Ghost Ship (2002)

A salvage crew discovers a long-lost 1962 passenger ship floating lifeless in a remote region of the Bering Sea, and soon notices that its long-dead inhabitants may still be on board.

Director:

Steve Beck

Writers:

Mark Hanlon (story), Mark Hanlon (screenplay)

Stars:

Julianna Margulies, Gabriel Byrne, Ron Eldard

1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Gabriel Byrne	...	Murphy
Julianna Margulies	...	Epps
Ron Eldard	...	Dodge
Desmond Harrington	...	Ferriman
Isaiah Washington	...	Greer
Alex Dimitriades	...	Santos
Karl Urban	...	Munder
Emily Browning	...	Katie Harwood
Francesca Rettondini	...	Francesca
Boris Brkic	...	Chief Steward
Bob Ruggiero	...	Captain (as Robert Ruggiero)
Iain Gardiner	...	Purser
Adam Bieshaar	...	First Officer
Cameron Watt	...	Second Officer
Jamie Giddens	...	Friendly Officer

Storyline

After discovering a passenger ship missing since 1962 floating adrift on the Bering Sea, salvagers claim the vessel as their own. Once they begin towing the ghost ship towards harbor, a series of bizarre ocurrences happen and the group becomes trapped inside the ship, which they soon learn is inhabited by a demonic creature.

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Plot Keywords:

ghost ship | characters murdered one by one | evil spirit | death trap | reference to the bering straits | 

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Taglines:

Sea Evil

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Genres:

Horror

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong violence/gore, language and sexuality

Did You Know?

Trivia

In 2016, the media website ComingSoon named the film's opening scene one of the greatest in horror film history.

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Goofs

When the engine squirts oil on Santos, the oil changes positions from the left side to the right side of Santos' coveralls.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Greer: I can't hold her much longer, Murph. Port bow is heeling. She's taking on way too much water.

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Crazy Credits

The opening logos are tinted brown, and the typical Warner Bros. logo is instead an intentionally chintzy 60s style logo. All this ties into the infamous cruise ship opening.

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Alternate Versions

The film was released in Germany in both its uncut form (rated "Not under 18") and in an edited version ("Not under 16"), which misses many gory shots (i.e. from the wire scene in the beginning, the squashed diver or the "hooked up" singer). For commercial reasons most cinemas showed the cut version.

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Connections

References The Love Boat (1977)

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Soundtracks

Love Boat Theme
Written by Charles Fox (as Charlie Fox) and Paul Williams
Performed by Ron Eldard and Karl Urban
[Dodge and Munder mockingly sing a few lines from the theme after entering the ghost ship's interior]

User Reviews

‘Love Boat' out of hell!!

I'm rather pleasantly surprised after seeing Ghost Ship…I expected it to be a lot sillier, more dumb and inferior than it actually is. Still a long way from being a good horror film but a step in the right direction, to say the least. Cast and crew paid attention to building up a horrifying atmosphere instead of attacking the audience with lame and violent killing scenes. That's an effort that gets my appreciation. The vicious opening sequence is professional horror… a scene that grabs you by the throat and demands your complete attention and curiosity for the rest of the movie. The high quality level is held up a little while longer but unfortunately it loses his grip during the second half. For as long as the mysterious, deserted ship is portrayed as a complete riddle, the film is fascinating, interesting and beautifully shot. As soon as a few plot-aspects are clarified, Ghost Ship turns into a mediocre and predictable thriller…I'm convinced that, with a slightly more intelligent script, this could have become one of the better horror-thrillers since the new Millennium. Now, it's only regarded as a reasonable and decent effort that lacks a bit of talent. Nonetheless, the settings and decors make it worth watching. The graphic decorations aren't overused, so it remains a beautiful experience to observe at least once. Gabriel Byrne is acting far below his normal standards and yet he's still great! All the other cast-members are pretty uninspired and forgettable. I'd describe Ghost Ship as a nice waste of time. If you have the opportunity, I advise you to search for an 80's horror title called `Death Ship'…a terrific piece of trash of which Ghost Ship borrowed a lot of ideas.

Details

Official Sites:

Warner Bros Warner Bros. [France]

Country:

USA Australia

Language:

English Italian Spanish

Release Date:

25 October 2002 (USA)

Also Known As:

Chimera

Filming Locations:

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$20,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$11,503,423, 27 October 2002

Gross USA:

$30,113,491

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$68,349,884

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros., Village Roadshow Pictures, NPV Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1