Ghost Ship (1952) User Reviews

Fairly tight little story

[DeeJsBabe · 6/10 · 1 November 2005]

You can't look at this movie and compare to the blockbusters, but as a B flick it's pretty good, even up at the top (in my mind). The story of the ghost is told in flashbacks and through a séance. The acting is pretty good, though the stars are not memorable. It's almost like watching an old TV show, though I more liken it to "The Woman Who Came Back" (1945). Someone just wrote a nice little mystery with some adequately spooky moments, and that is about all there is to it.

It starts out with a couple trying to buy an older steamboat. The man selling it to them warns them of its haunting. You see moments of the inquiry and story that led to the haunting, but it is not until the séance that you start to get a clue as to what caused the haunting.

This movie has nothing to do with movies of the same title, one from the forties and one from a few years ago.

Sea Ghost By The Seacoast

[ferbs54 · 6/10 · 1 December 2009]

Not to be confused with "The Ghost Ship," one of four (!) classic Val Lewton films from 1943, OR the 2002 horror fest "Ghost Ship," 1952's "Ghost Ship" is an obscure little British picture that should just manage to please. In it, real-life husband and wife Dermot Walsh and Hazel Court play Guy and Margaret Thornton, a Canadian couple living in England, who buy the Cyclops, a 40-year-old steamer yacht, and realize, after a series of freakish incidents, that the darn thing really might be haunted. An aged biddy of a medium (a pale knockoff of the marvelous character brought to indelible life by Margaret Rutherford in 1945's "Blithe Spirit") holds a seance on board and, via a series of flashbacks, the viewer is allowed to witness the events that led to the ship's current state, culminating in a surprise ending of sorts. A fast-paced 72 minutes, "Ghost Ship"'s major lure for modern-day audiences is perhaps Hazel Court, who over the next 10 years would become one of British cinema's reigning queens of horror. With a perfectly shaped mouth that might make Angelina Jolie envious and a pair of zygomatic bones that could turn Deborah Harry green with envy, Hazel was indeed luscious to look at on screen, especially in this relatively early role; sadly, her striking red hair and green eyes cannot be appreciated in this B&W film. The picture in question is a lighthearted affair that is not a bit scary (even an initial glimpse of the ship's ghost fails to raise any hackles) but always engaging, thanks to some pleasant performances, a crackling, no-nonsense script from director Vernon Sewell, and a sprightly score by Eric Spear. In all, a minor affair, but an entertaining one, presented here on a surprisingly crisp-looking DVD courtesy of Wham! USA.

Could have been better

[Stevieboy666 · 4/10 · 17 April 2018]

Minor British movie about a young couple who buy a boat called "Cyclops" despite being warned that it is haunted. There is very little haunting going on here, most of it is in the form of an unexplainable smell on board of cigar smoke. It is heavy on dialogue but very little action, bit of a bore. The only notable thing for me is that it stars Hazel Court, who went on to become a British 1960's scream queen. Missed opportunity here; they should have put a bit more spookiness into it, or perhaps gone down the comedy route.

Better Than You'd Think

[Michael_Elliott · 12 October 2011]

Ghost Ship (1952)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

This forgotten British "B" picture isn't the greatest film out there but it's unique enough to make it worth viewing by those who enjoy stories dealing with ghosts. Guy and Margaret Thornton (Dermot Walsh, Hazel Court) buy an old ship that has the reputation of being haunted because years earlier three people went missing aboard it. The duo don't pay any attention to the stories until one day the husband actually sees the spirit of a man and soon they call in a paranormal expert. GHOST SHIP has pretty much been forgotten by everyone over the last several decades except for fans of Court who will search out everything the cult actress has appeared in. While the movie isn't a complete success it does feature enough interesting moments and a rather nice story to make it worth viewing. With that said, there are still some major problems in the film including one very big one. The film runs just 71-minutes but it actually feels a tad bit longer due to some pacing issues. I think part of the problem could have been avoided how two very bad scenes been left on the cutting room floor. One sequence involves a party on the boat where we get a rather long sequence dealing with a drunk. I'm going to guess this was meant to be comic relief but it's just really bad. Another horrible sequence is when the couple invite the paranormal expert on the boat and we get a long sequence where the man tries to explain various "sounds" that we can't hear. I believe this entire sequence is meant to make the viewer believe in ghosts but I think this could have been achieved in a much better way. I do think the best thing going for its film is the actual backstory to the hauntings. Early on we get a sequence showing the court hearings, which explain what happened to the ship and how it was discovered after being thought to have sunk. Another sequence happens at the end when we learn what actually took place on the ship and the twist in the story is actually pretty effective. Another major plus is that both Walsh and Court are very good in their parts as they're easy to believe and both are effective. The actual hauntings in the picture are kept quite low and I will admit that the first time we see the ghost it's rather unspectacular and it really doesn't stand out. However, it almost seems as if director Vernon Sewell has no intention on building up any type of atmosphere instead it seems as if he just wants to tell a good story, get it on the screen and do very little else. GHOST SHIP isn't a masterpiece and it's easy to see why it has been forgotten but fans of the genre should enjoy it.

