‘Ghost Ship’ is swift sailing to terror

REEL CRITICS

Considering the scarcity of horror movies, and how uninspired

those few have been, I must declare “Ghost Ship” the most bone

chilling movie of the season.

The preceding disclaimer might not seem too promising, but I have

found myself stupefied by the lackluster and tiresome efforts as of

late. This film is a reprieve for all you horror freaks who thrive on

that fidgety jump, gasp and leap into your lover’s arms. For those of

you who are single, I recommend grasping the arm rests until the

palpitations subside. As a testament to the shear terror of the

movie, and an annoyance for everyone else in the theater, I must have

heard the lady three aisles down shout “Oh my God!” at least 10

times.

“Ghost Ship” runs at a rapid pace and does not allow the moviegoer

a moment to recover from the previous recoil from fear. A salvage

crew is sent to an “abandoned” ship to recover its spoils. This ship,

however, has much more to offer this salvage crew than any treasure.

To say any more would be to ruin the suspense of this must-see flick.

Bereft of an abstruse plot that keeps you wondering, thankfully,

this movie is direct with its horror. There is no pretense of

captivating the audience with anything more than ghouls, ghosts and

the occasional dismemberment. Fortunately, the violence and sexual

content can be easily buffered by covering your eyes for those few

moments otherwise, the movie relies on the most powerful mechanism

for fear -- the human imagination.

* EVAN MARMOL is a Laguna resident. He graduated from UC Irvine

with a degree in psychology and social behavior.