Better Late Then Never

Absolutely the worst movie.

A story that's too fascinating to pass by...

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

Death Ship rams into a cruise line ship. The survivors rescue an unconscious Captain Ashland (heavy-moaner George Kennedy). Adrift in the sea, the survivors lifeboat meets the Death Ship again. Of course, they decide to board the evil vessel in hopes of rescue; but instead, solve the haunted past that plagues this malevolent boat.Absurd in the extreme, "Death Ship" remains serious even though some moments are unintentionally hilarious (death by peppermint candy and George Kennedy becomes possessed by a Nazi). "Death Ship" contains actual moments of dread.Although there's dread, the film capsizes in underdevelopment. The actors sleepwalk through their roles except for the kids (don't get me started on their performances). Continuous shots of pumping engines kill the pacing and drag the film to a presentable running time. The editing causes sea sickness. "Death Ship" manages to create some interesting silly deaths and illogical decisions by the characters; but by the end of the film, the violence wallows in bad taste and idiocy.

While it has some problems, overall, Death Ship is a very enjoyable, atmospheric horror film. Instead of writing a plot summary, I'll just copy one off IMDb that's written much better than I ever could – "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."The plot of Death Ship is fairly simple and straightforward. There's not a lot of confusion as to what is going on. While that may sound like the movie is predictable, it's still fun to watch the events unfold. I will admit that if you over analyze and think about the logic behind the movie, your head will most likely explode. But if you can turn off your brain and just go with it, it can be a very effective movie.Death Ship works primarily because of atmosphere. It's simply dripping and oozing with atmosphere. The vast empty decks, the constant engine noises, music that starts on its own, and the many natural creaks and groans of an old dying ship sets a tone and mood for Death Ship that works. This is old school horror. Death Ship was made in 1980 – way before horror movie makers started over- relying on CGI for their scares. There's none of that here and the movie is better off for it. A few random things about Death Ship that worked on me include: 1. George Kennedy – A great actor who played the possessed Captain Ashland to perfection. What a creepy performance. 2. The shower scene – I've seen several of these blood in the shower scenes over the years and this one is as good as any. Nicely done. 3. Jackie's death – It's our first indication of what the ship was capable of. The ship toyed and played with Jackie not unlike a cat with a mouse. 4. The ship itself – What a fantastic, innovative idea – a Nazi torture ship doing circles in the Atlantic, searching for victims to come on board for slaughter. It's an interesting set-up.

Take one look at the poster of Death Ship and its tagline 'those who survive the ghost ship would be better off dead!', and you can pretty much guess what you're in for. Death Ship is a run-of-the- mill, low-budget horror featuring a killer Nazi ship that feeds off blood and manages to lure some unfortunate genre archetypes on board for 90 minutes of rambling shenanigans. The one major plus that perhaps makes the film stand slightly above others of its kind is the presence of two genre legends - George Kennedy and Richard Crenna - both no doubt looking for an easy pay-day but lightening the mood nonetheless.Grumpy and socially awkward Captain Ashland (Kennedy) is making his final voyage, transporting a ship full of dull socialites and holiday-makers around while his second-in-command Trevor Marshall (Crenna) waits patiently to take the reigns. When their ship is suddenly struck by a ghostly black freighter that blurts out warning messages in German, only a few survivors escape with their lives, drifting out to sea and eventually finding themselves on board the mysterious vessel. The group find nobody alive on board, and when the annoying lounge act Jackie (a young Saul Rubinek) is seemingly drowned by supernatural forces, it quickly becomes apparent that this is no ordinary ship.The injured Ashland gradually becomes obsessed with taking command of the freighter, mocking Marshall for his lack of leadership qualities and developing a sudden fondness for the Third Reich. The scenes between Kennedy and Crenna, two strong leading men in their heyday, are when Death Ship is at its most enjoyable. Kennedy hams it up no end, but this only adds to the fun. Sadly these moments are few and far between, and the obvious lack of funding forces the movie to resort to endless scenes of inane chattering, gloomy shots of the ship's interior, and some terrible stock-footage where you can barely tell what's happening. One scene of Victoria Bugoyne trapped inside a shower spurting blood is undoubtedly memorable but inspires some unintentional laughs, but that is slim praise for a film that ultimately bores.

'Death Ship' is so unintentionally hilarious that all the thrill doesn't even shock the viewer because they are still laughing at the previous ridiculousness. Some people might even miss quite gory and effective death scenes. The story is simple, characters paper thin and there isn't much logic or explanation. Acting is nothing magnificent (except George Kennedy in the final stages of the film when his character really starts to lose it) like usually in these cheap trashy horror films, but nothing exceptionally bad either. Still nice entertainment for those who enjoy these kind of movies that rely more on shocking gore than atmosphere. Guilty pleasure, but only for one viewing. Rather forgettable film.