Dead Bodies???

[writtenbymkm-583-902097 · 2/10 · 7 June 2012]

I can't believe nobody questioned a huge plot hole in this movie. I'll omit the story, since other reviewers have mostly explained it, but we are to believe that three people went out on a boat -- SPOILER ALERT***SPOILER ALERT -- and one of them murdered the other two and hid their bodies on the boat... repeat, on the boat, and then, later, when the boat is found, the bodies are NOT found. It's even dumber than that, because at one point the hero buys the boat and has it completely repaired from stem to stern, and, again, no bodies are found. Not even a couple of skeletons. This is incredible. I also didn't believe for a minute that the murderer would have returned to the boat at the very end -- ANOTHER SPOILER ALERT -- and killed himself just because some weird so-called "medium" went into a "trance" and supposedly revealed that he had murdered the other two people, why didn't he just head for the hills? What court of law would've allowed the testimony of a "medium" as the only proof, especially with no bodies? If I slept through essential parts of this movie and missed things that would explain all this, feel free to yell at me and set me straight!

Surprisingly effective genteel British horror film

[Leofwine_draca · 7/10 · 21 July 2016]

This low budget chiller is a film easy to pass over, mainly because of the generic nature of the title (there are many ghost ship films in existence, right up to the present day). It's only a minor film, and not the best for any of the talent involved, but it is a solid, effective little movie that sets out to do what it wants to do: create an atmospheric mystery-cum-chiller on a non-existent budget, relying on acting, dialogue, characters, and story rather than special effects. Indeed, the spirit 'manifestations' are limited to a single scene of a cigar-chomping apparition so for those expecting something like POLTERGEIST, think again.

There's just something about British horror films of the mid century that give them the edge over their American counterparts. They're always genteel, and quite classy despite the silliness of some of the story lines. Vernon Sewell, a noted horror director, directs this well-handled outing. There's no action so to speak of, but the film does contain some admirable acting, an excellent flashback told by a medium of a love triangle gone horribly wrong, lots of tension, a good plot twist, and fine, crisp black and white camera-work.

Of the stars, there are bit players who would later go on to find fame and success (Joss Ackland and Ian Carmichael); a British star, Dermot Walsh, with a dodgy American accent; a brief turn for Sewell's real-life wife, Joan Carol; an excellent performance from TV's QUATERMASS, John Robinson, as a wronged captain; a kooky turn from Hugh Burden, who later found success in television; and of course, a starring turn from lovely Hammer starlet Hazel Court. Court takes centre stage for much of the production, but I found her natural beauty – later used to great effect in Gothic horror – toned down and hidden away, unfortunately.

Third of four films of the same play - all made by the same director!

[davidvmcgillivray-24-905811 · 2/10 · 8 February 2016]

Many important observations about this minor ghost story have already been made by others. The plot has a gaping plot hole and two long, irrelevant sequences - Ian Carmichael's drunk act and Hugh Burden's demonstration of unusual vibrations - that must have been added merely to increase the running time. The film is one of several shot on director Vernon Sewell's own yacht and the story has a flavour (wife encourages her lover to kill her husband) of Sewell's later film "Rogue's Yarn" (1957), shot in the same Shoreham boatyard. Most interesting, however, is that this is the third film Sewell made of Pierre Mills and Celia de Vylars' one act play, "L'Angoisse." The first was "The Medium" (1934), now lost. Then came "Latin Quarter" (1945). After "Ghost Ship" Sewell had one more crack at the tale, "House of Mystery" (1960). The common factor, apart from the psychic gobbledygook, is the sadism of the murders. I'd like to point out that none of this information comes from me. It was first pointed out as long ago as 1973 in David Pirie's book "A Heritage of Horror". Jonathan Rigby added more details in his 2000 book "English Gothic."

