Death Ship (1980)

A mysterious ghostly freighter rams and sinks a modern day cruise ship whose survivors climb aboard the freighter and discover that it is a World War II Nazi torture vessel.

Director:

Alvin Rakoff

Writers:

John Robins (screenplay), Jack Hill (story)

Stars:

George Kennedy, Richard Crenna, Nick Mancuso

Cast

Complete credited cast:
George Kennedy	...	Captain Ashland
Richard Crenna	...	Trevor Marshall
Nick Mancuso	...	Nick
Sally Ann Howes	...	Margaret Marshall
Kate Reid	...	Sylvia
Victoria Burgoyne	...	Lori
Jennifer McKinney	...	Robin Marshall
Danny Higham	...	Ben Marshall
Saul Rubinek	...	Jackie
Murray Cruchley	...	Parsons (as Lee Murray)
Doug Smith	...	Seaman No. 1
Anthony Sherwood	...	Seaman No. 2 (as Tony Sherwood)

Storyline

Survivors of a tragic shipping collision are rescued by a mysterious black ship which appears out of the fog. Little do they realize that the ship is actually a Nazi torture ship which has sailed the seas for years, luring unsuspecting sailors aboard and killing them off one by one.

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Plot Keywords:

ship | survivor | nazi | speaking german | family relationships | 

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Taglines:

Those who survive the ghost ship are better off dead!

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Genres:

Adventure | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

UK Canada USA

Language:

English German

Release Date:

7 March 1980 (USA)

Also Known As:

Brod smrti

Filming Locations:

Dauphin Island, Alabama, USA

Box Office

Budget:

CAD 4,500,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$1,750,000, 31 December 1980

Company Credits

Production Co:

Astral Bellevue Pathé,Bloodstar Productions,Lamitas

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min 94 min (extended)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The footage showing the movement of the Death Ship was the result of filming from a small boat moving around it. The crew shot for about an hour before the Death Ship broke down. The rest of the required shots were achieved by faking movement, as the broken down vessel was anchored and stationary.

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Goofs

When the wire that lifts Jackie up the air is shown on the deck it is run through a loop with no sort of release mechanism present. However, after a few frames of him in the air you see that it now has some short of release mechanism for dropping him. Also, when the noose first tightens it is around his ankle, but after he is dipped you can see that the line is actually run down to his waist (really noticeable as he is rotating).

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Quotes

Trevor Marshall): Where do you plan to sail her?
Ashland: Into eternity, Marshall. Eternity.

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Alternate Versions

The German TV version was cut by several minutes including nearly all scenes of violence, dead bodies and Nazi content. The old Videoversion (VPS Video) is uncut.

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Connections

Featured in Sneak Previews: A Small Circle of Friends, Where the Buffalo Roam, Nothing Personal, Foolin' Around, Ffolkes (1980)

User Reviews

Not as bad as they say

This is one of those movies I saw as a kid, was terrified by and have been trying to find ever since.

I finally obtained a copy and watched it again for the first time in twenty years.

Until that moment though, I had sought out various opinions of the movie on the internet, the place where everyone has an opinion on everything, and I must say, the majority of comments I recieved were less than encouraging, however my mission would not be swayed.

Now, here I am having seen this obscure little flick again and I must say, it wasnt as bad as all that.

I think the sense of atmosphere and eeriness, while quite tacky, were effective and charming.

One scene that stood out in my mind since that fateful night I watched it as a child, is where Mrs. Morgan eats that poisoned lollie, turns into some creature, is killed and tossed overboard. Ah joyous memories