sailboat horror movie

Horror Takes a Cruise – 10 Great Horror Movies on a Boat

These horror movies are on a boat!

Published October 15, 2023 Features , Lists , Movies By Chris Coffel Disclaimer When you purchase through affiliate links on our site, we may earn a commission.

October is defined in Webster’s Dictionary as “31 days of horror.” Don’t bother looking it up; it’s true. Most people take that to mean highlighting one horror movie a day, but here at FSR, we’ve taken that up a spooky notch or nine by celebrating each day with a top ten list. This article about the best horror films that take place on boats is part of our ongoing series 31 Days of Horror Lists .

I’m not a “large body of water” kind of guy. I do not get the appeal of exploring the sea. The ocean seems to exist to kill humans. It’s very easy to get stranded out there, and if you get stranded at sea you die. Naturally, that means I’m not much of a boat guy. For some, I gather that going out on a boat is a relaxing experience. For me, it’s just begging for a date with death. On a small lake or river where I can see land on all sides of me? I could potentially get on board with that. But if all I can see is water? No, thank you. With that being said, boats make for a great setting for horror films. And since we like to rank things here, we decided to rank the best boat-set horror films.

We must stress that this list is for boats. Submarines, underwater facilities, or any sort of floating apparatus that is stationary doesn’t make the cut. Movies like Leviathan and Underwater , while great aquatic horror, do not qualify. We also looked at movies where a majority of the running time is almost exclusively on boats. Jaws  is a great movie with great boat scenes, but it does not meet our criteria for boat horror.

Now that you know the criteria, I must give a shout-out to some honorable mention films. When the idea of doing a boat horror list came to me, three films jumped to mind — Death Ship ,  Ghost Ship , and  Jason Takes Manhattan . Funnily enough, none of those films made the final ten. That’s democracy for you! All three films are very fun in their own right, however. Death Ship  features an unhinged George Kennedy (he still made the list!).  Ghost Ship  has one of the greatest opening scenes in all of horror. And for my thoughts on  Jason Takes Manhattan , I will kindly refer you to our top ten  Friday the 13th  movies.

Enough talk about movies that didn’t make the list. That’s not what you’re here for. Grab your best boater, put on some khaki shorts and your favorite pair of Sperry’s, and prepare to go on a lovely cruise with Rob Hunter , Meg Shields , Brad Gullickson , Jacob Trussell , and yours truly .

10. Sea Fever (2017)

PhD Siobhan ( Hermione Corfield ) purchases a spot on an Irish fishing trawler so she can study deep-sea faunal behavioral patterns. The trawler, the Niamh Cinn Óir, is manned by a 6-person crew, led by Captain Freya ( Connie Nielsen ) and her husband-skipper Gerard ( Dougray Scott ). Desperate for a big haul, Gerard willingly takes the boat into an exclusion zone where they promptly hit an unknown object and become stuck. The crew discovers that what they hit is a parasitic animal that invades the boat’s water supply and begins to infect members of the crew.  Sea Fever  isn’t quite  The Thing  on a boat, but it is of that ilk and features exploding eyeballs. The film takes a clever approach to the parasite subgenre (it is a subgenre!). I especially like the way the crew develops new ideas to defeat the parasite, working with limited means. They build their own UV light – it’s neat! A bit of a downer ending, but a nifty, tightly-paced sci-fi thriller. Highly recommended. (Chris Coffel)

9. The Boat (2018)

When I say this sublime masterclass in single-character horror just barely made the cut here, I mean it. Other titles, ones better known, were hot in its wake, but sometimes quality wins. (Of course, maybe seventeen people in the world have seen the damn thing so I’m not actually sure the “quality wins” argument is a good one.) The beautifully shot film sees an unnamed sailor discover an empty sailboat drifting off the coast of Malta, and when he steps aboard to investigate, the craft seems to take on a life of its own — and it seems determined to kill him. It’s a sleek, eighty-eight-minute thriller as our protagonist fights to survive the various ways in which the boat attempts to off him, and the near complete lack of dialogue adds to the claustrophobic thrills. Add in some wit and a grim sense of humor, and you have one of the great boat-set horrors that you’ve most likely never seen. (Rob Hunter)

8. Anaconda (1997)

My anaconda don’t want none unless it’s got Voight, son!  Luis Llosa ‘s creature feature about a giant snake in the Amazon stars a Fly Girl, a rapper,  Eric Stoltz , and  Jon Voight . Oh, and  Owen Wilson  is there too! The ’90s, what a time to be alive! A documentary film crew searching for a long-lost indigenous Amazonian tribe makes the mistake of picking up snake hunter Paul Serone (Voight). Serone says he can help them find the lost tribe, but really he just needs their boat to find a record-breaking green anaconda that he has been hunting. Did I mention that Serone is a Paraguayan? That’s important because as stated, he is played by Jon Voight. Look, Anaconda  rules. Yes, some of the CGI is shoddy, but there is also a giant animatronic snake and Voight snarling all over the place. Meanwhile, Stoltz is just in bed the entire time. They don’t make them like they used to. (Chris Coffel)

7. Triangle (2009)

A group of friends head out on a yacht for a good time on the high seas. Unfortunately, an unexpected and powerful storm hits, capsizing the boat. One friend is swept away while the others manage to climb on the overturned boat and wait for the storm to pass. They eventually come across an ocean liner and climb aboard. They initially believe it to be abandoned but then they come across a deadly killer, but is it all as it seems?  Triangle  is a film that wants to be very smart and mess with your mind. Truthfully, it doesn’t make a lot of sense and any attempt to dig into the story will leave you with something that doesn’t quite add up. With that being said, it’s a highly engrossing movie that will pull you in. And it features a genuinely creepy bag-headed killer and a terrific lead performance from  Melissa George . Ignore the nonsensical plot and enjoy the ride. (Chris Coffel)

6. Harpoon (2019)

One of the most slept-on horror comedies in recent memory, Rob Grant ’s psychological pleasure craft thriller is a good reminder to buy a satellite phone before you get on your rich friend’s yacht. Those fucker’s can’t be trusted. While this list is well-populated with ghost ships, Lovecraftian beasties, and Bermuda Triangles, it is a truth universally acknowledged that going out to sea with messy, unhinged twentysomethings is the final circle of hell. Also, the boat in this movie is called the “Naughty Buoy,” which earned it some serious brownie points. With a comedic sensibility darker than the Atlantic sea bed, this “things go from bad-to-worse” nightmare follows three young maniacs who get stranded at sea  after  trying to kill each other. Putting the “ can-con ” in cannibalism,  Harpoon  is funny, frightening, and further proof that anyone willing to make amends with a spontaneous cruise is not to be trusted. (Meg Shields)

5. Uninvited (1988)

A genetically altered cat makes his way onto a shady businessman’s luxury yacht and promptly goes on a killing spree. It should be pointed out that this altered cat, escapes from a research facility with the help of another cat, sort of. If that plot sounds wild to you, then this must be your first  Greydon Clark  movie, because I assure you that this is a standard Greydon Clark movie. In most killer cat movies, the killer cat is the star, but in the case of  Uninvited , the cat is outshined by a manic  George Kennedy , who would not be denied a spot on this list. It’s bonkers, it’s wild, and it’s a top-three killer ca t movie. Best watched with the help of catnip. (Chris Coffel)

