GHOST SHIP (1952)
Article #1164 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 5-22-2004
Posting Date: 10-19-2004
Directed by Vernon Sewell
Featuring Hazel Court, Dermot Walsh, Hugh Burden

A couple buys a yacht that is reputed to be haunted.

This ghost story isn’t scary, but then, I don’t think it’s trying to be. As a matter of fact, I don’t see ghosts as being necessarily horrific; they can be, but often they seem merely indifferent or benign. In this one, the ghost really does nothing more than appear and leave behind the smell of his cigar smoke, and the only thing that I consider horrific about this is that it challenges our notions as to whether there are things beyond the ken of man’s understanding. This movie is decidedly minor, and will probably disappoint a lot of people, but I enjoyed it well enough. It’s decidedly unsensational-istic, the leads are pleasant and likable, and despite its talkiness, the talk is pleasant enough. If it succeeds particularly well at anything, it’s merely that it allows you to ponder the existence of ghosts without using high-pressure tactics to force you to do so, which I find is a good method to get around my innate skepticism on the matter. As such, the movie does have its uses.