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Death Ship

  • 1980
  • R
  • 1h 31m
IMDb RATING
4.8/10
6.2K
YOUR RATING
Death Ship (1980)
Watch Trailer
Play trailer0:59
1 Video
71 Photos
AdventureHorrorMysteryThriller

A mysterious ghostly freighter rams and sinks a modern day cruise ship whose survivors climb aboard the freighter and discover that it is a World War II Nazi torture vessel.A mysterious ghostly freighter rams and sinks a modern day cruise ship whose survivors climb aboard the freighter and discover that it is a World War II Nazi torture vessel.A mysterious ghostly freighter rams and sinks a modern day cruise ship whose survivors climb aboard the freighter and discover that it is a World War II Nazi torture vessel.

  • Director
    • Alvin Rakoff
  • Writers
    • John Robins
    • Jack Hill
    • David P. Lewis
  • Stars
    • George Kennedy
    • Richard Crenna
    • Nick Mancuso
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    4.8/10
    6.2K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Alvin Rakoff
    • Writers
      • John Robins
      • Jack Hill
      • David P. Lewis
    • Stars
      • George Kennedy
      • Richard Crenna
      • Nick Mancuso
    • 125User reviews
    • 65Critic reviews
    • 10Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Videos1

    Trailer
    Trailer 0:59
    Trailer

    Photos71

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    Top cast14

    Edit
    George Kennedy
    George Kennedy
    • Captain Ashland
    Richard Crenna
    Richard Crenna
    • Trevor Marshall
    Nick Mancuso
    Nick Mancuso
    • Nick
    Sally Ann Howes
    Sally Ann Howes
    • Margaret Marshall
    Kate Reid
    Kate Reid
    • Sylvia
    Victoria Burgoyne
    Victoria Burgoyne
    • Lori
    Jennifer McKinney
    Jennifer McKinney
    • Robin Marshall
    Danny Higham
    • Ben Marshall
    Saul Rubinek
    Saul Rubinek
    • Jackie
    Murray Cruchley
    • Parsons
    • (as Lee Murray)
    Doug Smith
    • Seaman No. 1
    Anthony Sherwood
    Anthony Sherwood
    • Seaman No. 2
    • (as Tony Sherwood)
    Adolf Hitler
    Adolf Hitler
    • Self
    • (archive footage)
    • (uncredited)
    Andrew Semple
    • Strangled Sailor
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Alvin Rakoff
    • Writers
      • John Robins
      • Jack Hill
      • David P. Lewis
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews125

    4.86.1K
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    Featured reviews

    8HumanoidOfFlesh

    Great trash movie!!!

    Atrocious acting,nonsensical script,very low production values:all these elements can be found in Alvin Rakoff's "Death Ship".So why am I not going to trash this little movie?It's simple,I really like this film for those very reasons.It is everything low-budget horror movie should be,yet still manages to tell its story and generate a considerable amount of unease and dread.A cruise ship is destroyed by another ship(the Death Ship),killing most of the crew.The few survivors of the crash,who include the captain(George Kennedy from "Creepshow 2" or "Just Before Dawn"),a family of four and some others,decide that it would be a good idea to board the same ship that crashed their cruise ship.The death ship then starts killing its new victims.Despite so many bad comments "Death Ship" is still watchable.It has some really creepy scenes and memorable moments.Yes,the film doesn't make very much sense,but that's not what director Alvin Rakoff intended.Instead he puts together nightmarish sequences surrounded by an eerie sounds.You have to be a real horror fan to fully appreciate "Death Ship".Check this one out,it's pretty good.Highly recommended.
    5Platypuschow

    Death Ship: I wanted to like it a lot more than I did

    Plot

    A mysterious ghostly freighter rams and sinks a modern day cruise ship whose survivors climb aboard the freighter and discover that it is a World War II Nazi torture vessel.

    Cast

    George Kennedy, Richard Crenna and a brief contribution from Saul Rubinek.

    Verdict

    I've always loved the cover art for Death Ship, trouble is for whatever reason it took me over three decades after initially seeing it to get round to watching it.

    Truth be told I was quite excited booting it up, great cover art, a very interesting sounding premise and it's always great seeing George Kennedy. Did it live up to my 30+ year expectations? No, sadly very much not.

    You see though it manages to be suitably creepy with its ghost ship setting it never really feels like it goes anywhere and when it does it's a tad non-sensical and very underwhelming. I wanted it to be more visceral, instead it adopts a very disappointing approach and also provides us with walk to walk lackluster deaths and a finale that feels rushed and apathetic.

    Death Ship is one of those few movies I think could do with a remake to reach the potential is badly squandered here.

    Rants

    I was going to do a rant about the people who original ran the ship this movie is about, speak of how I'm in awe that they're so prevalent at time of writing and ask how such a thing is even possible. That however would likely prevent this from getting published so I'll resist the urge.

