Τρόμος εν Πλω

Karina Oliveira

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𝔻𝕠𝕔 𝕃𝕪𝕠𝕟3.5

1st Paul SloaneCamp Summerween no. 12- Aquatic HorrorMy eternal thanks to Karina for alerting me to the existence of this oddball experience.*Apparently, this was originally touted as Paramount's Grand Hotel on the water, which included a much starrier cast that included Cary Grant! A true prestige slasher avant la lettre and a great loss to cinema that we got the downgraded version. Not that it doesn't have some winning elements, especially John Halliday's malignant yacht owner. Not the sadist of Atwill's Murders at the Zoo, Krieg is far more methodical, inventing a plan on the fly and executing it ruthlessly well. The pleasure comes from his ability to just cut through the passengers like a knife through hot butter, the effortless manipulator who balances out Charlie Ruggles hamming it up while he locks people in the icebox. Ruggles isn't actually that bad here. Annoying with all that counting to 10, but he's much worse in Zoo, where his death may be considered a justifiable homicide. Here you just hope he gets in the lifeboat and buggers off, until you realise what happens to the lifeboat. Reminded me as much of Five Dolls for an August Moon as Friday the 13th or Grand Hotel, which is a pretty great series of reference points. Unfairly forgotten! Not a masterpiece of horror but doesn't deserve the terrible fuzzy rip I saw with all the black lines on the copy. Give it a decent restoration!*Find her review here!

Brian Saur

Watched via Internet Archive.