Middle of road thriller

[gordonl56 · 6/10 · 15 September 2010]

Dermot Walsh and Hazel Court decide to buy a 40 year old yacht. The salesman tries to talk them out of the purchase. He tells them a tale of how the locals believe the ship to be haunted. They get a laugh out of the story and buy the ship anyway. The two restore the boat and have a big party to celebrate. They take the yacht out for a short cruise. When they return to port, the engine room man swears he has seen a ghost and quits. The next engineer also quits after seeing the same ghost. Somewhat at a loss at what to do they call in a medium. They have a séance and the medium explains the reason for the haunting. The previous owner had shot and killed his wife and lover. He had then hid the bodies below the decks next to the outside hull. A somewhat effective thriller that starts out and finishes well. The middle does drag a bit, but for a low budget film it passes the time well enough. Always nice to Hazel Court in any sort of film.

Interesting little curio

[daniele-iannarelli · 5/10 · 1 June 2019]

Okay, this was by no means a classic, but after a somewhat slow first half, it became reasonably interesting as a late night, around-the-fire ghost story.

For what it is, I suppose I'm giving quite a high rating but... I sort of enjoyed it.

The acting wasn't particularly bad, as such, but passable no real cringeworthy moments.

There were a few issues that didn't make a lot of sense in the writing, one of which being Guy's skepticism finally beaten when he admits he saw a ghost and yet, when his wife talks about the "IIPP" ("Institute for Investigation of Psychic Phenomena"), he immediately fobs it off as "Aahhh, its a load of phoney nonsense".

There was a very nice touch in the film when Guy and Margaret mistook an "odd gentleman" (some eccentric looking character who had just come off the train) as the investigator from the IIPP. In reality, the IIPP investigator turned out to be a 'normal' everyday man in a suit who noticed the mistaken identity with some hilarity.

Overall, a nice little ditty undeserving of the extremely low ratings I've seen here. Fair's fair... and this is certainly not the worst film I've ever seen. It has to be relatively rated (which some reviewers don't seem to do), so my rating is an average 5/10... which, for me, is not bad.

watchable but not wholly satisfactory

[myriamlenys · 6/10 · 15 July 2021]

By now there must be dozens of movies and series with titles like "Ghost Ship", "Ghost Boat", "Phantom Ship", and so on. What we've got here is a modest black-and-white movie from 1952, about a charming young couple who buy a yacht and discover they've received more than they bargained for. It's probably best described as a mix of thriller and horror/fantasy.

The movie can be watched with a certain degree of pleasure : it was made with care and tells a coherent story with a beginning, a middle and an end. It also contains some sailing or shipyard scenes likely to appeal to people who like pottering about in boats / ships / vessels / whatever one may call them. However, it isn't all that spooky, scary or uncanny. The paranormal element is treated in such a sober and matter-of-fact way that it loses much of its impact, rather raising the question of why it was introduced in the first place. What's the use of providing, say, a séance which is as boring and mundane as a trustees' meeting of some long-established charity ? It's like adding garlic to a dish, and then going out of your way to disguise both the smell and the taste.

In other words : "Ghost Ship" is not as spine-tingling as it could or should have been. This feels like a lost opportunity, especially since a yacht (as an isolated and self-contained little universe) makes an excellent setting for tales of panic and claustrophobia.

At one point in the movie, one of the characters offers a pseudo-scientific explanation about the link between warm temperatures and the perception of paranormal events : so THAT is why weird things happen in hot countries ! It's a strange remark, which seems to betray a rather unlovely prejudice. ("We Europeans are a hard-working and rational bunch, but the darker races go around dancing the rumba, climbing phantom ropes and waking the dead from their graves. But we shouldn't be too hard on them, it's just the outside temperature messing with their brains.")

Good Concept and Aspect, but Slow

[Reviews_of_the_Dead · 5/10 · 15 July 2022]

This is a movie that I got turned on to when I was looking through the Internet Movie Database some years ago. At one point, this was listed as the original version of the movie Ghost Ship from 2002. That is the reason I picked this movie up. They have nothing in common outside of featuring a ghost ship and sharing that title. I didn't realize until writing this review that it was based on a play. It does explain things for sure.

Synopsis: a luxury ship is haunted by the ghosts of a crew that had disappeared off the ship years before.