    The Good

    George Kennedy is excellent here Fantastic concept Solid setting Brilliant cover art

    The Bad

    Annoying kids Awful deaths Concept is wasted Too many plot holes.
    heedarmy

    Cheap but has its moments

    "Death Ship" was obviously produced on a flimsy budget, as the cost-conscious opening shipwreck demonstrates - we're not talking James Cameron here! There are other flaws - plot loopholes, dodgy acting and one extraordinary moment of bad editing/continuity. Nevertheless, I think it's an effective film because the basic idea is strong and there are some good creepy moments. Alvin Rakoff's direction makes the most of the location and the climax is well-managed.
    6Vomitron_G

    Ship of Death: The Haunting of Unspeakable Acts from the Past

    When I was a little kid, driving by this local videostore on my bike, I always stopped to take a quick peek at this amazingly cool video-cover displayed in front of the store window (just look up the poster art here on IMDb). Around that same time I saw on television just a few little fragments of a French-dubbed horror movie taking place on a ship. The name George Kennedy both on the cover and on the credits linked the two facts together. By the time I was old enough to go rent it, the copy had mysteriously disappeared from the videostore. I've been on the look-out for this film ever since.

    Thanx to Dario_the_2nd (fellow horror-boarder) the wait finally came to an end. And to say it right away: I honestly don't understand the low rating this film has here on IMDb. Sure it's not a perfect movie; the story is pretty thin and the acting isn't really memorable or something (though not bad at all either). What this movie lacks in the plot-department, at makes up more than enough in eerie atmosphere and creepiness. When a luxury cruise ship sinks, a few survivors adrift find their way onto a huge, dirty and abandoned ship, apparently floating dead in the water. But not quite as dead as they expected, they'll soon find out. The pace of the movie is rather slow, but the ship itself is frightening and menacing. With numerous shots of its self-functioning engine, countless pipes, valves and other iron-work, the vessel establishes itself as a threatening presence, or even more so: a real character, throughout the entire movie. It's no secret at all that this ship is haunted and the reason why is quite shocking. Two scenes that stayed with me from when I was a kid, were that-one-lady-in-the-projection-room-turning-ugly and especially the blood-shower scene. The latter one really is a foul scene. Of course, you've seen that before, but this is one of the better efforts. However, this still remains a very un-stylized B-movie. No fancy cinematography, no well-balanced lighting and a lot of hand-held camera shots. But all this adds to the effect of realism. And at not one point I found myself giggling at the sort of clumsiness of the mise-en-scène (which I actually expected to do so, before going into this movie). As much as the editing is rudimentary, their are some fine textbook examples of cross-cutting to be found. A technique seldomly used anymore. At least not in mainstream films. The rather minimalistic but effective musical score helped to set the right tone from the opening credits on.

    I could conclude that this flick might perhaps not be enjoyed by the general horror-fan nowadays, but if you're interested in the weird and bizarre, then this one is worth hunting down. Good luck with it.
    5ryan-10075

    Death Ship

    When I was a kid I hated this movie. But, after additional viewings and understanding that there is a creepiness to the film and some good ideas. Yet it is not a good horror film in my mind and those good ideas become wasted due to what I find are scenes that are too drawn out, stupid characters and it does become tiring watching the characters bumble around an empty ship.

    The story is about a cruise ship with ultra-stuffy Captain Ashland (George Kennedy) on his final voyage. They crash into this mysterious ship and are sunk. The few shipwrecked survivours are in a lifeboat and come across that very ship that sunk them. Inside they begin to find horrific secrets and must escape before their very lives are taken.

    Film also has a pretty darn good cast that also includes Richard Crenna, Nick Mancuso, Kate Reid and Saul Rubinek. Yet, in the end it just misses the mark.

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      When the crew of the ocean liner picks up the echo of the approaching ghost ship on their radar, the close-up of the ship's radar imagery is a reverse-image video clip of the fog-covered "Skull Island" taken from King Kong (1976).
    • Goofs
      When Captain Ashland emerges in the German naval uniform atop the ship, three separate long shots of George Kennedy reveal a crew member and camera are plainly visible on the left side of the shot.
    • Quotes

      Trevor Marshall): Where do you plan to sail her?

      Ashland: Into eternity, Marshall. Eternity.

    • Alternate versions
      The German TV version was cut by several minutes including nearly all scenes of violence, dead bodies and Nazi content. The old Videoversion (VPS Video) is uncut.
    • Connections
      Edited from The Last Voyage (1960)

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    FAQ

    • How long is Death Ship?
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    Details

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    • Release date
      • March 7, 1980 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • United Kingdom
      • Canada
    • Languages
      • English
      • German
    • Also known as
      • La nave del terror
    • Filming locations
      • Mobile, Alabama, USA
    • Production companies
      • Astral Bellevue Pathé
      • Bloodstar Productions
      • Lamitas
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • CA$4,500,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 31 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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