Death Ship (1980)

Not sure how I missed this one, 2 May 2017

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.

7/10