For this movie, we start with Guy (Dermot Walsh) and his wife, Margaret (Hazel Court). They arrive at a pier where they're looking to buy a yacht. They meet with the manager, Joss Ambler, and after some confusion, it turns out they want to buy The Cyclops. This couple is new to the United Kingdom. Before selling them the ship, he tells the checkered past.

It belonged to Prof. Mansel Martineau (John Robinson). He updated the engine room and the machinery to sail with minimal crew. During that voyage, they lost communications and everyone thought it snuck. Days later it was found floating adrift by a group of fishers. Since then, anyone that tries to take possession of this yacht, smells cigar smoke and people see a ghost in the engine room.

Guy doesn't believe in this. Margaret does smell the smoke quite a few times. Regardless, they bought the vessel and fix it up. Their plan is to set sail and live on this ship. The problem then becomes they have trouble keeping someone to run the engine room. The only person who agrees to stay on and has no issues is deckhand. The couple have snuck all their money in. They investigate what is happening with investment and whether it is truly haunted.

That is where I'm going to leave my recap as there isn't much to this movie. We are getting a lot of talking and seeing now that this is a take on a play, which makes sense. This movie could be done with minimal sets. Where I want to start first is the idea of a ghost ship. I'm both fascinated by the ocean as well as terrified. Part of my fear is what is at the bottom that we don't know about, but the other part is being stranded. In the case of a ghost ship, it is scary to me that there are vessels out there that we might never know what happened on them to get them left there. Equally, there are the ghost stories about how some people see certain ships out to sea and then they disappear. These things tick boxes for me.

For this movie though, we have an interesting story with what happened to the ship. We do get the explanation to end the movie. Part of this is done when Dr. Fawcett (Hugh Burden) who is a paranormal investigator arrives and he calls a medium, Mrs. Manley (Mignon O'Doherty). The story that gets revealed here is basic though. I like the idea of it and how everything ties in. The concept of there being a ghost aboard the ship works for me.

To shift over to a negative though, this movie is boring. The reason I think is that it is dialogue heavy and we get minimal haunting things. There aren't a lot they can do so that makes sense. There is a creepy scene where Guy finally sees a specter in the engine room and it spooks him. Other than that, it is Margaret and other characters asking about the smell of cigar smoke. The movie has a low runtime of 70 minutes though, which is a shame. There are just too many repetitive things in my opinion.

Moving away from that, I'll go to the acting. I thought that Walsh and Court were good as our main couple. I like their interactions as they feel real. Walsh is the more grounded one and doesn't believe in the haunting. At first, Court doesn't either. It is when she experiences things that she believes. Other than that, I thought that Burden was good to help us get to bottom of things. I like that we get to see the story of Prof. Martineau, his wife and engine man play out as well as the fishers finding the ship at sea. No one stands out, but they do direct the story where we need to go.

That will take me to the filmmaking aspects. For the effects, we don't get a lot of them. It also isn't that type of movie. We do get smoke that goes away naturally. What I like there is that we know there is supposed to be no one in that room, but we can see this. The cinematography is also fine. They don't do anything to stand out there unfortunately. Other than that, I'd say that the soundtrack works. There is a scene where someone forgets to hang up a phone and it leads to someone discovering information. That is the only part that stood out with the sound design.

In conclusion, this movie has some interesting aspects, but it ultimately was boring in how it was relayed. I'd say the best part of the movie was the acting. The idea of this haunted yacht is intriguing and learning more about it is good. Just how it is done doesn't captivate you. For me, it had trouble keeping my interest. Other than that, the cinematography, effects and soundtrack are all fine. None of them stand out though either. For me, I'd say this is an average movie. There are not enough good things to go higher as there are equally issues that I had.

My Rating: 5 out of 10.

Cigar Smoke

[richardchatten · 8/10 · 16 October 2022]

The third of four versions of Pierre Mille's 'L'Angoise' and the first of two films made by director Vernon Sewell on his own steam yacht the Gerhart. Although it may not look very interesting on paper what makes this film well worth watching is that it contains one of most extraordinary apparitions I've ever seen in a horror fantasy, second only to Miss Jessell in Jack Clayton's "The Innocents'.

After being increasingly informed as the film is progressing that the yacht he's just bought is reputed to be haunted the hero finally goes down into the engine room and is surprised to see "an ordinary man in a boiler suit" just standing nonchalantly drawing on a cigar. The film cuts back to the hero and when he cuts back he's gone, with only a small cloud of smoke remaining (it's not even clear if the phantom was aware of his presence).