4. Project Wolf Hunting (2022)

Project Wolf Hunting  is best described as  The Raid  on a boat meets  Frankenstein  with a dash of  Con Air . A cargo ship is transporting a group of deadly criminals from Manila to Busan. To the surprise of everyone, things go terribly wrong when the criminals form an escape plan. To make matters worse, the ship is also carrying Alpha ( Choi Gwi-hwa ), a superhuman created from inhumane experiments dating back to World War II. Alpha breaks free and goes on a brutal killing spree, ripping apart criminals, cops, and everyone in between. The highlight of the film is  Seo In-guk , who plays a tattooed murderer who is built up to be a real badass. He gets into a showdown with Alpha that proves that maybe he isn’t. The title doesn’t make a lot of sense, which the movie pokes fun at, but other than that this is a pretty flawless film. Brutal, bone-crushing action and a superhuman creature all on one boat. (Chris Coffel)

3. Deep Rising (1998)

I don’t remember many movies my parents and I rented together on Pay-Per-View when I was in middle school. But not every movie is  Deep Rising . I was too young to remember the ad campaigns for the film, so when it was made available to rent, I came to it as a blank slate. But the moment those tentacled monsters reared their ugly suckers in the hull of an abandoned cruise ship, I knew I was in love. A blockbuster mashup of Lovecraftian horror with the aesthetics of 80’s-era sci-fi action — all set on an impeccably creepy luxury liner —  Deep Rising  honestly stood no chance of (sorry) rising to the top of the box office in the late 90s when horror was more interested in self-reference than pure popcorn fun. But in the years since its theatrical debut, audiences have finally come around to the film, moving  Deep Rising  to its rightful place on the mantle of exquisite aqua-horror movies. (Jacob Trussell)

2. Dead Calm (1989)

If you get on a boat and you see  Billy Zane , you immediately get off the boat because the odds are he will be an asshole and you will die. Sam Neill  and  Nicole Kidman  learn that the hard way in  Phillip Noyce ‘s excellent thriller,  Dead Calm . John (Neill) and Rae Ingram (Kidman) attempt to deal with the unspeakable tragedy of losing their son by spending time at sea on their yacht. The hope is that the isolation and time alone will allow them to properly grieve. While floating out in the Pacific, they encounter a man (Zane) on a liferaft who asks for their help. The man says he was on a ship with friends, but they all died from food poisoning, leaving him stranded. The Ingrams are rightfully suspicious. Dead Calm  plays like a stage play at sea. Three terrific actors working well off each other and delivering great performances. It’s an edge-of-your-seat thriller that zooms from the opening beat to the explosive finale. (Chris Coffel)

1. Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954)

The  Rita  isn’t much to look at. She’s a rusty, rotting steamer, but she’ll get her crew down the Amazon and protect them far better than the Orca did her passengers. Captain Lucas is nearly as grizzled as Quint too, and he knows his environment equally. The  Rita  deposits its expedition into the fabled Black Lagoon, and it’s here where the scientists will confront the Creature.

Anyone who has ever carried the fantasy that they could one day venture into the heart of the jungle and do battle with some ancient beast imagines the  Rita . She’s the ultimate jungle cruise vessel, a storybook creation, one step removed from what Wes Anderson would fabricate. It’s perfectly Hollywood, a jewel of production design, set dressing, carpentry, and engineering. River worthy. Dream worthy. (Brad Gullickson)

If you’ve returned safely to land without dying, check out more 31 Days of Horror Lists !

Tagged with: 31 Days of Horror Lists Horror

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Top 15 Water Based Horror Films

Adrian Halen 12/19/2019 Feature Lists

It was a conversation from Dai and her not liking aquatic films that prompted me to create this list just for her. As I gathered the most notable titles in this area, I began to realize that there were alot of water-based films that I really liked. In fact, I’ll go as far to say as “favorites”. Though there is a bit of difficulty when creating a purely aquatic list. That being the level of water use in the film. What capacity, was the horror “water” or what is in the water? All these little details that don’t always align.

So to keep this list within the “right” frame of context, I’m going to call this focus on films that are primarily based around aquatic circumstances. That is, the horror has to be connected to the water and used as a primary location or theme. So for instance “Open Water” is great example, “Dark Water” on the other hand, has it in its title but was actually based in an apartment. So water was used but not as the primary theme of events. I think the aspect of a water film is pretty clear. If I had to list every film that had a lake in it, a cave with water or a body of water nearby, we’d end up with a never ending list.

I’ll save you the exercise of listing every damn shark film, as there really wasn’t but a hand full that are worth mentioning. And sorry for old school fans, I found “The Creature From the Black Lagoon” kind of lame, so he gets moved off.

Here is the other thing. Very few of us, use the term “aquatic” horror (as a search) so that’s best left as a description rather than a title. but if you prefer “aquatic”, then have at it……liquid maybe, nah

Not in ranking order:

02- Open Water (2003) (also had a part 2) Definitely not the best movie on this list, but its entirely a water based horror movie about being stranded in open water while sharks and starvation add to the tension of being alone. I was reluctant to add this, but if you are seeking 100% water horror, then this one has to go on the list. The movie is shot cheaply, but it does keep things tense for a long time. For that alone, it does just fine. It also gets kudos for an aggressive marketing campaign that managed to sell alot of tickets on this somewhat of a dud.

03- Piranha (1978) | Piranha (2010) Ok, we got a classic and a successful remake all centered around lake fun and these man eating little vixens of the sea. Since the debut of Piranha 2010 , there has been word of a sequel already, most likely followed by another sequel. I don’t know, I’m up for anything that chews up Jerry O’Connell to the bone, even though I don’t want to know what “a major tool” tastes like.

04- Deep Blue Sea (1999) One of the cooler shark movies. In fact Samuel L. Jackson gets chomped…worth prices of admission alone. Some didn’t care for CGI sharks, but with its strong cast, this movie has been a frequent re-watch for me. I does the best it can for what the film entails. Certainly a better shark movie than many and water is around 24-7.

05- Below (2002) A unique B movie that surprised a few viewers with a pretty solid storyline. There is not alot to look at, but the presence is felt as this crew begins to come undone at the oceans floor. A subtle but effective ghost story that is set within a 1943 submarine.

06- Sphere (1998) An excellent hybrid of sci fi and horror. The underwater thriller approaches things bit different with some unique plot twists and the use of great visuals. As a horror film, the best way to describe this one is simply spooky. Sphere goes beyond an “Alien” style premise and really engages the viewer into an intellectual experience. It has survived so long as a choice due its ability to engage without spelling everything out for you.

07- Leviathan (1989) An older monster classic for the water front. It may not be as hip as new technology films, but it often is mentioned enough to be a favorite on the water front horror aspect. “Levianthan took the place of “Alien” in an underwater form. This mutation would later inspire filsm like “Deep Rising” and such. I think Leviathan was one of the front runenrs that was considered an effective deep sea horror film.

08- Black Water (2007) A terrifying tale of survival in the mangrove swamps of Northern Australia

Ok, imagine you are on a canoe trip tour into the massive swamps of Northern Australia, then a huge crocodile decides to terrorize you and everyone else. Water everywhere, a few trees to climb into. Not very good odds. Oh ya, your boat is capsized and the crocodile knows that he’s got you if you go for it. What do you do? I would poke him with a stick till he gets so annoyed that he moves on….. well, i would! Oh ya, this crocodile can leap into the air pretty well… I found this much more tense than the films “ Rogue ” and “ Lake Placid ”

09- Deep Rising (1998) Deep tentacle sea monsters emerge from the water and into this lost ship that was taken over by highjackers. This one uses cgi but good cgi that works better than 100 films I’ve seen taking this approach. It’s sort of a fan favorite that deliver pretty good action, war against weird sea monsters and some tasty kill moments to boot.

