Review – Ghost Ship (1943)

I recorded this without checking the description, expecting it to be a standard haunted ship story. Thus I was surprised – and as it turned out pleasantly so – to discover that this was actually a Val Lewton production with no supernatural content. Instead, it’s a psychological drama about a cargo ship’s third mate (Russell Wade) who can’t get anybody to believe that the kindly captain (Richard Dix) is actually a power-mad psychopath. Some elements – such as voice-over narration from a mute crewman who serves as sort of a Greek chorus for the drama – clunk enough to detract from the picture’s power. But overall it’s a successful riff on the battle between good and evil. Worth seeing