{jatabs type="content" position="top" height="auto" skipAnim="true" mouseType="click" animType="animFade"}

[tab title="Movie Review"]

Ghost Ship: Collector's Edition (2002)

Question for you all, Dear Readers.  When is a ship not like a ship?  When it’s a Ghost Ship!

And, true to its name, this supernatural horror film from Dark Castle Entertainment - who previously brought to life the Thirteen Ghosts remake - doesn’t behave at all like a boat afloat as its ensemble cast, which includes Gabriel Byrne, Julianna Margulies, Ron Eldard, Desmond Harrington, Isaiah Washington, and Karl Urban, deal with a murdering (AND DAMN FINE) songstress by the name of Francesca (Francesca Rettondini) as she lures everyone to certain death.

"scores big when it comes to the atmosphere of this haunted tale."


 

Opening with a strong scene of gore and disturbing death as Francesca serenades a ship full of guests aboard the ocean liner SS Antonia Graza, Ghost Ship is definitely an unforgettable journey across the high seas.  That delicious opening scene, in which a loose wire bisects an entire dance floor of guests, is masterfully executed and sets the stage for a salvage crew to journey to the Bering Sea to explore the Graza’s remains.

Strange things happen in the Strait.  Byrne as Captain Sean Murphy admits this much to his crew, but this take it or leave it offer from Jack Ferriman (Herrington), a weather service pilot, can’t be passed by.  Everyone knows it and they are all willing to hit the harsh weather in weather in search of the Ghost Ship.

Okay, okay, so outside of the very nude and very much alive form of Rettondini, much of Ghost Ship’s prowess comes from the movie magic that its finances afforded it.  We get green screens, solid production values, and some pretty cool Gore effects as the crew aboard a civilian tugboat, the Arctic Warrior, literally runs straight into an Italian ocean liner that was reported missing in 1962. 

Let the hunt for 100-oz gold bars begin!  Be warned, though, there ARE ghosts here and they are only too happy to mess with the living.Ghost Ship: Collector's Edition (2002)

Ghost Ship scores big when it comes to the atmosphere of this haunted tale.  This chilling tale was wisely NOT filmed on water, nor was it filmed on a boat, so, with a script by Mark Hanlon and John Pogue and director Steve Back, Ghost Ship sets sail for creativity as pans of water refract light against the faces of all the actors involved in its shooting.  The illusion is convincing and works wonders in a number of key scenes as a child’s ghost, Katie (Emily Browning), tries her best to warn them of the gear-crushing death that is straight ahead thanks to a demon and his task to bring others to Hell.

Scream Factory, recognizing that this film is not nearly as awful as its print critics would have you believe, presents Ghost Ship on blu-ray with a Collector’s Edition that features NEW special features, a NEW commentary, and some cool looks at this stylish supernatural thriller.  It’s well worth the upgrade as jump scares involving breached holes lead to a swimming pool filling full with blood, cans of beans that become maggots, drinks with a ghost captain, and a ghostly rendezvous which will leave your desire for sex and violence fulfilled.  And it is all aboard this Ghost Ship.

Set sail again with this haunted tale as a seafaring collector of souls has a new crew to capture.  Ghost Ship: Collector’s Edition is now available to own.

4/5 bers

[/tab]

[tab title="Blu-ray Review"]

Ghost Ship: Collector's Edition (2002)

Blu-ray

Blu-ray Details:

Home Video Distributor: Shout Factory
Available on Blu-ray
- September 29, 2020
Screen Formats: 1.85:1
Subtitles
: English SDH
Audio:
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1; English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
Discs: Blu-ray Disc; single disc
Region Encoding: Locked to Region A

Finders keepers. Any abandoned ship floating in international waters can be claimed and towed to port by whomever is fortunate enough to find it. Or, in the case of one team of salvage experts, unfortunate enough.

In this stylish, effects-packed chiller from Dark Castle Entertainment, salvagers trained for any situation imaginable come face to horrifying face with the unimaginable after boarding a derelict luxury liner. Julianna Margulies, Gabriel Byrne, Ron Eldard and Isaiah Washington are among the hands on deck who'll confront a seafaring collector of souls. Steve Beck (Thirteen Ghosts) directs this frightful chiller.

Video

Presented in a crisp 1080p transfer, Ghost Ship’s new scan of the original negative, presented in a 1.85:1 aspect ratio, is a thing of pristine beauty.  This thing is just popping with grisly images thanks to its robust production design!  The film is dominated with reds and greens that absolutely burst with color.  It’s a dark film, for sure, but the costumes are detailed and the simple backgrounds burst with new details and a nice level of clarity.  Black levels are solid and skin tones are natural.  Shadows are defined and the film has a new depth previously unseen.

Audio

Audio wise, the DTS-HD MA 5.1 and 2.0 mono soundtrack is clear and the dialogue is never lost or hard to hear.

Supplements:

Commentary:

  • Fans of this feature are going to totally love the new commentary from Steve Beck, the film’s director.

Special Features:

With a focus on NEW content, the supplemental material - with brand spanking new interviews from Isaiah Washington, Producer Gil Adler, Makeup Effects Supervisor Jason Baird- completely makes this release one to own.

  • NEW This Isn’t Real – An Interview With Actor Isaiah Washington
  • NEW Dark Castle At Sea – An Interview With Producer Gil Adler
  • NEW Every Body On Board – An Interview With Makeup Effects Supervisor Jason Baird
  • NEW Audio Commentary With Director Steve Beck
  • Max On Set: Ghost Ship Featurette
  • Visual Effects Featurette
  • A Closer Look At The Gore Featurette
  • Designing The Ghost Ship Featurette
  • Secrets Of The Antonia Graza Clips
  • Mudvayne “Not Falling” Music Video
  • Theatrical Trailer

Blu-ray Rating:

  Movie 4/5 stars
  Video  4/5 stars
  Audio 3/5 stars
  Extras 4/5 stars

Overall Blu-ray Experience

4/5 stars

[/tab]

[tab title="Film Details"]

ghost ship bluray

MPAA Rating: R for strong violence/gore, language and sexuality.
Runtime:
91 mins
Director
: Steve Beck
Writer:
Mark Hanlon
Cast:
Julianna Margulies, Gabriel Byrne, Ron Eldard
Genre
: Horror
Tagline:
Sea Evil.
Memorable Movie Quote: "Wanna hear something funnier? We just found a bunch of dead guys floating in the laundry room."
Theatrical Distributor:
Warner Bros.
Official Site: https://www.thehustle.movie/
Release Date:
October 22, 2020
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date:
September 29, 2020.
Synopsis: Finders keepers. Any abandoned ship floating in international waters can be claimed and towed to port by whomever is fortunate enough to find it. Or, in the case of one team of salvage experts, unfortunate enough.

In this stylish, effects-packed chiller from Dark Castle Entertainment, salvagers trained for any situation imaginable come face to horrifying face with the unimaginable after boarding a derelict luxury liner. Julianna Margulies, Gabriel Byrne, Ron Eldard and Isaiah Washington are among the hands on deck who'll confront a seafaring collector of souls. Steve Beck (Thirteen Ghosts) directs this frightful chiller.

[/tab]

[tab title="Art"]

ghost ship bluray

[/tab]

{/jatabs}