Death Ship (1980) (Blu-ray Review)
Directed By: Alvin Rakoff
Starring: George Kennedy, Richard Crenna, Nick Mancuso
Rated: R/Region: O/1:78/Number of disc: 1
Available from Scorpion Releasing
Survivors of a tragic shipping collision are rescued by a mysterious black ship which appears out of the fog. Little do they realise that the ship is actually a Nazi torture ship which has sailed the seas for years, luring unsuspecting sailors aboard and killing them off one by one.
Tragedy strikes and next think you know the man we remember as Rambo’s buddy from First Blood and his family/friends have a German talking ship trying to kill them! Well, they don’t do it alone, they possess the body of George Kennedy and the battle is on. While not a film that runs longer than any other average timed horror film, there are points where the plot seems to move along as slow as the ship does. The film does have some very good moments, but there are times when there just doesn’t seem to be much of anything of note going on.
Of course the film does pick up nicely in the third act. Leading into that we have blood showers and people throwing naked women overboard in some of the more memorable moments. Perhaps if the film ends up being guilty of anything too bad it would be the way that the movie builds tension towards the end then just seems to slow down for the finish. Death Ship isn’t an elite horror film, but it is still better than most. It packs good actors, a creepy ship, and a transfer that doesn’t really pop, but looks great for the source.
– Katarina’s Nightmare Theater Option
– Isolated Music Track from the Original 3 Track Mag Sound
– Deleted Scenes
– Learn What the Ship is Saying Feature
– Trailer