10- Anaconda (1997) –  (it had various sequels, but #1 was best) Primarily a snake movie, but the horror also comes from a constant interaction with the local river and what’s going to pop out next. There wasn’t t a single moment that a viewer could say, now s a safe time to go into the water. One mean gigantic snake terrorizes this expedition. a fear that we all share. While the snake was the antagonist, the water represented the unknown. The kind tats we want to stay away from. Sorry to those who hated this one, I really though it was cool snake and water thrills.

11- Triangle (2009) Havoc on open seas, this surreal film plays a nice head trip with time based events. You just have to see it to get the full gist. The synopsis goes like this: “story revolves around the passengers of a yachting trip in the Atlantic Ocean who, when struck by mysterious weather conditions, jump to another ship only to experience greater havoc on the open seas.” One of my favs from this list.

12- Mega Shark vs Giant Octopus (2009) You’ll hate to love this one, but you just have to. The front runner in the giant monster film resurgence. Asylum just hit the mark on this one stirring up all kinds of future crazy gigantic creatures. The film skips back and forth between cool water CGI moments and cheesy set decor. My 8 year loves this film….just saying.

13- The Deep (1977) A pair of young vacationers are involved in a dangerous conflict with treasure hunters when they discover a way into a deadly wreck in Bermuda waters. This falls into one of the original deep water terror rides. Haitian black magic, treasures, and morphine…oh my.

14- Dagon (2001) An H.P Lovecraft story that is really bizarre. Directed by Stuart Gordon, this movie ranks easily in one of my fav HP movies about a group who becomes shipwrecked on Imboca. The locals have abandoned Christianity and have given themselves to the god Dagon.  In this process they have also taken on various fish-like deformities ending on a climax of strange denizens and fishy tentacle sporting townsfolk. Just check it out, enuff said – ” We shall dive down through black abysses, and in that lair of the Deep Ones, we shall dwell amidst wonder and glory for ever.”

15- Ghost Ship (2002) C’mon now…Ghost Ship was lot of fun. I especially liked the intro clothesline beheading myself. While it fails to deliver all across the board, it still manages to few a few worthy scares. It is stated as “not” being related to the 1952 film sporting the same name. It also is not to be confused with “Death Ship”. There was a small period that seemed to have special interest in boat movies, this was one of them.

____________________________________

2 Favorites that aren’t really categorized under the horror genre:

The Perfect Storm (2000) This has got to be my favorite raging seas epic. Mark Wahlberg just simply works in this out to sea action film. Though I must say the threat of those mammoth tidal waves at center of endless ocean and a storm still haunts me to this day. Great Effects and visuals make this a harrowing journey.

The Abyss (1989) What a perfect film. You got tension, sci fi, aliens, catastrophe and an award winning performance in cast drama in this one. The horror comes later in the paranoia of the deep sea and being down for so long. I think even in its action and drama moments it successfully builds a slow grind of terror. Imagine having to breathe in liquid oxygen and the bizarre effects it would have on you.

___________________________________

The following are additional water based films, that involve water in various capacities. Perfect Storm was added, since big waves coming at you are damn scary!

Special Mention: Alligator (1980) Barracuda (1978) Beneath Still Waters (2005) Creepshow 2 (1987)(The Raft episode) Crocodile (2000) Cyclone (1978) Dead Calm (1989) Death Ship (1980) Deep Star Six (1989) Frankenfish (2004) Humanoids From the Deep (1980) Lake Dead (2007) Lake Placid (1999) Lost Voyage (2001) Man-Thing (2005) Orca (1977) Red Water (2003) Sanctum (2011) (adventure, though alot of water parts) Shark Night 3D (2011) Shockwaves (1977) Swamp Thing (1982) The Creature From the Black Lagoon (1954) The Deep (1977) The Fog (1980) The Island (1980) The Reeds (2009) The Reef (2010) The Rift (1990) Virus (1999) Zombie Lake (1981)

Missed some? Feel free to list your fav water based movies below!

Tags Anaconda aquatic horror Dagon Deep Rising Leviathan Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus scary water movies Sphere The Deep Triangle water horror

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Film Review: Sphere (1998)

Film Review: Anaconda (1997)

Film Review: Triangle (2009)

Film Review: Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus (2009)

Film Review: Dagon (2001)

Vestron’s dagon coming to blu-ray 7/24, 28 comments.

10 years ago i saw a movie about some scientist on a ship working on making something. that they shoulnt have been messing with and the thing comes to life and starts killing them one by one and a nother boat comes up on the empty ship and trys to figure out why there are no bodies.

the movie call Virus

Thank you for putting Open Water on here. I really liked this movie but some people don’t seem to “get” the movie. I once heard a redneck say to his redneck friend “you see the box cover, that’s it for an hour and a half”, but then again where I live is mostly rednecks who live to see movies like Beer for My Horses. There seems to be nothing more hopeless than being stuck in the middle of the ocean. Sharks scare the crap out of me but I gathered the courage to watch this movie.

Below (2002) is the best.

You missed out She Creature :) a horror film about a killer mermaid. It’s one of my favourite mermaid films, apart from Mermaid ( NOT the one with Cher, obviously. It came out in 2003 ) which is about 3 mermaid sisters looking to avenge their father’s death. Great list, I’ve written some of those down to watch. If anyone can remember the name of the Korean film about some monster fish, please tell me!

“The Host” is Korean – is that the one ?

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Gwoemul+the+host+

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0468492/

There is also a sequel, apparently.

This was one of the first horror films I ever saw so may be biased – I never find it on any lists, and for 1980 its dated – but has a lot of classic ingredients so worth a mention!

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080603/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

If “Jaws” is on the list, then Peter Benchley’s “The Beast” definitely should be:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0115109/?ref_=fn_tt_tt_6

IMHO, it’s better than “Jaws”.

In the late 60’s I saw a movie where some guy’s in a boat dumped some chemicals in a lake,and a some sort of creature formed.It kind of looked like the creature from the black lagoon,but it wasn’t… One part I remember is where it was in front of a department store,It was getting ready to attack a girl when she was picked up by her boyfriend.Any old timers remember this one ?

Not sure if it is this, but Blood Waters of Dr. Z?

You missed Titanic; and don’t tell me that it isn’t a horror flick.

its not a horror film….drama

weir order, ghostship is far better than the ones above it

Ha ha haha. Ghost ship is fun but it’s not a good movie. It’s lucky to be where it is on the list.

what’s this at-sea movie on a ship?: Years ago was on SyFy channel. Smaller ship boards a larger one they find adrift. Something ensues. The lead was a blonde actress who spend most of the movie in a white tank top undershirt.

I actually think Anaconda is a good film, and not in a “so bad it’s good” way.

What about Leviathin 1989

Good movie. Has Ernie Hudson(The black ghostbuster) in it.

dagon is a hella good movie. Spoilers; a face gets removed.

I dunno, man. That whole “You are my brother and we shall be lovers forever.” bit sort of gave me the “Nope!” vibe.

A classic black and white Sci-Fi horror film called Atomic Submarine. It is a US Navy sub sent to investigate the disappearence of their other subs at the artic. It turns out to be an UFO that causes havoc on the Earthlings. There is a point near the end that three Navy men in dive gear entered the Alien craft. Two of them died, and the last one saved the world.

Ok, so this has been bothering me for a couple years now. There is this movie where a white male wearing all black, as in a black hat, a black trench coat, black pants, black boots, black long curly hair, looks kind of like the undertaker with seeing his face, comes out of a lake or river or something on the night of or after a group of teenagers gather around a bonfire by that lake and talk about how this man died a murderer and comes back to kill. One of the teenagers was teased because it was his birthday and he looked a lot like Logan Lerman, and he had a friend with medium cut hair that was really curly and brown, and he seemed kind of iffy throughout the movie. The rest is kind of fuzzy. I know one of the kids was killed by the man in black on a bridge.

