DEATH SHIP

The passengers of a plush cruise ship dine with it's captain, Ashland (George Kennedy, THE DIRTY DOZEN), in the restaurant - oblivious to the fact a huge grey vessel is speeding directly towards them.

Upon impact, the cruise ship sinks and only a handful of people survive on a raft. Among these are Ashland, Marshall (Richard Crenna, RAMBO: FIRST BLOOD PART 2) and his family, and crooner Jackie (Saul Rubinek, TRUE ROMANCE).

As they approach the mysterious vessel, the survivors notice a ladder has been lowered on it's side and take this as an invitation to climb aboard. Their first indication that all is not well is when they search the ship and can find no signs of life.

Then things start getting odder. Vinyl records play by themselves, a telephone rings but no-one answers at the other end of the line, doors slam without assistance - your standard haunted house phenomena. As one character astutely states, "the ship has a mind of it's own!".

Things get really bad when Ashland becomes possessed by the ship, and that's when the silly but atmospheric fun begins proper.

DEATH SHIP is a haunted house film set on water. As such, it works quite well. We have a motley handful of people thrown into an alien environment where spooky things start to occur to individuals in drip-drip fashion. Then, at around the halfway point, it becomes more ambitious in it's shocks (Ashland's violent outbursts when possessed; the infamous "blood shower" scene; a cabin filled with decayed corpses) and is all the more enjoyable for it.

Director Alvin Rakoff (CITY ON FIRE) admits the film is hokum, but this is part of it's charm. Think about the plot for more than a couple of seconds and you'll only be spoiling your viewing pleasure: this is best enjoyed with your brain switched off.

It's great to see the likes of Crenna, Kennedy and Nick Mancuso (NIGHTWING) hamming it up with Jack Hill's (SPIDER BABY; COFFY) knowingly daft script. But they all throw themselves into their roles with infectious energy. Mancuso is great as his delirium heightens later in the film, while Rakoff is savvy enough to pace things leisurely in the first half, allowing the film to build to a satisfyingly tense and creepy final third.

The ship's interiors are used well to aide atmospherics and although a few "jump" scenes don't work as well as intended, DEATH SHIP deserves it's cult status for it's near-unique blend of the absurd and the eerie.

Nucleus Films' disc is terrific.

The film is presented uncut in anamorphic 1.85:1 and looks great. There is a disclaimer on the disc stating Nucleus had trouble locating a decent print, and went for the best sourced material they could find. It's almost an apology - but one is not due. The picture may wobble infrequently and colours may be a tad dark and washed out, but this is also a pleasingly clear and sharp transfer with little evidence of grain. By far the best the film has ever looked.

The English audio is available in two mono options - Dolby or PCM. Both are fine jobs - clear, loud and consistent. Easily readable removable subtitles are also available for the hard of hearing.

Nice animated menus include a scene-selection menu allowing access to the main feature via 12 chapters, and an array of engaging extras.

First, there's a decent commentary track from Rakoff in conversation with "English Gothic" author Jonathan Rigby. Rigby does the lion's share of the talking, with Rakoff appearing vague of memory at times, but it's an interesting, enlightening track nevertheless.

Next is an excellent, well-produced 42-minute documentary entitled "Stormy Seas". Rakoff, Kennedy, Hill ... they all appear on screen with accounts of what sounds like an ambitious though not always enjoyable shoot. This is great viewing, and enhances appreciation of the movie even more than the commentary.

3 deleted scenes follow, including an alternative TV version of the "blood shower" sequence.

Then there's three original trailers for DEATH SHIP, plus a couple of nice galleries - one offers 37 assorted artwork images (video covers etc), while the other reveals 43 pages from the original script.

Nucleus also offer the usual trailers for other releases - in this case FAUST 5.0, THE UGLIEST WOMAN IN THE WORLD, GWENDOLINE, BETWEEN YOUR LEGS and LONDON VOODOO.

Finally, there's an Easter Egg to be found on the Extras menu page - the original BBFC "X" rating logo, which went with the film's UK theatrical release. Brief, but welcome.

Great fun, presented well on an excellent disc.

Review by Stuart Willis