The Ghost Ship (1943)

71% of critics liked it
(7 reviews)
21% want to see it
(1,290 ratings)

RKO horror producer Val Lewton dished up seven reels of brooding psychological terror with The Ghost Ship. Richard Dix stars as the ship's captain, a tortured soul who teeters on the verge of madness. Seaman Russell Wade notices the captain's deterioration, but his warnings are dismissed by the… More RKO horror producer Val Lewton dished up seven reels of brooding psychological terror with The Ghost Ship. Richard Dix stars as the ship's captain, a tortured soul who teeters on the verge of madness. Seaman Russell Wade notices the captain's deterioration, but his warnings are dismissed by the crew. Captain Dix completely goes over the edge, sadistically playing a game of cat and mouse with the luckless Wade--and endangering the lives of everyone on board. While the viewer may notice that Ghost Ship closely resembles the Jack London tale The Sea Wolf, playwrights Samuel R. Golding and Norbert Faulkner felt that the film was too close for comfort to an unproduced play of their own. The writers sued RKO, forcing the studio to withdraw Ghost Ship from theatres and prohibiting future TV showings. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 9 min.
Directed By: Mark Robson
Written By: Leo Mittler, Donald Henderson Clarke
Genres: Drama, Action & Adventure, Horror, Mystery & Suspense

Critic Reviews

Bosley Crowther, New York Times
A nice little package of morbidity all wrapped around in gloom.
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader
The least known, though far from least interesting, of producer Val Lewton's exemplary, poetic B-films.
, TV Guide's Movie Guide
A talky but fairly atmospheric effort, Ghost Ship is hampered by its low budget.
Walter Chaw, Film Freak Central
It's almost noir in its pitting of an individual against a closed society.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
... an impressive brooding psychological sea adventure story.
, 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.
Michael W. Phillips, Jr., Goatdog's Movies
Among RKO's best horror films.

Read all 7 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

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Featured Audience Ratings

AJ V

This is a strange confusing movie, which I'm not sure actually has any ghosts on the ship. There are so many "Ghost Ship" movies out there, it gets confusing.
Michael G

Not a great movie. The title Ghost Ship kind of makes you think you're in for some atmospheric tale of the supernatural, right? WRONG! The Ghost Ship is just some metaphor for a life of lonliness at sea for a half-assed take on Mutiny on the Bounty. A few of the characters were… More
Not a great movie. The title Ghost Ship kind of makes you think you're in for some atmospheric tale of the supernatural, right? WRONG! The Ghost Ship is just some metaphor for a life of lonliness at sea for a half-assed take on Mutiny on the Bounty. A few of the characters were colorful enough to keep my interest for a few minutes but this wasn't Val Lewton's crowning achievement. Its a quick watch if you feel you need to watch that entire Warner Bros Val Lewton set but nothing anyone should actively seek out.
Bruce B

This is actually a pretty good film when you think what year it was made. Nothing to scary, just a good old school B&W film,. The captain of the ship is crazy and the new third mate tries to prove it to the crew and they are not having much to do with it. Good Suspense its worth 3… More
This is actually a pretty good film when you think what year it was made. Nothing to scary, just a good old school B&W film,. The captain of the ship is crazy and the new third mate tries to prove it to the crew and they are not having much to do with it. Good Suspense its worth 3 1/2 stars
Anthony L

Bad acting, poor editing (why Robson didn't edit is beyond me) and low budget. All that aside, this is a great film! A classic Val Lewton production with a young Mark Robson as director (I think it?s a shame Lewton wasn't around in the 70's, just imagine what he could… More
Bad acting, poor editing (why Robson didn't edit is beyond me) and low budget. All that aside, this is a great film! A classic Val Lewton production with a young Mark Robson as director (I think it?s a shame Lewton wasn't around in the 70's, just imagine what he could have done with the budget for Earthquake!) Richard Dix is superb as the Captain who is falling deeper and deeper into a psychotic madness and really gives this film a kick with his final performance. One thing has always bothered me though, there is a picture of a girl on the poster for this film, yet, there is no such girl in the film! Still, worth a watch for Dix's performance but generally not one of Lewton's best. Hardcore fans only!

Cast

            Richard Dix as Captain

            Russell Wade as Tom Merriam

            Edith Barrett as Ellen

            Lawrence Tierney as Louie

            Ben Bard as Bowns

            Skelton Knaggs as Finn

            Edmund Glover as Jacob Winslow

            Tom Burton as Benson

            Steve Winston as Ausman

            Dewey Robinson as Boats

            Charles Lung as Jim

            George de Normand as John

            Paul Marion as Peter

            Sir Lancelot as Billy Radd

            Boyd Davis as Roberts

            Joss Ackland
            
            Robert Bice as Raphael

            Eddie Borden as Crew Member

            Harry Clay as McCall

            Alec Craig as Blind Beggar

            Nolan Leary as Stenographer

            Bob Stevenson as German Sailor

            Herb Vigran as Chief Engineer

            Charles Norton as German Sailor

            Michael Lally as Crew Member

            Norman Mayes as Carriage Driver

            Charles Regan as Crew Member

            Shirley O'Hara Krims as Silhouette Girl

            Russel Wade
            
See full cast