Ghost Ship (1952)

Director:

Vernon Sewell

Writers:

Vernon Sewell (writer)
Philip Thornton (additional dialogue)

Release Date:

8 July 1953 (USA)

Genre:

Horror

Tagline:

On a voyage of terror ... a dead man speaks ...to solve the secret of the Ghost Ship.

Plot:

A luxury ship is haunted by the ghosts of a crew that had disappeared off the ship years before.

Plot Keywords:

Ship | Crew | Ghost | Horror Movie Remade | Remade

Cast

Hazel Court	...	Margaret Thornton
Dermot Walsh	...	Guy Thornton
Hugh Burden	...	Dr. Fawcett
John Robinson	...	Professor Mansel Martineau
Joss Ambler	...	Yacht Port Manager
Joan Carol	...	Mrs. Martineau
Hugh Latimer	...	Peter
Laidman Browne	...	Coroner
Mignon O'Doherty	...	Mrs. Manley
Meadows White	...	Mr. Leech, Surveyor
Pat McGrath	...	Bert, 1st Fisherman
Joss Ackland	...	Ron, 2nd Fisherman
John King-Kelly	...	Sid, 3rd Fisherman
Colin Douglas	...	1st Engineer
Jack Stewart	...	2nd Engineer

Runtime:

74 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #16520)

Company:

Vernon Sewell Productions

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Mirror Crack'd (1980)

Sea Ghost By The Seacoast

Not to be confused with "The Ghost Ship," one of four (!) classic Val Lewton films from 1943, OR the 2002 horror fest "Ghost Ship," 1952's "Ghost Ship" is an obscure little British picture that should just manage to please. In it, real-life husband and wife Dermot Walsh and Hazel Court play Guy and Margaret Thornton, a Canadian couple living in England, who buy the Cyclops, a 40-year-old steamer yacht, and realize, after a series of freakish incidents, that the darn thing really might be haunted. An aged biddy of a medium (a pale knockoff of the marvelous character brought to indelible life by Margaret Rutherford in 1945's "Blithe Spirit") holds a seance on board and, via a series of flashbacks, the viewer is allowed to witness the events that led to the ship's current state, culminating in a surprise ending of sorts. A fast-paced 72 minutes, "Ghost Ship"'s major lure for modern-day audiences is perhaps Hazel Court, who over the next 10 years would become one of British cinema's reigning queens of horror. With a perfectly shaped mouth that might make Angelina Jolie envious and a pair of zygomatic bones that could turn Deborah Harry green with envy, Hazel was indeed luscious to look at on screen, especially in this relatively early role; sadly, her striking red hair and green eyes cannot be appreciated in this B&W film. The picture in question is a lighthearted affair that is not a bit scary (even an initial glimpse of the ship's ghost fails to raise any hackles) but always engaging, thanks to some pleasant performances, a crackling, no-nonsense script from director Vernon Sewell, and a sprightly score by Eric Spear. In all, a minor affair, but an entertaining one, presented here on a surprisingly crisp-looking DVD courtesy of Wham! USA.