Adrift in the Bering Sea lies a passenger liner, the Antonia Graza. Lost for over forty years, this “Ghost Ship” holds many unnatural secrets. Death is everywhere on this vessel, but the promise of untold riches attracts a salvage crew hired to track down the mysterious ship. Once on board, one by one they fall prey to its horrors. “Ghost Ship” is Steve Beck’s second outing into the realm of directing feature films. His first, the remake of William Castle’s “13 Ghosts” was a better than average attempt at re-creating the haunted house genre. Unlike the usual creepy old locations, Beck decided to modernize the house to making it almost completely out of glass. The horror could only hide where the mind didn’t allow you to see. Pretty much panned by critics, I actually kind of liked the frenetically paced movie. Opting to try it again, Beck’s “Ghost Ship” is yet another take on the haunted house genre with a twist on the location. Instead of being lost out in the woods, our characters are lost at sea, with no escape in sight.

The ship itself is certainly frightening looking in itself, but what lurks in the corners is even worse. Unlike “13 Ghosts”, the main change in direction is in the pacing. As opposed to moving at a breakneck speed, this film moves a bit more slowly and attempts to make a puzzle out of the story. We see bits and pieces of what originally happened, but it’s not until the end that we see the truth.

Once again, a lot of the reviews of “Ghost Ship” were less than stellar, but I think many of those were a bit unfair. Is it the best horror film ever? Certainly not, but it does deliver the scares and the gore in some very innovative ways. I saw the movie originally in the theatre, and now on DVD and enjoyed it both times.

There are several sequences that have got to be the coolest in recent memory. I won’t get into them all, but the style used to present the opening credits is very creative for a horror film. The pink lettering and shipboard party music are reminiscent of old romance films, and catch you off guard pretty much until… well, everything goes wrong. In one of the others, the secrets to the ship are revealed in quick edits underscored by Mudvayne’s “Not Falling.” The mix of the film technique and the music, not to mention the horrific and treacherous events involved made this one of my favorite scenes.

For horror film fans, there are several features that give a good amount of background on the film. The first is a 15-minute documentary that covers the film from the viewpoint of the actors and director, utilizing interviews and behind the scenes footage. But there are also three 5-minute features that look at the visual effects, the design of the ship, and the makeup and gore. This last one was hosted by Greg Nicotero from KNB Effects and we get a fairly detailed look at the gruesome opening sequence. All three have quite a bit of information considering their length. There’s even a sort of ‘game’ that allows you access to extra scenes from the movie with some background into the ‘Secrets of the Anotnia Graza.’

Warner Brothers went the extra mile to make the packaging a little more noticeable, too. The case is one of their normal cardboard keepcases, but they added a one of those three dimensional covers that changes as you move it side to side. Hold it one way, you have the ship, move it a little and you ‘Sea Evil.”

“Ghost Ship” certainly isn’t the best horror flick ever made, and I’m sure it won’t appeal to everyone. However anyone who likes a good scare, great looking effects, and a wee bit of gore should get a kick out of a late night sitting up to watch this one.

Directed by: Steve Beck
Starring: Julianna Margulies, Ron Eldard, Desmond Harrington, Isaiah Washington, Gabriel Byrne
Extras: Cast and Crew Bios, A Making of Documentary, Secrets of the Antonia Graza, Visual Effects Featurette, A Closer Look at the Gore, Designing the Ghost Ship, Mudvayne “Not Falling” Music Video, Theatrical Trailer
Specifications: Widescreen
Studio: Warner Home Video
Release Date: 3/25/2003
Region 1
MPAA Rating: R (For Strong Violence / Gore, Language and Sensuality)
Website: http://www.ghostshipmovie.com

We'll give Ghost Ship a B+.