If “Ghost Ship” (2002) ever comes up in conversation, it’s exclusively to praise the opening sequence. They say it’s one of the best of its kind. First bringing to mind a Douglas Sirk melodrama, then escalating into an Argento-esque spectacle of carnage, the scene really does command the viewer’s attention. The passengers of a 1960s luxury liner meet their end in a manner so shocking, I wouldn’t dare spoil it here. Every kind word given to this intro is well-earned indeed.
But what about the rest of “Ghost Ship?” Folks seem to forget that there’s like a whole hour and twenty minutes after the opening. Few bother to even mention the movie beyond that point. When they do, it’s usually described as a “disappointment.” Well, I understand, but that’s only because it really had to be the single greatest motion picture ever shot to follow up that opening. As great as it is, that sequence promises something the movie wasn’t going to deliver on.
The sumptuous retro atmosphere that enchants us in the first few moments is immediately replaced by prime early-aughts cheese. Dumb one-liners, intense action music, and tough guys straight out of a Sci-Fi Channel “Aliens” knockoff. And I kinda dug that! Yes, it’s a disappointment after that majestic opener. But then I knew I was getting a splashy late ’90s/early 2000s gore-fest. I could get behind that! “Ghost Ship” then becomes almost purely driven by atmosphere, mostly favoring quick, ghostly gags over outright gore. But then again, there is certainly plenty of gore in the opener, and gore reappears later on. Truthfully, I didn’t know exactly what “Ghost Ship” was at first… and then it hit me. “Ghost Ship” is a William Castle movie.
For those who don’t know, William Castle was a horror director/showman known primarily for promoting his films in outrageous ways. Plastic skeletons would fly over the audience, seats would be rigged with joy buzzers, and special “Ghost Viewer” glasses would be handed out. (He’s one of my personal heroes.) Named after the man himself, Dark Castle Entertainment was initially created for the express purpose of remaking William Castle pictures. Their first two (“House on Haunted Hill” and “13 Ghosts”) fulfilled that purpose. “Ghost Ship” was their third picture and their first one that wasn’t based on Castle’s work.
Pitched as a purely psychological thriller, the aforementioned gags and gore were absent from the original script. Titled “Chimera,” the film would’ve been about four members of a salvage crew stranded upon the spectral vessel, succumbing to either cabin fever or supernatural forces. When producers Joel Silver, Robert Zemeckis, and Gilbert Adler (They’re the guys behind Dark Castle… and also the “Tales from the Crypt” television show. That part explains a lot.), the project became more of an overt shock-show.
“Ghost Ship” is not the film anyone envisioned. It’s an amalgam of different sensibilities. Perhaps that is what has kept it from being a classic, yet that weird combination of influences inadvertently gives it that William Castle flavor. Mr. Castle’s style blends a steady understanding of suspense, a love of shocks, and an endearing cheesiness (often intentional). All of this is in the service of two goals: to scare the heck out of folks and make sure they have a good time while screaming their heads off.
I do not think it was intentional, but “Ghost Ship” is not unlike Castle’s work. Even that classic opening reminds me of Castle’s “I Saw What You Did,” which both use the stylistic tricks of Old Hollywood romances (credits in cursive, swelling orchestral music) as an ironic counterpoint to the grisliness ahead. “Ghost Ship’s” opener also shares similarities with Castle’s “Strait-Jacket,” being a backstory focused on a young girl witnessing a horrific event.
But what really reminds me of Castle is how “Ghost Ship” creates a strong atmosphere of dread while still hitting us with some fun-house frights. The best Castle movies have a consistent eeriness to them and still delight in cheap gags (I say affectionately). Severed heads, rotting corpses, mutilated faces, and other such things were not off the table for William Castle. It was Hitchcock suspense, Gothic atmosphere, and Halloween scares working in tandem.
Once you accept that the rest of the movie won’t have the same vibe as the opening, “Ghost Ship” works very well as an old-fashioned shocker. Like Castle’s movies, it’s heavy on atmosphere, suspense, and carnival gags. The sets used for the derelict ship are beautifully decayed, like a real haunted boat. Many of the scares work well, and those that don’t quite get there are still amusing. And it’s quite cheesy at times, but that’s to the film’s favor. Aside from the opening, my favorite sequence is a grisly montage set to decidedly of-the-era techno. At this moment, the film is genuinely good while also being pleasantly goofy. Genuine suspense, murders aplenty, and a nasty bit with a hook. Even Bill Castle would have to scream.
