Fresh and Exciting

Absolutely Fantastic

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

This low budget chiller is a film easy to pass over, mainly because of the generic nature of the title (there are many ghost ship films in existence, right up to the present day). It's only a minor film, and not the best for any of the talent involved, but it is a solid, effective little movie that sets out to do what it wants to do: create an atmospheric mystery-cum-chiller on a non-existent budget, relying on acting, dialogue, characters, and story rather than special effects. Indeed, the spirit 'manifestations' are limited to a single scene of a cigar-chomping apparition so for those expecting something like POLTERGEIST, think again.There's just something about British horror films of the mid century that give them the edge over their American counterparts. They're always genteel, and quite classy despite the silliness of some of the story lines. Vernon Sewell, a noted horror director, directs this well-handled outing. There's no action so to speak of, but the film does contain some admirable acting, an excellent flashback told by a medium of a love triangle gone horribly wrong, lots of tension, a good plot twist, and fine, crisp black and white camera-work.Of the stars, there are bit players who would later go on to find fame and success (Joss Ackland and Ian Carmichael); a British star, Dermot Walsh, with a dodgy American accent; a brief turn for Sewell's real-life wife, Joan Carol; an excellent performance from TV's QUATERMASS, John Robinson, as a wronged captain; a kooky turn from Hugh Burden, who later found success in television; and of course, a starring turn from lovely Hammer starlet Hazel Court. Court takes centre stage for much of the production, but I found her natural beauty – later used to great effect in Gothic horror – toned down and hidden away, unfortunately.

Ghost Ship (1952) ** 1/2 (out of 4) This forgotten British "B" picture isn't the greatest film out there but it's unique enough to make it worth viewing by those who enjoy stories dealing with ghosts. Guy and Margaret Thornton (Dermot Walsh, Hazel Court) buy an old ship that has the reputation of being haunted because years earlier three people went missing aboard it. The duo don't pay any attention to the stories until one day the husband actually sees the spirit of a man and soon they call in a paranormal expert. GHOST SHIP has pretty much been forgotten by everyone over the last several decades except for fans of Court who will search out everything the cult actress has appeared in. While the movie isn't a complete success it does feature enough interesting moments and a rather nice story to make it worth viewing. With that said, there are still some major problems in the film including one very big one. The film runs just 71-minutes but it actually feels a tad bit longer due to some pacing issues. I think part of the problem could have been avoided how two very bad scenes been left on the cutting room floor. One sequence involves a party on the boat where we get a rather long sequence dealing with a drunk. I'm going to guess this was meant to be comic relief but it's just really bad. Another horrible sequence is when the couple invite the paranormal expert on the boat and we get a long sequence where the man tries to explain various "sounds" that we can't hear. I believe this entire sequence is meant to make the viewer believe in ghosts but I think this could have been achieved in a much better way. I do think the best thing going for its film is the actual backstory to the hauntings. Early on we get a sequence showing the court hearings, which explain what happened to the ship and how it was discovered after being thought to have sunk. Another sequence happens at the end when we learn what actually took place on the ship and the twist in the story is actually pretty effective. Another major plus is that both Walsh and Court are very good in their parts as they're easy to believe and both are effective. The actual hauntings in the picture are kept quite low and I will admit that the first time we see the ghost it's rather unspectacular and it really doesn't stand out. However, it almost seems as if director Vernon Sewell has no intention on building up any type of atmosphere instead it seems as if he just wants to tell a good story, get it on the screen and do very little else. GHOST SHIP isn't a masterpiece and it's easy to see why it has been forgotten but fans of the genre should enjoy it.

This British low-budgeter does not have a good reputation within its subgenre – mainly because it is "singularly unfrightening", as one critic had remarked about SON OF FRANKENSTEIN (1939) but also since, as often happens, the manifestations prove to be just a hoax! It is harmless enough under the circumstances, but does take its time to get going (despite running only 71 minutes), eventually generating some interest during the second half with the parapsychology elements, the ghost's backstory (he is played by John Robinson – Professor Bernard Quatermass in the TV serial "Quatermass II" [1955]) and the twist ending. Hazel Court makes for a pretty and likable leading lady; however, Ian Carmichael – soon to portray the naïve hero of many a classic Boulting Bros. satire – has an extended and unfunny bit as a drunk at a party held on the titular vessel. Although, personally, I did not recognize any of them, the cast also includes Joss (1970's THE HOUSE THAT DRIPPED BLOOD) Ackland, Patricia (1958's THE FLY) Owens and Melissa (1958's HORROR OF Dracula) Stribling in bit parts.

A young couple (Dermot Walsh & Hazel Court) buy a steam yacht despite warnings from the salesman that it is haunted. They restore the boat and throw a party on board to celebrate its trial run along the Sussex coast. However, it looks as though the vessel may be haunted as two engine men resign claiming to have seen a ghost on board. The couple decide to call upon the services of a medium to get to the bottom of it. They hold a séance which reveals a horrifying secret about the previous owners of the yacht who disappeared from it in mysterious circumstances while at sea years before.All in all, Ghost Ship (not to be confused with the CGI laden effects blockbuster of 2002) is an unpretentious little second feature, which provides an hour of pleasant if undemanding entertainment. The acting is above the normal standard you would expect for this sort of thing even though Walsh's attempt at an American accent is questionable. Hazel Court offers a bright performance as his wife and she would go on to appear in a number of notable British horror films such as Hammer's groundbreaking Curse Of Frankenstein and Roger Corman's marvelous Edgar Allen Poe adaptation, The Masque Of The Red Death. The script was clearly a variation on the classic real life mystery of the Mary Celeste that comes off reasonably well though more in the general handling than in the script which includes a few plot inconsistencies and the film shows that quite a lot can be gained from a small budget.Director Vernon Sewell was an interesting though sadly neglected film maker who apart from a small handful never got many A features and spent most of his career turning out quota quickies such as this. A number of these featured his own steam yacht, The Gelert, which is the vessel featured in this film which he often managed to use as an excellent set. The cast of Ghost Ship includes Sewell's wife, Joan Carol.