Did you ever figure it out?

A long time ago, probably about 8 to 10 years back, I remember reading about a movie in which fish rule the world and use humans as cattle. Anyone know what I’m talking about? I’ve been trying to remember for (literally) years.

long time ago i watched this quite boring movie. i don’t remember much but little details like it was either black/white or color faded older movie. this was when i was a kid so the movie should be before the 90’s. i remember people diving into the sea/lake to for something. the ending was everyone is dead but the cause is unknown. the movie ends with a silhouette of the monster (that killed the last guy pulling him under the sea) with a question mark asking the audience “what is it?”

so the camera is like observing what happened and the audience is made to believe it is real….something like blair witch.

What about “Revenge of The Creature” on the honorable mentions? I also thought the Creepshow segment “Something To Tide You Over” was also a great water based horror. I say that because you mentioned “The Raft” from Creepshow 2.

Thank you for making this list. My wife and I are hosting an annual “Blood Beach” movie night in our backyard showing water based Horror movies over a projector and such. We plan on having this event every summer.

“Night Tide”, early 60s film with Dennis Hopper, is creepy as f-ck. Too bad it’s not better known.

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The 31 Scariest Ocean Horror Movies That'll Keep You On Dry Land

The open sea can be scary in and of itself, but when a deadly force enters the picture, it becomes downright terrifying. Sometimes an ocean horror movie features some bloodthirsty sea creature looking for their next meal, but other times the water itself is the entity to fear. Our ranked list of the scariest ocean movies has been voted on by over 1,000 horror fans, making it a fantastic crowdsourced poll that takes many opinions into account.

What films will you find on this list of the best water horror movies? A man-eating shark disrupts a sleepy resort town in the 1975 classic Jaws , directed by Steven Spielberg. The suspenseful plot - along with the movie's timeless score - added to the frightening viewing experience. It's easily one of the best underwater monsters movies ever created, and is a must-watch for the horror genre in general. As the title suggests, Ghost Ship finds a haunted vessel tormenting fellow sailors - and has a truly killer opening sequence. If you want to trigger your thalassophobia and watch a good underwater horror movie, films like Deep Blue Sea and Underwater are great places to start.

These deep sea horror movies are ranked by the number of votes received from horror fans like you, and can actively change as more people come in and vote things up or down.

• Released : 1975
• Directed by : Steven Spielberg

Deep Blue Sea

Bringing to mind the conundrum of Jurassic Park , Deep Blue Sea proves you cannot play God, and you really shouldn't even try. In increasing the shark's brain size to help the scientists better harvest a protein complex they believed could help in healing Alzheimer's disease, they accidentally turned the sharks into killing machines, more deadly and intelligent than ever.

The effective use of that premise, coupled with memorable death scenes, make it easy to understand why Deep Blue Sea was hailed as “the greatest non- Jaws shark movie of all time," by an editor for Wired.

• Released : 1999
• Directed by : Renny Harlin

Leviathan taps into the fears we all have of the ocean, that there can be anything in its mysterious and dangerous depths. Add in the horror of experimenting on human test subjects, and a government conspiracy, and there are more than enough anxieties to keep audiences up at night.

• Released : 1989
• Directed by : George P. Cosmatos

Underwater begins as a type of natural disaster movie, with an underwater drilling station taking on water after a terrible earthquake. From there it only gets more claustrophobic and stressful, when the crew realize the escape pods are gone, and their only option for escape is to traverse the deep sea floor of the Mariana Trench. The inability to communicate with those above water, and a lack of oxygen are not all the crew has to worry about, when mysterious, violent creatures begin picking them off. 

• Released : 2020
• Directed by : William Eubank

The Shallows

Like most shark films, The Shallows begins with our protagonist trying to find some peace on vacation after a traumatic event, but finding the opposite. This film also comes with an important life lesson - do not surf alone. Coming in at around 80 minutes, The Shallows is chock full of tension, suspense, and a Great White shark that wants to remind you that it may have been many years since Jaws , but that does not mean you should feel safe going back into deep waters.

• Released : 2016
• Directed by : Jaume Collet-Serra

The Abyss is a claustrophobic thriller with a strong cast of characters, played by Ed Harris, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio , and Chris Elliott. Non-Terrestrial Intelligence, mysterious creatures, nuclear weapons, extreme cold, a submarine with leaks, and diminishing oxygen supply are just a few of the terrors within James Cameron's Academy Award-winning sci-fi thriller.

• Directed by : James Cameron

Lake Placid

If you're looking for a film like Jaws , but with a new twist, Lake Placid sees its protagonists stalked and ripped apart by a giant crocodile. Part dark comedy, Lake Placid still manages to bring the gore with beheadings, vicious attacks, and more than one apex predator on the loose. Bonus? Lake Placid features Betty White in a supporting role that Rotten Tomatoes reviewers said is “worth the price of admission alone.” 

• Directed by : Steve Miner

Ghost Ship has one of the most memorable opening scenes in horror. In a matter of five minutes, a lively Sixties-era dance party aboard the MS Antonia Graza turns into a bloodbath, a massacre of almost the entire ship that leaves behind a pile of body parts and one horrified child. 

The supernatural elements get a little muddy as as the movie goes on, but it still earns a spot on this list for the opening alone. 

• Released : 2002
• Directed by : Steve Beck

A 2009 study found that Great White sharks have a lot in common with human serial killers , because they don't like to attack at random. They stalk and hunt their prey, as you can see in The Reef . The reassurance in a creature feature is often that the humans are more intelligent than the beast, and can therefore outsmart it. That is unfortunately not the case with Great Whites, as the characters of The Reef find out the hard way, when they are stalked, and picked apart, one by one. 

• Released : 2010
• Directed by : Andrew Traucki

47 Meters Down

Johannes Roberts' 47 Meters Down is an 85-minute anxiety nightmare in which a sweet, sister getaway turns into a brutal fight for survival. Murphy's law is an adage that means anything that can go wrong, will go wrong, and characters Lisa and Kate learn that the hard way. The idea of being trapped 47 meters down and running out of oxygen is terrifying enough, without the addition of bloodthirsty sharks, and an inability to communicate with help above water.

• Released : 2017
• Directed by : Johannes Roberts

Open Water is the kind of movie that stays with you - and makes you want to rethink that vacation scuba diving excursion. It's a harrowing tale of how a tiny error (miscounting tourists on a group boat excursion) can turn into a massive nightmare. Open Water is a story powered by dread, isolation, and hopelessness. With a 71 percent fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes, it seems this low-budget thriller has left its mark on many. 

• Released : 2003
• Directed by : Chris Kentis

Just when you thought it was safe again to enjoy the water, another Great White sets its sights on the residents of Amity Island. The stakes are raised when Captain Brody's son Mike, and his 10-year-old younger brother, Sean, disobey their father's orders to go sailing, not realizing they've landed themselves right in shark territory. Electrocution, an embolism, mauling, and explosions are just some of the horrors that make up this sequel.  

• Released : 1978
• Directed by : Jeannot Szwarc

Deep Rising

Deep Rising may not be the best film on this list, with a Rotten Tomatoes score of 32 percent. However, for those that like creature features, there's plenty of slaughter to satiate. That's not all, however, as the character Finnegan is known for exasperatedly asking " Now what? " The crew also has to deal with mercenaries, sabotage, explosions, and a bloody feeding ground. There's tons of carnage to go around. 

• Released : 1998
• Directed by : Stephen Sommers

There are many horrors at play in Dead Calm , grief, isolation, a storm on the water, and an untrustworthy stranger. Rae and John Ingram learn the hard way that no good deed goes unpunished, when they offer aid to what appears to be a stranded sailor, but ends up being a violent and unhinged killer. The impressive acting by Nicole Kidman, Sam Neill, and Billy Zane make the audience all the more invested, and the terror even more palpable.

