeing that.
My biggest problem with this movie though is, for a horror film, it was kind of dull. Sure, there were a few scary things that did happen, but they were so scattered apart, the survivors even had time to watch a movie. When something did happen, like the bloody shower scene, it was dragged out to the point it lost its impact.
It also didn't help that Ashland (Kennedy) didn't add a whole lot as the possessed bad guy. He wasn't overly menacing, and it only raised the question of why the ship didn't just possess everyone.
Oh, and don't even get me started on those two kids (Jennifer McKinney and Danny Higham). Unless the kids are the monsters (like in Village of the Damned), they rarely add anything to horror films and make it too easy to figure out who is going to survive at the end. And in all seriousness, that boy, Ben (Higham) should probably be seen by a doctor because he clearly had bladder issues.
Final Opinion: Again, it's not the worst movie I've seen and there are a few scary moments. However, there are plenty of other haunted ship movies out there that are a lot better.
My Grade: C
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Here are some reviews of other horror movies from the 1980s:
Movie Review: Blood Beach (1980)
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