It also contains a splendid performance by Hugh Burden as an extremely sensible psychic investigator.

An old classic movie of the 50's.

[cynet-52332 · 6/10 · 16 August 2022]

Love old movies and this one is a classic for being so absured.

The acting couple give their best with a sluggish script.

There is about 5 min of actual action and the rest is dialogue through out.

The ending is weird and not what I was expecting but was an enjoyable movie on a nolgastic watch trip.

GHOST SHIP (Vernon Sewell, 1952) **

[Bunuel1976 · 4/10 · 23 January 2010]

This British low-budgeter does not have a good reputation within its subgenre – mainly because it is "singularly unfrightening", as one critic had remarked about SON OF FRANKENSTEIN (1939) but also since, as often happens, the manifestations prove to be just a hoax! It is harmless enough under the circumstances, but does take its time to get going (despite running only 71 minutes), eventually generating some interest during the second half with the parapsychology elements, the ghost's backstory (he is played by John Robinson – Professor Bernard Quatermass in the TV serial "Quatermass II" [1955]) and the twist ending. Hazel Court makes for a pretty and likable leading lady; however, Ian Carmichael – soon to portray the naïve hero of many a classic Boulting Bros. satire – has an extended and unfunny bit as a drunk at a party held on the titular vessel. Although, personally, I did not recognize any of them, the cast also includes Joss (1970's THE HOUSE THAT DRIPPED BLOOD) Ackland, Patricia (1958's THE FLY) Owens and Melissa (1958's HORROR OF Dracula) Stribling in bit parts.

"Unpretentious little second feature makes for pleasant if undemanding entertainment."

[jamesraeburn2003 · 30 June 2007]

A young couple (Dermot Walsh & Hazel Court) buy a steam yacht despite warnings from the salesman that it is haunted. They restore the boat and throw a party on board to celebrate its trial run along the Sussex coast. However, it looks as though the vessel may be haunted as two engine men resign claiming to have seen a ghost on board. The couple decide to call upon the services of a medium to get to the bottom of it. They hold a séance which reveals a horrifying secret about the previous owners of the yacht who disappeared from it in mysterious circumstances while at sea years before.

All in all, Ghost Ship (not to be confused with the CGI laden effects blockbuster of 2002) is an unpretentious little second feature, which provides an hour of pleasant if undemanding entertainment. The acting is above the normal standard you would expect for this sort of thing even though Walsh's attempt at an American accent is questionable. Hazel Court offers a bright performance as his wife and she would go on to appear in a number of notable British horror films such as Hammer's groundbreaking Curse Of Frankenstein and Roger Corman's marvelous Edgar Allen Poe adaptation, The Masque Of The Red Death. The script was clearly a variation on the classic real life mystery of the Mary Celeste that comes off reasonably well though more in the general handling than in the script which includes a few plot inconsistencies and the film shows that quite a lot can be gained from a small budget.

Director Vernon Sewell was an interesting though sadly neglected film maker who apart from a small handful never got many A features and spent most of his career turning out quota quickies such as this. A number of these featured his own steam yacht, The Gelert, which is the vessel featured in this film which he often managed to use as an excellent set. The cast of Ghost Ship includes Sewell's wife, Joan Carol.

Beware the not-very-scary cigar-smoking sailor ghost.

[BA_Harrison · 5/10 · 18 May 2023]

Ghost Ship features one of the least threatening ghosts in movie history - he appears, smoking a cigar, and then vanishes - and yet those in the know are still so scared of him that they refuse to step foot on the steamer yacht that he haunts. Despite learning of the vessel's supernatural inhabitant, married couple Guy and Margaret Thornton (Dermot Walsh and Hazel Court) buy the boat and spruce it up, unconvinced by stories of the cigar-smoking spook. However, when Guy actually sees the ghost in the ship's engine room (standing and smoking his Havana), his wife calls in some experts to help find out why the boat is haunted.

This has got to be one of the most tepid horror movies I have ever seen: it's not in the least bit scary, the film too bright and breezy to conjure up any atmosphere or chills. That's not to say I didn't enjoy the film - leads Walsh and Court are just too darn chipper not to like and the film has that affable post-war positivity and charm that typified many films of the era. As a horror, Ghost Ship sinks like a stone, but as an easy-going slice of British B-movie entertainment, it's plain sailing all the way.