• Directed by : Phillip Noyce

The Mariana Trench is the deepest oceanic trench in the world. It's so deep that it still holds many mysteries despite all of the scientific research. It stands to reason one could find some horrible, terrifying things that far below the water - something like a giant extinct monster shark called a Megalodon, or Meg. It may be a B-movie, but that doesn't mean there aren't plenty of wild kills and gory attacks to satiate horror fans. 

• Released : 2018
• Directed by : Jon Turteltaub

The lead actors and director all learned how to scuba dive for The Deep , so that they could film seventy-five feet underwater on real shipwreck, The R.M.S. Rhone . The realism of being underwater for so much of the film adds to the anxiety and terror, as does the double threat of giant monsters like a moray eel, as well as a violent drug kingpin.

• Released : 1977
• Directed by : Peter Yates

• Released : 2019
• Directed by : Alexandre Aja

Sphere is adapted from the book of the same name by the mastermind behind Jurassic Park, Michael Crichton. Sphere has something for everyone - aliens, time travel, an underwater environment, black holes in outer space, extreme weather, giant sea monsters , explosions, and violent humans. Talk about an intense 134 minutes.

• Directed by : Barry Levinson

Triangle taps into some primal fears, using the horror of a storm on the water, the idea of being trapped in the middle of nowhere, and the notion that you cannot trust anyone to make a confusing, but well-acted horror story. The film has an 80 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

The spookiness of an abandoned ship combined with an enigmatic assassin in a creepy mask make Triangle a film that lingers in your mind after the credits roll.

• Released : 2009
• Directed by : Christopher Smith

Like Deep Blue Sea , some of the fear of Orca comes from the animal's intelligence. This is not a mindless creature defending its habitat, but a man-eating monster with the capability of holding a grudge, and seeking out violent revenge. 

And seek revenge it does, plowing through a whole cast of people, with cool, underwater camera work and fine special effects.

• Directed by : Michael Anderson

DeepStar Six

• Directed by : Sean S. Cunningham

Piranha 3D, which has a certified fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, sees prehistoric, man-eating fish being unleashed on a lake town right as they are inundated with tourists celebrating spring break.

The campy Piranha 3D takes the basic idea of Jaws, and runs with it, introducing wilder monsters and gorier deaths.

• Directed by : Neasa Hardiman

• Directed by : David Twohy

• Released : 1996
• Directed by : Jeff Bleckner

47 Meters Down: Uncaged

Shark Night

• Released : 2011
• Directed by : David R. Ellis

• Released : 2000
• Directed by : Antoine Fuqua

The Burning Sea

A submarine operator descends to the ocean floor to save the man she loves from a sunken oil rig.

• Released : 2021
• Directed by : John Andreas Andersen

• Directed by : Michael Goi

Kraken: Tentacles of the Deep

• Released : 2006
• Directed by : Tibor Takács
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17 Seaside Horror Movies That Make the Beach Terrifying

It is once again the time of year when we all pack up our cars and head out for days of sun, sand, and sea. The beach getaway is a time-honored summer tradition, a part of American life that’s so seeped into our collective consciousness that we can’t help but wonder what could be lurking under the sand or in the surf. Sure, the beach can be fun, but have you considered all the ways living by the sea can go horribly wrong? There are sharks, of course, but what if there are also Humanoids From the Deep? What if this beach makes you old?

So if you can’t make it to the beach this summer (or you just want to stay home because you’ve seen too many horror movies), but you’d still like some beach vibes on your couch, we’ve got you covered. From Northern California nightmares to Massachusetts massacres, these are the essential seaside horror movies.

Jaws (1975)

Let’s get the obvious out of the way first: Jaws is still the first and best choice when it comes to seaside horror stories. It’s scary, it’s funny, it’s got great performances, the John Williams score will stick in your head for decades, and, of course, it’s the movie that basically gave birth to the summer blockbuster. Most important, it still feels like a summer blockbuster almost 50 years later because director Steven Spielberg’s powers of composition, pacing, and blending horror and humor are just that strong, even in his breakthrough film. Quint needs a bigger boat, but you won’t need a bigger beach horror extravaganza than this one.

The Witch Who Came From the Sea (1976)

If you’ve seen Jaws a million times and you’re looking for some deeper cuts, you could start with this under-the-radar gem about a waitress in a seaside bar (Millie Perkins) whose dark past and breaks with reality slowly turn her not just into a killer but into a kind of oceanfront succubus. Born the daughter of a sailor, she has the ocean in her blood and believes it holds answers to the mystery of her father’s absence — and to her own strange relationship with reality. Perkins is phenomenal in the lead role, and the dreamlike quality of the story as she drifts from violent act to violent act will hypnotize and terrorize you.

Zombi 2 (1979)

If zombies are your thing, look to legendary Italian Godfather of Gore Lucio Fulci, who delivers beachfront undead for the ages with this splatter-laden classic, a would-be sequel to Dawn of the Dead that features all-new characters and an all-new location. This time, most of the action unfolds on an island in the Caribbean, where zombies rise up from their graves, walk across the sand, and murder everyone in their path — including one infamous kill involving a jagged piece of wood and an eyeball. Zombi 2 is probably the only movie where you can see a zombie fight a shark, so take that , Spielberg.

Humanoids From the Deep (1980)

What if The Creature From the Black Lagoon went to deeper and more gruesome extremes in his original Universal horror days? And what if there was more than one of him and they were all steeped in practical-effect gore? Then you get Humanoids From the Deep , a nasty little creature feature about the title monsters rising up from the ocean to prey on the women in a seaside town. It’s pure ’80s horror sludge, and we mean that in a good way.

The Fog (1980)

Sometimes beaches don’t mean sun, sand, and swimsuits. Sometimes they mean nights by a fire, lighthouses on a hill, and … ghost sailors rising up from the sea to collect their revenge. Though it’s not as iconic as Halloween or as well constructed as The Thing , The Fog remains John Carpenter’s most eerily atmospheric film — certainly literally so, if not figuratively. His camera takes to the coasts of Northern California so naturally, and with such practiced grace, that you’ll want to vacation in Antonio Bay next summer … you know, once the ghosts are gone.

Dead & Buried (1981)

There’s a lot of talent in Dead & Buried , but four decades after its release, the film’s unassailable star is Stan Winston, who did the often stomach-churning visual effects. Narratively, the film fits right into the Small Town With a Secret subgenre, depicting a coastal town and the strange residents who are behind a series of mysterious deaths. In terms of vibe, it functions much like The Fog : an eerie chiller that will make you question your next pit stop on a seaside drive.

The Mutilator (1984)

One of the most memorably brutal straight-up slashers of the 1980s, The Mutilator was originally named Fall Break because it follows a group of friends who head to a beach house during some days off from college. What they find when they get there, of course, is much more than a quiet seaside retreat. Once the brutal kills begin, in often inventive fashion (outboard motors aren’t just for boats!), they never let up, cementing The Mutilator as one of the most memorable entries in the ’80s slasher boom. Killers weren’t just waiting for you at summer camp. They were on the beach, too.

“The Raft” From Creepshow 2 (1987)

We’re cheating a little bit here because “The Raft” isn’t really seaside horror. It’s lakeside horror, but it’s such an unforgettable piece of aquatic terror that we have to include it. (And people who live closer to freshwater than the ocean deserve love, too.) Based on Stephen King’s short story of the same name, it’s a simple tale of a group of friends trying to survive an attack in a secluded lake by a blobbish monster that has them cornered on the title raft. The creature and gore effects do the rest, and the result is thousands of traumatized kids in the ’80s and beyond.

