"Masters of Horror" Dream Cruise (2007)

Director:

Norio Tsuruta

Writers:

Mick Garris (creator)
Kôji Suzuki (short story)
(more)

TV Series:

"Masters of Horror" (2005)

Original Air Date:

2 February 2007 (Season 2, Episode 13)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Plot:

Absolutely terrified of the sea, an American lawyer reluctantly goes on an ocean cruise to be near the wife of a client, with no idea of the grim situation that awaits them all. |

Plot Keywords:

Ocean | Rowboat | Childhood Trauma | Jumping From A Boat | Dream Within A Dream Within A Dream

Cast

Daniel Gillies	...	Jack Miller
Thom Irvine	...	Young Jack (as Thomas Jones)
Ethan Amis	...	Sean Miller
Maky Soler	...	Receptionist 1 (as Maki)
Tiffany Martin	...	Receptionist 2
Ian Moore	...	Harrison
Gregory Pekar	...	Jack's Assistant
Katsuhiro Nagano	...	Cab Driver
Yoshino Kimura	...	Yuri Saito
Ryo Ishibashi	...	Eiji Saito
Miho Ninagawa	...	Naomi Saito

Directed by
Norio Tsuruta

Writing credits
Mick Garris		(creator)
Kôji Suzuki		(short story)
Naoya Takayama		(teleplay) and
Norio Tsuruta		(teleplay)

Produced by
Keith Addis	....	executive producer
Rie Arikawa	....	associate producer
Morris Berger	....	executive producer
Stephen R. Brown	....	executive producer (as Steve Brown)
Ben Browning	....	producer
Andrew Deane	....	executive producer
Shinya Egawa	....	executive producer
Mick Garris	....	executive producer
Adam Goldworm	....	producer
John W. Hyde	....	executive producer
Nobu Iizuka	....	producer
Takeo Kodera	....	associate producer
Elizabeth Kushman	....	associate producer
Jennie Lew Tugend	....	executive producer
Yosuke Nakamura	....	producer
Jernej Razen	....	associate producer
Lisa Richardson	....	producer
Tom Rowe	....	producer
Lauren Weissman	....	executive producer (as Lauren C. Weissman)

Original Music by
Kôji Endô		(as Kozy Endo Jr.)

Cinematography by
Tetsuro Sano		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Hiroshi Sunaga

Casting by
Lindsey Hayes Kroeger
David Rapaport		(as David H. Rapaport)

Production Design by
Iwao Saitô

Set Decoration by
Ryoji Matsumoto

Costume Design by
Kimiko Tanahashi

Makeup Department
Tomo'o Haraguchi	....	special makeup effects supervisor
Asuka Hosokura	....	assistant hair stylist
Asuka Hosokura	....	assistant makeup artist
Makoto Morita	....	special makeup effects
Hiroko Nakamura	....	hair stylist
Hiroko Nakamura	....	makeup artist
Yoko Watai	....	nails

Production Management
Margo Coughlin Zimmerman	....	production manager: Starz Productions (as Margo Zimmerman)
Tatsuya Mouri	....	production manager
Stacey Jade Smart	....	executive in charge of production: Starz Productions

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Daisuke Kobayashi	....	third assistant director
Mizuho Kudô	....	director: making video
Jungo Shimizu	....	second assistant director
Hideyuki Yamamoto	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Dylan Dowd	....	lead greens person
Chihiro Ito	....	set decorator assistant
Kenjiro Kiuchi	....	set builder
Ayako Moritoki	....	art designer
Masayasu Okiyama	....	art designer
Hiromitsu Soma	....	storyboard artist
Kiyotomo Suzuki	....	assistant set decorator
Takeshi Syojima	....	assistant set decorator
Chihiro Yamashita	....	property master
Izabela Domachowski	....	set dresser (uncredited)
Les Ford	....	computer graphics designer (uncredited)
Scott Riddell	....	second assistant props (uncredited)

Sound Department
Shinpei Harakawa	....	boom operator
Masaru Ohgawara	....	sound effects editor
Masaru Ohgawara	....	sound effects
Akira Rizawa	....	re-recording mixer
Kenji Shibazaki	....	sound effects (as Kennji Shibazaki)
Norihito Sorimachi	....	boom operator
Yuji Tagami	....	audio: studio operator
Fusao Yuwaki	....	sound mixer

Special Effects by
Nobuhiro Ekubo	....	special props
Makoto Funabashi	....	special effects
Satoshi Narumi	....	special effects
Ichiro Yasukura	....	special effects

Visual Effects by
Taro 'Kougaku' Ave	....	visual effects
Mitsuaki Hashimoto	....	visual effects
Takeshi Uchida	....	digital effects
Kazuhisa Yoshizawa	....	digital effects

Stunts
Kimiko Imai	....	stunts
Tomonari Nishimura	....	stunts
Yukihiro Sakate	....	stunts
Keiya Tabuchi	....	stunt coordinator
Yûji Takatsuki	....	stunts
Tsuyoshi Tsujii	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Takumi Amadaira	....	best boy electric
Toshiki Fukase	....	camera assistant
Mitsunori Goto	....	assistant underwater camera operator
Takuya Ishii	....	electrician
Yurika Kadoi	....	still photographer
Hajime Kanda	....	camera assistant
Takashi Kurihara	....	camera assistant
Hiroyuki Matsudo	....	underwater cinematographer
Aguru Miyanaga	....	electrician
Toshihiko Mori	....	electrician
Kiyohiko Moriya	....	gaffer
Nobuyuki Niibe	....	video engineer
Kazuhiro Okamoto	....	camera assistant
Rikiya Ueda	....	electrician
Akira Watanabe	....	electrician
Ayako Yamamoto	....	still photographer
Kousuke Yamamoto	....	electrician

