Taking a look at a selection of titles that a fellow IMDber had kindly sent me,I was delighted to spot a near-forgotten Pre-Code Slasher film,which led to me getting ready to step aboard the terror ship.
The plot:
Out on the high seas,a ships crew spot an empty ship near by.Getting aboard the ship,the crew discover that everyone on the boat appears to have been murdered.
The past:
Checking in on the ship's radio operator, Maximilian Kreig is horrified to find out that a telegram has been sent out,announcing that he is to be arrested for his companies dodgy dealings.Desperate to keep this news hidden,Kreig grabs the telegram and kills the operator.As the ship heads towards its destination,Kreig tries to keep his fiancé Lili Kingston from not knowing about his impending arrest.Nearing his wits end,Kreig suddenly comes up with a plan which would involve him and Kingston being the only people on the ship,whose destination would be changed.Happy about his idea,Kreig begins making plans on how he can kill the ships crew,one by one.
View on the film:
Opening with a ship coming out of deep fog,director Paul Sloane and cinematographer Harry Fischbeck cover the film in deep, rich velvet shadows,as Sloane and Fischbeck show tremendous skill in using crystal clear bright lights to "hit" the viewer with each of Kreig's attacks.Along with the shadows creating an atmosphere of impending doom,Sloane also shows a stylish eye for giving each of the murder scenes a real punch,with a killing which involves someone falling on their saw (or in this case,pushed) striking with a brutal horror edge that can still be felt over 80 years later.
Traveling on the murky waters which 1932's Thirteen Women had uncovered,the screenplay by Robert Presnell Sr., Manuel Seff and Harvey F. Thew cuts deep into the yet to exist Slasher genre,as the writer's gleefully splash the film with charmingly deranged killings that pile the bodies high,as Kreig goes from misusing a deep freezer,to transforming lifeboats into deathboats.Along with the sharp Slasher bite,the writer's also whip up a wonderfully off-beat melodrama,as Kingston finds herself desiring her former lover,whilst Kreig starts dreaming about making his erotic island dream become a reality.
Entering this proto-Slasher Horror killing the radio operator, John Halliday gives an excellent performance as Kreig,as Halliday shows Kreig having the wits to go from one minute laying on the charms to keep his secrets hidden,to exploding with a furious,blood-thirsty rage.Joining Haliday on the blood-drenched ship,the pretty Shirley Grey gives the title a touch of sass as Kreig's unlucky fiancé,whilst Neil Hamilton (not the former UK MP,but the future Commissioner Gordon of Adam West's Batman!) gives a very good cold- hearted performance as Kingston's former lover,who joins everyone in getting aboard a ship,where they will meet their final end.
The plot:
Out on the high seas,a ships crew spot an empty ship near by.Getting aboard the ship,the crew discover that everyone on the boat appears to have been murdered.
The past:
Checking in on the ship's radio operator, Maximilian Kreig is horrified to find out that a telegram has been sent out,announcing that he is to be arrested for his companies dodgy dealings.Desperate to keep this news hidden,Kreig grabs the telegram and kills the operator.As the ship heads towards its destination,Kreig tries to keep his fiancé Lili Kingston from not knowing about his impending arrest.Nearing his wits end,Kreig suddenly comes up with a plan which would involve him and Kingston being the only people on the ship,whose destination would be changed.Happy about his idea,Kreig begins making plans on how he can kill the ships crew,one by one.
View on the film:
Opening with a ship coming out of deep fog,director Paul Sloane and cinematographer Harry Fischbeck cover the film in deep, rich velvet shadows,as Sloane and Fischbeck show tremendous skill in using crystal clear bright lights to "hit" the viewer with each of Kreig's attacks.Along with the shadows creating an atmosphere of impending doom,Sloane also shows a stylish eye for giving each of the murder scenes a real punch,with a killing which involves someone falling on their saw (or in this case,pushed) striking with a brutal horror edge that can still be felt over 80 years later.
Traveling on the murky waters which 1932's Thirteen Women had uncovered,the screenplay by Robert Presnell Sr., Manuel Seff and Harvey F. Thew cuts deep into the yet to exist Slasher genre,as the writer's gleefully splash the film with charmingly deranged killings that pile the bodies high,as Kreig goes from misusing a deep freezer,to transforming lifeboats into deathboats.Along with the sharp Slasher bite,the writer's also whip up a wonderfully off-beat melodrama,as Kingston finds herself desiring her former lover,whilst Kreig starts dreaming about making his erotic island dream become a reality.
Entering this proto-Slasher Horror killing the radio operator, John Halliday gives an excellent performance as Kreig,as Halliday shows Kreig having the wits to go from one minute laying on the charms to keep his secrets hidden,to exploding with a furious,blood-thirsty rage.Joining Haliday on the blood-drenched ship,the pretty Shirley Grey gives the title a touch of sass as Kreig's unlucky fiancé,whilst Neil Hamilton (not the former UK MP,but the future Commissioner Gordon of Adam West's Batman!) gives a very good cold- hearted performance as Kingston's former lover,who joins everyone in getting aboard a ship,where they will meet their final end.