The Lost Boys (1987)

When you’re young, the beach holds a sense of uninterrupted, limitless promise, and it’s that sense of eternal youth and beauty that The Lost Boys seeks to both capture and subvert with its story of a California town plagued by vampires. It begins as the story of a family trying to adjust to a new life by the ocean and evolves into an exploration of the creatures who make the ruins of former boardwalk glory into their watery playground. Joel Schumacher directs the hell out of the film, perfectly balancing camp with genuine scares, and lead performances from Jason Patric and Kiefer Sutherland remind us of the dark and light sides of any beach getaway.

I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997)

Kids do dumb stuff on summer vacation, and sometimes that dumb stuff has fatal consequences. That’s the hook (pun very much intended) behind this seminal ’90s slasher — one of the most memorable in the post- Scream boom — in which a group of friends are preyed upon by a killer fisherman after covering up a death the previous summer in their coastal town where the ocean always threatens to expose their secrets. Most fans remember the film for its quartet of sexy young ’90s stars, but today it plays very well as a study in privilege and what it costs when you fail to acknowledge it.

Dagon (2001)

The great Stuart Gordon made this his last H.P. Lovecraft–inspired horror film after the double whammy of Re-Animator and From Beyond , and it’s a worthy capper to the thematic trilogy. Dagon follows a couple who stumble upon an isolated fishing village in Spain where it seems to constantly rain and where the villagers themselves have begun mutating into human-fish hybrids with frightening voices and even more frightening intentions. You can see most of the twists and turns coming, but the sheer force of the atmosphere here is palpable and powerful and will make you look at every local a little bit differently on your next beach getaway.

Broken Lizard’s Club Dread (2004)

Though it never got the same cult-classic love as Super Troopers , Broken Lizard’s slasher spoof still has plenty to offer, particularly for longtime fans of the horror genre. Set at a fictional resort that’s definitely not a Margaritaville ripoff (run by Bill Paxton, playing a guy who’s definitely not Jimmy Buffett), Club Dread follows a lot of conventional slasher rhythms, as the resort staff are picked off by a masked killer with a machete, but it also packs some surprising inventions. The buildup to each kill is satisfying and the cast is clearly having a blast playing in this space. The result is goofy fun as sickly sweet as a giant piña colada.

A Perfect Getaway (2009)

Steve Zahn and Milla Jovovich star in this somewhat forgotten thriller about a couple who sets out to hike toward a mysterious and secluded beach in Hawaii, only to find that a killer who’s been wreaking havoc on tourists may be stalking them. Full of solid performances and natural beauty, A Perfect Getaway creates a palpable Who Can You Trust? vibe then backs it up with satisfying twists. You really never truly know the friends you make on vacation.

Piranha 3D (2010)

Like “The Raft” before it, Alexandre Aja’s update to the Piranha franchise is technically lakeside, not seaside, but it’s too much fun to ignore in this case. Set at Arizona’s Lake Victoria during spring break, the film documents the carnage that unfolds when a group of prehistoric piranhas make their way up from an underwater cave and start devouring spring breakers left and right. The gore effects are astonishing, plentiful, and often darkly hilarious, and the cast is totally game for what’s going to happen to them. If nothing else, Piranha 3D is the only movie on this list that has a severed penis come straight at the screen.

Jordan Peele’s second horror feature is inspired, in part, by The Lost Boys , taking on the same exploration of the dark side of a beach getaway. The whole film is about duality, the darker side of all of us, and how it factors into one family’s seaside vacation. Throw in one of the most brilliant murder scenes in recent memory , a layered and complex backstory, and plenty of beachfront creepiness, and it becomes an epic portrayal of how quickly the idealized façade of our lives, and our vacations, can fall away. We’re still mad about Lupita Nyong’o’s Oscars snub for this one!

Sweetheart (2019)

Survival horror and beach horror fit right in with one another, and J.D. Dillard’s Sweetheart is a perfect blend of the two subgenres. Starring Kiersey Clemons as a young woman stranded on an island in the wake of a shipwreck, Sweetheart is part creature feature, part survivalist, and part deep dive into one person’s psychological journey. It’s also one of the most slept-on horror success stories of the past five years, so watch it and tell your friends.

Even by M. Night Shyamalan standards, Old is a memefest for the ages, and it’s easy to see why. Shyamalan’s tale of a group of people stranded on a stretch of sand that accelerates the aging process — a.k.a. The Beach That Makes You Old™ — is satisfyingly and gloriously pulpy, playing up the immediate horror implications of such a place with a sense of fun that never lets up. But when the memes fade out and the body horror dies down, it’s a potent meditation on lost time, the things we neglect, and what we’re meant to do with the time we have left. But if you don’t buy that, you can still make those memes.

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‘Screamboat’ Teaser Trailer: Steamboat Willie Turns Lethal in Bloody Horror Subversion for DeskPop

Alison foreman.

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Production on “ Screamboat ” is chugging right along.

“Our movie, while it is bloody and gory and raunchy, it really is a love letter to this character,” said LaMorte, who co-wrote the script with Matthew Garcia-Dunn. “As 2024 got closer and closer, it seemed like the copyright was really going to lapse. Once the clock struck midnight on January 1, and it was clear that we were going to be free to use the character and have some real fun with him, we started putting the film together.” Related Stories Scott Frank Shares His TCM Picks for September, Including ‘Bad Day at Black Rock’ and ‘Klute’ Winona Ryder Is Disappointed by Younger Co-Stars Who Aren’t Cinephiles: Actors Should Be ‘Interested in Movies’

The director describes his project as “the story of a late-night ferry ride in New York City where commuters and deckhands and all the usual passengers are attacked by a murderous and mischievous mouse who is mean, tiny, and loves getting up to no good.” Per LaMorte, the character is “a 100 percent in-camera practical creature” — designed by Quantum Creation FX as both a puppet and a costume.

“Because of his size, there are some really crazy kills in this movie that were pretty tough to pull off,” said LaMorte. “There are definitely scenes that I feel confident I’m going to have to have an awkward conversation with my mother about after we’re done.”

“It’s so hard to get people’s attention at an independent level,” said LaMorte, maintaining his love for the original “Steamboat Willie” while admitting that his project is something of a Trojan horse. “I’ve always wanted to make a horror film on the Staten Island Ferry, ever since I was commuting to and from film school in New York. But I could either make a random movie about the ferry or I could do ‘Steamboat Willie.’ Which one do you think people are going to want to go see?”

He continued, “It’s a good way to get in front of new audiences because you have that name recognition, and then you can show off and say, ‘Look what this different voice or this different perspective can create.’ We are actually able to hold their attention with just that little bit of familiarity.”

“Even if our movies are not as big or don’t have as large of the marketing budget, we do have the reach,” said LaMorte, emphasizing the role that childhood nostalgia can play even in the horror genre. “Because of the internet, we can connect with the audiences that really like what we’re doing. It’s a new wave of indie cinema and I’m sincerely excited to be a part of it.”

Unlike “Screamboat,” “The Mean One” relied solely on fair use as parody for its legal protection. Public domain won’t apply to the Dr. Seuss library for decades, but LaMorte’s gutsy experimentation then helped chart his path to the “Steamboat Willie” IP now. Fuzz on the Lens Productions is the Staten Island-based company behind both “Screamboat” and the “Terrifier” franchise. LaMorte grew up with its top creatives — described on their website as “a group of filmmakers who are friends first and foremost.” That’s how he ended up with Thornton — first as his Grinch, then as his Steamboat Willie.  

