The Ghost Ship

Released Dec 16, 1943

1h 9m

Mystery & Thriller

List

82%

Tomatometer

11 Reviews

53%

Audience Score

1,000+ Ratings

Tom Merriam (Russell Wade) boards the freighter Altair in San Pedro, where he meets Capt. Will Stone (Richard Dix). During that first voyage, Tom begins to suspect that Stone is crazy, but he also learns that the crew is fiercely protective of him. When fellow sailor Louie (Lawrence Tierney) is killed in a freak accident, Merriam suspects Stone. However, he has no proof. As the killings continue, Tom decides to leave the ship, but the captain has other plans.

Read More

Read Less

Watch on Fandango at Home

Premiered Jan 01

Buy Now

Fandango at Home

Prime Video

Rent The Ghost Ship on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, or buy it on Fandango at Home, Prime Video.

Time Out

This Val Lewton production may not scale the heights of Cat People or I Walked with a Zombie, but it has its impressive moments.

Jun 24, 2006

Full Review

Bosley Crowther

New York Times

A nice little package of morbidity all wrapped around in gloom.

Rated: 2/5

Mar 25, 2006

Full Review

Jonathan Rosenbaum

Chicago Reader

The least known, though far from least interesting, of producer Val Lewton's exemplary, poetic B-films.

Aug 8, 2002

Full Review

Mattie Lucas

From the Front Row

It may end a bit too abruptly, but it's 69 minutes of slowly mounting terror that constantly puts the audience's perception of reality in question - and Dix's brilliantly modulated performance keeps us guessing right to the end.

Rated: 3/4

Nov 29, 2021

Full Review

Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Cross Mutiny On the Bounty with The Sea Wolf and add a dash of Moby Dick, and that's pretty much what you have here.

Rated: 3/4

Oct 29, 2021

Full Review

Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

...a damning indictment of the corruption that power can provide...

Rated: 4/5

Feb 20, 2021

Full Review

Read all reviews

Aldo G

Another Val Lewton minor-masterpiece. This one has a singular theme: authoritarianism. This title is misleading. This isn't a movie containing supernatural activities, but a warning against subjugation.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

10/15/23

Full Review

martin a

The title here is very misleading as there is no Ghost, but a Captain that starts to kill off his crew. He kills for a variety of reasons but when the Second captain realized, he has him tied up and drugged, when he escapes no one believes him as he tries to stop the captain. It is a great film, very enjoyable.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

The Ghost Ship is a short and simple film that shows the battle between a newly-appointed third officer on a ship and the captain who has gone a bit mad with power. The ideas in the film are great, and I think it could make for a strong film if it was explored a little more carefully and with a bit more skill. The fact that it becomes obvious early on that the captain is indeed going crazy, and that the third officer is right the entire time, there is less intrigue in the film. It still had some tense moments, because they created an atmosphere reminiscent of a slasher film. Several times you became tense and worried who would die next and if the protagonist would survive. I still think the plot would have been better if we weren’t sure if it was the captain or the third officer who was going crazy, but at least they maintained some tension to keep me interested. One other thing worth mentioning is the horrendous voiceover for a mute officer. That was a ridiculous choice that did not work at all. The Ghost Ship has some potential, but as it stands, I found it a bit lacking.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

07/20/19

Full Review

Audience Member

One of the five collaborations between director Mark Robson and producer Val Lewton (best known for his low-budget RKO horror films which included Cat People and I Walked with a Zombie, both directed by Jacques Tourneur). Although Robsonâ(TM)s best Lewton film is certainly The Seventh Victim (also 1943) about a nihilistic Satanic cult, The Ghost Ship manages to summon up a similar sense of dread in places. Russell Wade plays Tom Merriam who has just signed on to be the Third Officer on the ship Altair, captained by Richard Dixâ(TM)s Will Stone. Stone is a sombre character, weighted down by his âauthorityâ? which we wields with a heavy hand, although alternating with moments of fatherly warmth. When Merriam begins to think the captain is deranged and suspects foul play, he calls the shipping company to turn him in. After that, the forces of doom seem aligned against him and shadows lurk in every corner of the ship. His former friends turn against him. Will there be any escape from the sullen and brooding captain? As in other Lewton pictures, a real sense of menace and dread is created here using very subtle means: darkness, a camera shot fixed on a slowly opening door, noises from offscreen. A creepy mute sailor adds a further spooky touch.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/04/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A moody maritime mystery with murder and mutiny!

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/24/23

Full Review

Audience Member

not entirely a horror movie in 21st century terms but an interesting use of sound effects and a catchy singing motif "ho ho blow the man down..."

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/30/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Post a rating

Mark Robson

Director

Richard Dix

Capt. Will Stone

Russell Wade

3rd Officer Tom Merriam

Edith Barrett

Ellen Roberts

Ben Bard

First Officer Bowns

Edmund Glover

Jacob "Sparks" Winslow

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

100%

46%

Experiment Perilous

100%

76%

The Window

97%

77%

Suspicion

94%

62%

The Hitch-Hiker

96%

91%

Notorious

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

Synopsis

Tom Merriam (Russell Wade) boards the freighter Altair in San Pedro, where he meets Capt. Will Stone (Richard Dix). During that first voyage, Tom begins to suspect that Stone is crazy, but he also learns that the crew is fiercely protective of him. When fellow sailor Louie (Lawrence Tierney) is killed in a freak accident, Merriam suspects Stone. However, he has no proof. As the killings continue, Tom decides to leave the ship, but the captain has other plans.

Director: Mark Robson
Production Co: RKO Radio Pictures Inc.
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 16, 1943, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 1, 2009
Runtime: 1h 9m

Most Popular at Home Now