''Haunting of the Queen Mary'' is a 2023 British

horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit fear or disgust in its audience for entertainment purposes. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements include monsters, apoca ...

directed by

Gary Shore Gary Shore is an Irish film director, producer and screenwriter, best known for his directorial debut film ''Dracula Untold''. He has also directed commercials for a number of well-known brands including Gatorade, Adidas, and UGG. Early lif ...

and starring

Alice Eve Alice Sophia Eve (born ) is a British actress. Her movie career includes roles in ''She's Out of My League'', ''Men in Black 3'', ''Star Trek Into Darkness'', and ''Before We Go''. She has had recurring roles on the TV series ''Entourage'' and ' ...

and Joel Fry. It was first released in Italy on July 20, 2023, and was released in the United Kingdom on August 18, 2023.

Plot

Cast

as Anne Calder * Joel Fry as Patrick Calder *

Nell Hudson Nell Rose Hudson (born 19 November 1990) is an English actress best known for her recurring roles as Laoghaire MacKenzie in the Starz television drama '' Outlander'' and Nancy Skerrett in the ITV period drama ''Victoria''. Early life Hudson ...

as Gwen Ratch *Wil Coban as David Ratch *

Dorian Lough Dorian Tristan Lough (born 27 April 1966 in Kensington, London) is an English actor who appeared as DS Dave Satchell in ''Trial & Retribution''. He has also played Ray Taylor in ''EastEnders''. Lough is also known for starring in the music vide ...

as Bittner *

Tim Downie Timothy Richard Downie (born 14 July 1977) is an English actor and writer. He is known for the television series ''Toast of London'', '' Outlander'' and ''Upstart Crow'', and the films ''Paddington'' and ''The King's Speech''. Downie was born in ...

as Lieutenant Gibson *Wesley Alfvin as

Fred Astaire Fred Astaire (born Frederick Austerlitz; May 10, 1899 – June 22, 1987) was an American dancer, choreographer, actor, and singer. He is often called the greatest dancer in Hollywood film history. Astaire's career in stage, film, and tele ...

Lenny Rush Lenny Rush (born 18 March 2009) is a British BAFTA-winning child actor. He is best known for his work on the Daisy May Cooper comedy drama series '' Am I Being Unreasonable?'' and on the BBC One series '' Dodger''. He received a breakthrough aw ...

as Lukas Calder *Florrie May Wilkinson as Jackie Ratch *

Jim Piddock Jim Piddock (born April 8, 1956) is an English actor, producer and writer who began his career on the stage in the United Kingdom before emigrating to the United States in 1981. Personal life Piddock was born on April 8, 1956, in Rochester, K ...

as Captain Caradine *Maddison Nixon as

Ginger Rogers Ginger Rogers (born Virginia Katherine McMath; July 16, 1911 – April 25, 1995) was an American actress, dancer and singer during the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of Hollywood. She won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her starri ...

* Angus Wright as Victor

Production

''Haunting of the Queen Mary'' was written by

and Stephen Oliver, with a story by Oliver and Tom Vaughan. and Vaughan. It is a British co-production between Imagination Design Works, Rocket Science, and White Horse Pictures. Brett Tomberlin developed the feature film, first announced in 2013. In January 2019, Shore was announced to direct. By March 2021, it was reported that ''Haunting of the Queen Mary'' was planned as the first in a trilogy of horror films about the RMS ''Queen Mary'', a retired

ocean liner An ocean liner is a passenger ship primarily used as a form of transportation across seas or oceans. Ocean liners may also carry cargo or mail, and may sometimes be used for other purposes (such as for pleasure cruises or as hospital ships). Ca ...

that remains permanently moored in

Long Beach, California Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporate ...

. In October 2021,

principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as actor ...

began in a studio developed by ARRI and Creative Technologies. Filming took place onboard the RMS ''Queen Mary'' in November.

Release

''Haunting of the Queen Mary'' was released in the United Kingdom by

Vertigo Films Vertigo Films is a British television and film production company based in London, England. Vertigo Films has been responsible for the production and distribution of ''Bronson (film), Bronson'', ''StreetDance 3D'', and ''Monsters (2010 film), ...

on August 18, 2023 in limited cinemas and on-demand.

Vertical Entertainment Vertical Entertainment is an American film distribution and production company founded by producers Richard B. "Rich" Goldberg and Mitch Budin in 2012. History In 2012, Rich Goldberg & Mitch Budin founded Vertical Entertainment, a film distribut ...

released the film in the United States.

Reception

Matt Donato of

Bloody Disgusting Bloody Disgusting is an American multi-media company, which began as a horror genre-focused news site/website specializing in information services that covered various horror medias, including: film, television, video games, comics, and music. ...

gave the film 3/5 stars, writing, "It's never as accomplished as Ghost Ship, Triangle, or other primetime haunted vessel comparisons, but it's still good enough to chill your bones cold like a rogue breeze off the ocean after midnight."

Common Sense Media Common Sense Media (CSM) is an organization that reviews and provides ratings for media and technology with the goal of providing information on their suitability for children.

's Jeffrey Anderson was more critical, writing, "Beautifully shot and with some striking, shocking images, this time-jumping horror tale nonetheless has a muddled narrative, and confusion and frustration eventually outweigh appreciation." He gave the film 2/5 stars. Mini Chhibber of ''

The Hindu ''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It began as a weekly in 1878 and became a daily in 1889. It is one of the Indian newspapers of record and the secon ...

'' praised the film's visuals, but wrote, "the action is as murky as the ghostly lights on the ship and in the end you feel like the lady at the piano, banging her head on the keys, begging to be let out."

References

External links

* *{{IMDb title 2023 films British horror films 2020s British films 2020s English-language films Films directed by Gary Shore Films set in 1938 Films set on ships Films shot in London Films shot in Los Angeles County, California Films set on ocean liners Vertigo Films films Vertical Entertainment films