“I needed somebody that could do that while also being a creature, while also being scary, while also being comfortable wearing five hours of makeup and 10 pounds of prosthetics,” the filmmaker continued. “David was the obvious choice and all of the storyboards and the pre-visualization and scripting and everything that I could have written into the script, he just took it to the next level.”

Celebrated as the titular “Terrifier” ( AKA Art the Clown ), Thornton has a reputation as an especially skilled horror performer. The surprise box office success of “Terrifier 2” — an extreme genre effort that earned $15 million against a $250,000 microbudget — proves that buzzy new antagonists can be lucrative without existing IP. But after applying Thornton’s talents to Steamboat Willie, LaMorte says his star is almost too good. Not only did the director routinely have to throw out takes because his crew was laughing too much, but Thornton’s portrayal has reshaped much of the film.

“It’s forced us to reevaluate even the way we’re editing the movie because his performance is so fun and so entertaining while still being scary,” said LaMorte. “It’s really special to watch.”

The director hopes the unique setting will further distinguish his project from its competitors.

“Shooting on a real functioning boat is amazing because it’s not a sound stage, it’s not a set, it’s not green screen or a recreation,” LaMorte said. “All those scenes are so alive and they were super fun to film, but also you have strangers standing behind you looking at the monitor telling you, ‘Oh yeah, that shot looks good!’ And you turn around and you’re like, ‘Who are you? How did you get all the way over here?’ Shooting in New York City is wild.”

Asked if he’s had any angry Disney fans confront him over the film yet, LaMorte said he’s been cautioned about the possibility of negative reactions more than he’s experienced them.

“We all did this because we love this character, and we really wanted to make a cinematic big screen, fun thrill ride,” the director said. “The cartoon is very much at the heart of what we’re doing.”

“Partnering with director Steven LaMorte on another brilliant nightmare was a no brainer,” said Levy, executive vice president for DeskPop Entertainment. “We are colored black and white to ensure that audiences worldwide are screaming, laughing, and most importantly, whistling!”

“Screamboat” is expected in theaters early 2025, distributed by DeskPop Entertainment and Iconic Events Releasing.

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• Steamboat Willie: Further News & Info

With Mickey Mouse 's first official appearance entering the public domain on January 1st, 2024, a Steamboat Willie horror movie entitled Screamboat has already been announced. The 1928 short created by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks depicts Mickey as a steamboat captain who gets into various cartoon antics involving early versions of Disney characters like Pete and Minnie Mouse. The short was notable for a host of reasons, not the least of which was the fact that it was one of the earliest synchronized sound short cartoons. On top of that, it introduced Mickey Mouse to the world.

Due to copyright law, Steamboat Willie and its imagery entered into the public domain on the first day of 2024, meaning it could be used for any purpose as long as the artist doesn't claim ownership of the original piece. As the 2020s wear on, this has become a more common sight as popular intellectual properties like Winnie the Pooh lapse into the public domain . This has spawned the trend of "mascot horror", which entails taking a beloved children's character and casting them as a bloodthirsty villain. Naturally, filmmakers wasted no time in announcing Steamboat Willie horror movies as soon as the character became available.

Mickey Mouse's Impending Copyright Expiration Explained

With the copyright on Steamboat Willie, the first story with Mickey Mouse, due to expire in 2024, what does this mean for Disney and Mickey Mouse?

The Full Cast Is Revealed

With the low-budget horror film chugging along and slated for a 2025 theatrical release, the latest news confirms the full cast of Screamboat. As revealed by Variety , Screamboat features an accomplished cast of horror actors, including David Howard Thornton (best known for playing Art the Clown in the Terrifier franchise) who will play the murderous mouse . Joining Thornton is Amy Schumacher, who previously worked with director Steven LaMorte on his Grinch-inspired horror film, The Mean One .

Rounding out the cast is Jesse Posey ( Teen Wolf ), Jesse Kove ( Cobra Kai ), Rumi C Jean-Louis ( Hightown ), Jarlath Conroy ( Day of the Dead ) and Charles Edwin Powell ( The Exorcist III ). However, nothing is known about any roles except for Thornton's turn as Steamboat Willie. Considering the film's enclosed setting, it makes sense that the cast would be small.

The Project Was Announced The Day After Steamboat Willie Became Public Domain

Unsurprisingly, it took less than a day for a Steamboat Willie horror movie to be announced , and the first reveal came from a director who is no stranger to the "mascot horror" genre. Director Steven LaMorte ( The Mean One ) made the official announcement on January 2nd, 2024 that he was developing a new horror film based on the classic Disney short. The project that would eventually be named Screamboat reportedly entered production in spring 2024, and is currently slated for a theatrical release in 2025 (via Fangoria ).

LaMorte's The Mean One premiered on December 8, 2022.

David Howard Thornton Plays Steamboat Willie

As the public domain horror film takes shape throughout 2024, the full cast for Screamboat has already been revealed. Featuring a few recognizable names from horror's past and present, Screamboat will star David Howard Thornton as the murderous version of Steamboat Willie . No stranger to playing the horror heel, Thornton is perhaps best known for portraying the devious Art the Clown in the Terrifier franchise. Acting alongside Thornton in an as-yet-unnamed role is Amy Schumacher, who starred in director Steven LaMorte's The Mean One .

The ensemble of Screamboat will feature horror alums like Jarlath Conroy ( Day of the Dead ) and Charles Edwin Powell ( The Exorcist III ), as well as less-known actors like Rumi C Jean-Louis ( Hightown ). Rounding out the cast, Jesse Posey ( Teen Wolf ) and Jesse Kove ( Cobra Kai ) will play unknown roles as well.

The confirmed cast of Screamboat includes:

Passengers Try To Survive The Wrath Of Steamboat Willie

Set on a New York City ferryboat, Screamboat will follow various passengers as they try to survive the murderous rampage of Steamboat Willie.

While the full scope of the movie's story remains unknown, Screamboat will essentially copy the basic structure of the original cartoon short film, but with a few horrific twists. Set on a New York City ferryboat, Screamboat will follow various passengers as they try to survive the murderous rampage of Steamboat Willie . At this juncture, it's unclear if the Steamboat Willie in question will be a human wearing a mask, or if David Howard Thornton will be playing a killer anthropomorphic rodent. What is known is that Screamboat will be a blood-soaked affair with plenty of gory special effects.

Steamboat Willie: Further News & Info

• Mickey Mouse Slasher Movie Trailer Revealed 1 Day After Steamboat Willie Enters Public Domain
• Screamboat Teaser Trailer Previews Terrifier’s Art The Clown Actor As Killer Steamboat Willie
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The first teaser for Steamboat Willie horror parody Screamboat is here

Screamboat's teaser goes light on letting us actually see a live-action mickey mouse murder people, which is a shame..

Today, in “Things likely to cause Bob Iger’s blood pressure to trend upwards, just a little bit” news: The first trailer for one of several horror movie parodies based on Disney’s 1928 classic Steamboat Willie  has arrived on the internet. As reported by  IndieWire , Steven LaMorte’s  Screamboat  doesn’t have much more to offer viewers, at least in this initial taste, but some wooden acting, a “creepy” rendition of “Turkey In The Straw,” and a quick glimpse of a horror version of a very iconic silhouette, but… Maybe that’s enough?

