Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.0

Ghost Ship Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf September 18, 2020

With 2002’s “Ghost Ship,” Dark Castle Entertainment attempted something original after managing two William Castle remakes with “House on Haunted Hill” and “Thirteen Ghosts.” Well, perhaps not truly original (1980’s “Death Ship” is clearly an influence on the production), but definitely not Castle, with the production company trying to cement their position as a Halloween machine, churning out fright films on a yearly basis. Trouble is, “Ghost Ship” isn’t a very scary movie, with screenwriters Mark Hanlon and John Pogue missing spectral menace in their offering of boat-bound terror, leaving the feature slack and tedious as they focus on characters who aren’t very interesting, trapped in a nightmare that’s not particularly horrifying.

Murphy (Gabriel Byrne), Epps (Julianna Margulies), Greer (Isaiah Washington), Santos (Alex Dimitriades), Dodge (Ron Eldard), and Munder (Karl Urban) make up the crew of the salvage ship Arctic Warrior, receiving a tip from stranger Ferriman (Desmond Harrington) that the lost ship Antonia Graza has been detected in international waters. Sensing a major payday, the team visits the seemingly empty vessel, discovering a fortune of gold in the process. However, plans to patch the ship and bring it all back to land are complicated by the appearance of malevolent ghosts, while one of the dead, young Katie (Emily Browning), shows concern for the team, reaching out to Epps to warn her of impending threat.

“Ghost Ship” doesn’t have much of a reputation in horror circles, but it remains memorable due to its opening sequence. It’s five minutes of horror, and the only truly effective moment in the movie, tracking the demise of passengers onboard the Antonia Graza in 1962, with a mysterious villain triggering a steel wire to cut through a full dance floor. The innocents are sliced apart in various ways, giving the feature an introductory jolt of gore, and decent practical effects are nearly ruined by terrible CGI augmentation, which is a problem throughout the endeavor.

Director Steve Beck (returning to Dark Castle duty after “Thirteen Ghosts”) opens with a bang, but he can’t top such a macabre offering of mass death with the rest of “Ghost Ship,” which soon settles into a routine of procedure as the crew assesses the salvage plan, and there are psychological issues with the ghosts, who prey on individual weaknesses. Most promising is Murphy, whose sobriety is challenged by scattered bottles of liquor. Most ridiculous is Greer, a violently undersexed man tempted by the seductive spirit of Francesca (Francesca Rettondini), blinded to all evidence of danger when she disrobes for him.

For additional analysis, please read Jeffrey Kauffman’s 2009 review.

Ghost Ship Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Originally released on Blu-ray in 2009, Shout Factory revisits "Ghost Ship" in 2020, returning with an AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation. There's no new scan ordered for the new release, with offers basically the same viewing experience as before. Age is apparent, but detail survives to a certain degree, capturing the rusted interiors of the cursed ship and character wear and tear, including ghostly makeup. Distances are dimensional. Colors aren't energetic, but everything generally looks appropriate, with reds handed intended pop with Francesca's dress and various scenes of bloodshed. Costuming favors a darker palette, as do ship tours. Delineation is passable, with some mild solidification. Source is in good shape.

Ghost Ship Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA sound mix handles the basics of "Ghost Ship" with authority. It's not an adventurous track, sticking to the essentials of dialogue exchanges, which sound clear and emotive, handling argumentative behavior and shouted instructions comfortably. Scoring offers crisp instrumentation, best with big band songs, while more modern offerings on the soundtrack deliver heavier metal and techno beats. Surrounds are active but not particularly nuanced, pushing out musical offerings and atmospherics, adding water drips and ghostly movement, along with an appealing read of room tone as the action heads into cavernous areas. Low-end does well with explosions and harder hits of violence.

Ghost Ship Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary features director Steve Beck.

• "This Isn't Real" (6:37, HD) is a video conference interview with Isaiah Washington, who reveals that he was cast by producer Joel Silver and he was considered the lead at one point in the production's history. Recalling the Gold Coast shoot, Washington details a real threat of shark activity around the boat set, keeping the crew on edge. The interviewee offers an assessment of director Steve Beck and shares character detail in his costuming. Working with greenscreen provided a new challenge for Washington, and he recounts his time with co-star Francesca Rettondini, revealing he was quite taken with his Italian co-star, who couldn't speak English.

• "Dark Castle at Sea" (7:14, HD) is an interview with producer Gil Adler, who shares the state of Dark Castle Entertainment in 2002, with the company hungry for original material. Technical requirements were put in place to prevent the movie from being shot at sea, with Adler learning too late that the waters near the set were populated with sharks. A growing friendship with director Steve Beck is recalled, and casting is explored, aiming for an ensemble effort. Visual achievements are highlighted, including the film's opening, which was shot in a field populated with kangaroos. And Adler considers the lasting legacy of "Ghost Ship," with pride in Dark Castle's monetary performance.

• "Every Body On Board" (6:29, HD) is a video conference interview with makeup effects supervisor Jason Baird, who tracks his career at the time of "Ghost Ship," coming from "Star Wars" and "The Matrix." Joining forces with KNB to help with the work, Baird was faced with creating a lot of bodies for the picture's opening scene, and all the technical challenges that required. Different kills are explored, and Baird shows off an actor's rubber head he still has in his collection.

• "Max on Set: 'Ghost Ship'" (15:06, SD) is a 2002 making of featurette, with cast and crew interviews guiding an overview of the production effort. Topics include story points, character work, thematic ideas, horror ambition, set design, and visual effects. There's a typical salesman vibe to the offering, with the cast going overboard trying to make "Ghost Ship" sound special, but mixed in to the conversations are bits of BTS footage, keeping things interesting.

• Visual Effects (6:01, SD) details the work of Photon, the company hired to bring CGI to life in "Ghost Ship." Director Steve Beck appears to share his technical requirements, and we soon meet the oversized miniature ship used for certain shots, offered extensive detailing. An overview of blended elements is provided, with Photon hoping they've secured intended illusions for the project.

• "A Closer Look at the Gore" (5:32, SD) sits down with makeup effects supervisors Jason Baird and Howard Berger to discuss the gross out effort on "Ghost Ship." Producer Gil Adler appears to reinforce the power of practical effects over digital creations, but the rest of the featurette showcases how frightening scenes were augmented with CGI. The film's opening is highlighted and select makeup effects are examined.

• "Designing the 'Ghost Ship'" (5:42, SD) offers praise for the Australian crew, with production designer Graham Walker leading the charge to create the ship set for the movie. Research is shared and BTS scenes of construction are offered, while Walker tours a few areas of the ship, examining how the team transformed opulence to rot.

• "Secrets of the Antonia Graza" (6:12, SD) is a series of vignettes sharing information about the ship, its history, and passengers.

• Music Video (3:10, SD) offers the song "Not Falling" from the band Mudvayne.

• And a Theatrical Trailer (2:14, SD) has been included.

Ghost Ship Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Ghost Ship" offers a passable premise capable of shock value, but Beck isn't an imaginative director, more invested in visual potential than true scares, and the script often doesn't know what it wants to be, struggling to balance character interests with the arrival of poltergeists. It's flat, uneventful work with a few decent performances (Byrne and Margulies manage to bring something to the effort) and a wicked opening. The rest is routine Dark Castle blandness, with the horror factory missing a prime opportunity to generate an interestingly grotesque chiller on the open sea.