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Tomoharu Hori	....	wardrobe
Ayano Ishihara	....	wardrobe
Chikage Okajima	....	wardrobe

Editorial Department
Tadashi Amano	....	video transfer
Junko Fujikake	....	film-rise editor
Megumi Hashiba	....	negative editor
Osamu Iseki	....	color grader
Satoshi Kumakura	....	film recording operator
Kenji Maejima	....	film-rise editor
Shintaro Miura	....	assistant editor
Shunichi Ogura	....	film timer
Morio Takahashi	....	film timer
Yoshinari Yamzaki	....	on-line editor (as Yoshinari Yamazaki)

Music Department
Jennifer Ross	....	music supervisor
Chris Fogel	....	theme music mixer (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Mitsuo Furuya	....	driver
Nobuaki Hoshino	....	driver
Shigehiko Matsumura	....	driver
Tomonori Miyoshi	....	driver
Tadahisa Omokawa	....	driver
Kazuhiro Yatsushiro	....	driver

Other crew
Tomoo Fukatsu	....	location manager
Hideyuki Handa	....	production assistant
Richter Hartig	....	production auditor: Starz Productions (as Richter Q. Hartig)
Sakiko Hayashi	....	designer: opening/end credit
Elissa Howarth	....	production administration manager: Starz Productions
Andrea Kaufman	....	production coordinator: Starz Productions (as Andrea M. Kaufman)
Yukio Kumagai	....	designer: end title text
Manabu Kuwahara	....	production assistant
Sean Muramatsu	....	dialogue coach
Takashi Nakajima	....	assistant marine coordinator
Masaru Nakamura	....	marine coordinator
Kayo Nozaki	....	production assistant
Nozomi	....	on-set interpreter
Madoka Osanai	....	labor coordinator: Imagica
Nobutaka Oyoshi	....	assistant marine coordinator
Naoko Sato	....	production accountant
Eriko Shimizu	....	production desk
Christian Storms	....	screenplay translator
Makino Tanaka	....	script supervisor
Steven Vlasak	....	operations manager
Tetsuji Yamashita	....	technical coordinator
Alan Abrams	....	business and legal affairs (uncredited)
Krista Johnston	....	clearance (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Starz Productions
• Nice Guy Productions
• Industry Entertainment
• Kadokawa Herald Pictures
• Japan Creative Management (in association with)

Distributors

• Kadokawa Herald Pictures (2007) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Cinemax (2008) (Hungary) (TV)
• Kadokawa Entertainment (2008) (Japan) (DVD)
• Premiere (2009) (Germany) (TV)
• Showtime Networks (2007) (USA) (TV)
• Splendid Film (2008) (Germany) (DVD)
• Starz Home Entertainment (2008) (Australia) (DVD)
• Vertice Cine (2009) (Spain) (DVD)

Special Effects

• Lighthouse (visual effects)

Other Companies

• Costa Abrams & Coate  legal
• Imagica  film lab services
• OS Productions  thanks

Runtime:

Germany:57 min (short version) | 87 min (uncut version)

Country:

USA | Japan

Language:

English | Japanese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Certification:

Australia:MA (2007) | USA:TV-MA | Germany:16 | Spain:18

Filming Locations:

Tokyo, Japan

Company:

Starz Productions

Another Quality Asian Horror Story

A man agrees to discuss business on a yacht, despite his fears of water stemming from a childhood incident. Of course, this was the wrong time to consider water a safe haven because things turn out very wrong and become quite violent. In the middle of the ocean, where do you run?

This film was made by people involved in the making of "The Grudge", "The Ring" and "Dark Water", so if you appreciate these films in any way you're already on the right page for enjoying this story. And as far as stories go, this one is alright. (Is it out of coincidence that both first and second season placed the Asian horror episode last? Will season 3 be the same?) This film worked precisely because it was an Asian horror film. That might seem odd, but I'll try to explain. In American horror films, things need explanations. Even if they're really abstract, American audiences expect some sort of logic behind what they see. Asian films (Japanese in particular) are more loose with this. Strange things just happen, and we are supposed to go along with it. People get possessed, reincarnated, spirits float around and this is normal. But American films cannot do this without trying to create elaborate back story.

All the acting is fine, although the woman seemed very odd. I think this was more due to her English rather than her acting, but she was an awkward character. There is also a subplot of infidelity that seems to be a driving force, but I was not clear on how it all tied in. You can draw your own conclusions, as some of the evidence one way or the other isn't till much later in the story and I won't reveal it.

Asian horror, and this one is no exception, is also good at leaving disturbing images in your mind. "The Eye" did this, "The Ring" as well (at least he first American film, not the second). There is a spirit in this movie that is just really creepy and in real life would scare me half to death. While American films tend to have decent gore (on occasion) they don't often leave you feeling grossed out (with "The Sixth Sense" being an exception that comes to mind).

"Dream Cruise" was a worthy finish for the second season. Strong story, decent characters and a distinctly unique feel. Not the best episode, but far from the worst. Be sure to give this one a good viewing if you have Showtime or can wait for the DVD release.