Because, let’s be honest here: None but the most dedicated degenerates among us are going to actually watch this full film, which is one of several horror parodies that were put into production pretty much the exact second Steamboat Willie  entered the public domain back on January 1, 2024 . As with last year’s very similar  Winnie The Pooh: Blood And Honey , our experiences of  Screamboat  are likely going to start and stop within the 45 seconds it exists in an online video window, giving us a glimpse at a low-rent MadTV  sketch blown out to feature length only because it cost very little money to do. (Oh, also, it stars David Howard Thornton, a.k.a. Art The Clown from the  Terrifier  movies , in case you were worried the movie wasn’t ticking every micro-budget 2024 horror movie box.) As such, we kind of wish the trailer was a bit more lurid; looking around online today, we actually found a different  “Screamboat” trailer , clearly made for an even smaller budget, that at least had the good grace to give us a few shots of a fucked-up Mickey Mouse killing people, which is all we really want to see.

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• Tension and romance heat up on Severance

In addition to the trailer,  IndieWire  also has a more in-depth interview (conducted by former  A.V. Club  staffer Alison Foreman) with LaMorte, who does seem to have at least been interested in making a competent low-budget horror flick, including making sure that his murderous Mickey Mouse was a full practical effect. The director, at least, sounds pretty honest about what he’s doing: “I’ve always wanted to make a horror film on the Staten Island Ferry, ever since I was commuting to and from film school in New York. But I could either make a random movie about the ferry or I could do Steamboat Willie . Which one do you think people are going to want to go see?”

Screamboat  arrives for public consumption in January 2025.

• Conner O'Malley returns to the internet with a video on the rise and fall of Rebranded Mickey Mouse
• Disney+’s new documentary dares to ask, “How great is Mickey Mouse?”
• September film preview: Fall into back-to-school entertainment with Beetlejuice and Megalopolis
• Reagan's ugly hagiography is middle-of-the-night History Channel nonsense
• One Tree Hill sequel series emerges from rewatch podcast cocoon

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Screamboat Trailer Previews Mickey Mouse Horror Movie Starring Terrifier’s David Howard Thornton

A teaser trailer for Screamboat has been released.

Screamboat is a new Mickey Mouse horror movie that stars David Howard Thornton , who is best known for playing Art the Clown in the Terrifier movies, as Steamboat Willie . The movie will be released next year.

Check out the Screamboat trailer, via an X post from Frighten the Weak, below ( watch more trailers and clips ):

The TEASER for 'SCREAMBOAT'. In theaters 2025. pic.twitter.com/etlXcfn03b — Frighten the Weak (@frightentheweak) August 30, 2024

The Steamboat Willie version of Mickey Mouse officially entered the public domain on January 1, 2024. Screamboat was announced the next day, as were a number of other horror movies that are similarly turning Steamboat Willie into a slasher villain.

What else do we know about Screamboat?

The film is directed by Steven LaMorte , who also co-wrote the script with Matthew Garcia-Dunn.

LaMorte told IndieWire that the movie tells “the story of a late-night ferry ride in New York City where commuters and deckhands and all the usual passengers are attacked by a murderous and mischievous mouse who is mean, tiny, and loves getting up to no good.”

LaMorte also said of Thornton’s Steamboat Willie character, “Because of his size, there are some really crazy kills in this movie that were pretty tough to pull off. There are definitely scenes that I feel confident I’m going to have to have an awkward conversation with my mother about after we’re done.”

LaMorte, who previously directed the Terrifier star on 2022’s The Mean One, said that Thornton is wearing “five hours of makeup and 10 pounds of prosthetics” in Screamboat.

The cast of the movie also includes Allison Pittel, Amy Schumacher, Jesse Posey, Jesse Kove, Rumi C. Jean-Louis, Jarlath Conroy, and Charles Edwin Powell.

“[Screamboat won’t be] a slasher villain in a mask that just takes on the mantle of Steamboat Willie,” LaMorte said. “Our Steamboat Willie is very much the Steamboat Willie that you remember — the songs and the poses, everything.”

Screamboat is expected to be released in early 2025 from DeskPop Entertainment and Iconic Events Releasing.

The post Screamboat Trailer Previews Mickey Mouse Horror Movie Starring Terrifier’s David Howard Thornton appeared first on ComingSoon.net - Movie Trailers, TV & Streaming News, and More .

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Screamboat Trailer Previews Mickey Mouse Horror Movie Starring Terrifier’s David Howard Thornton

By Brandon Schreur

A teaser trailer for Screamboat has been released.

Screamboat is a new Mickey Mouse horror movie that stars David Howard Thornton , who is best known for playing Art the Clown in the Terrifier movies, as Steamboat Willie . The movie will be released next year.

Check out the Screamboat trailer, via an X post from Frighten the Weak, below ( watch more trailers and clips ):

The TEASER for 'SCREAMBOAT'. In theaters 2025. pic.twitter.com/etlXcfn03b — Frighten the Weak (@frightentheweak) August 30, 2024

The Steamboat Willie version of Mickey Mouse officially entered the public domain on January 1, 2024. Screamboat was announced the next day, as were a number of other horror movies that are similarly turning Steamboat Willie into a slasher villain.

What else do we know about Screamboat?

The film is directed by Steven LaMorte , who also co-wrote the script with Matthew Garcia-Dunn.

LaMorte told IndieWire that the movie tells “the story of a late-night ferry ride in New York City where commuters and deckhands and all the usual passengers are attacked by a murderous and mischievous mouse who is mean, tiny, and loves getting up to no good.”

LaMorte also said of Thornton’s Steamboat Willie character, “Because of his size, there are some really crazy kills in this movie that were pretty tough to pull off. There are definitely scenes that I feel confident I’m going to have to have an awkward conversation with my mother about after we’re done.”

LaMorte, who previously directed the Terrifier star on 2022’s The Mean One, said that Thornton is wearing “five hours of makeup and 10 pounds of prosthetics” in Screamboat.

The cast of the movie also includes Allison Pittel, Amy Schumacher, Jesse Posey, Jesse Kove, Rumi C. Jean-Louis, Jarlath Conroy, and Charles Edwin Powell.

“[Screamboat won’t be] a slasher villain in a mask that just takes on the mantle of Steamboat Willie,” LaMorte said. “Our Steamboat Willie is very much the Steamboat Willie that you remember — the songs and the poses, everything.”

Screamboat is expected to be released in early 2025 from DeskPop Entertainment and Iconic Events Releasing.

Brandon Schreur has been writing about comics, movies, television shows, and all things pop culture for roughly five years. He's a lifelong cinephile who spends way, way too much money buying Blu-rays and trade paperbacks. You can find him on twitter at @brandonschreur.

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• User reviews

Haunted Boat

HAUNTED BOAT is a mystical, mind-twisting psychological horror film about six teenagers going on a boat trip and getting lost in parallel dimensions where they have to face their greatest fe... Read all HAUNTED BOAT is a mystical, mind-twisting psychological horror film about six teenagers going on a boat trip and getting lost in parallel dimensions where they have to face their greatest fears. HAUNTED BOAT is a mystical, mind-twisting psychological horror film about six teenagers going on a boat trip and getting lost in parallel dimensions where they have to face their greatest fears.

• Olga Levens
• Jason Levens
• David Levens
• Courtney Scheuerman
• Sarah Scott
• 29 User reviews
• 9 Critic reviews

Top cast 19

• Mysterious Teenager
• (as Alexei Lantsoff)

• Mysterious Guy
• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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Did you know

• Trivia Everybody was sick on the boat during the shooting. Between takes, the actors would throw up overboard.

Leo : All right, here's the new rule, since the toilet's broken no more pooping.

• Soundtracks Haunted Boat Theme Written by Olga Performed by Jason Perri and Bodhisattva 13:20

User reviews 29

• Jul 27, 2010
• April 19, 2005 (United States)
• United States
• Official site
• Rumbo a la muerte
• LEVENS Entertainment
• See more company credits at IMDbPro
• $500,000 (estimated)

Technical specs

• Runtime 1 hour 37 minutes

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