Haunting of the Queen Mary is a 2023 British horror film directed by Gary Shore and starring Alice Eve and Joel Fry. It was first released in Italy on 20 July 2023, then in the United Kingdom on 18 August 2023.

Plot

“She had character, she had personality, but above al else she was the closest thing to a living being that I had ever commanded… she even breathed.” Captain John Treasure Jones The Queen Mary is heading to New York, on one of her many voyages. It's 1938 and a family of three sneak into the ballroom in hopes that their young daughter can have an audition with Fred Astaire. In present day, the ship has been docked in Los Angeles for many years. Now having become a tourist attraction "The Queen Mary No Escape". Anne and Patrick want to pitch a new idea for the attraction. Their son, Lukas, has an idea about a book they could write. After boarding, Lukas sees a small girl and follows her. Lukas disappears and shows up soaking wet with his camera gone. The next day Anne and Patrick return and Lieutenant Gibson informes them that the ship is closed for the day. They can look around and take as many pictures as they want. Just not below deck M. Back in 1938, Gwen is invited to dance with Fred Astaire. Things go wrong and the ship starts to over heat. Captain Caradine refuses to slow down because he wants to keep the record of the longest continuously running ship. Present day, Anna is lost and Patrick is trying to find her. They find each other on deck M. Where the 'POOL' is. They find a hidden door and tear it down to find the pool. They find Lukas' camera and take the full roll of film.

Cast

Alice Eve as Anne Calder Joel Fry as Patrick Calder Nell Hudson as Gwen Ratch Wil Coban as David Ratch Dorian Lough as Bittner Tim Downie as Lieutenant Gibson Wesley Alfvin as Fred Astaire Lenny Rush as Lukas Calder Florrie May Wilkinson as Jackie Ratch Jim Piddock as Captain Caradine Maddison Nixon as Ginger Rogers Angus Wright as Victor

Production

Haunting of the Queen Mary was written by Gary Shore and Stephen Oliver, from a story by Oliver and Tom 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 permanently moored in Long Beach, California. In October 2021, principal photography 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 Releasing on 18 August 2023 in limited cinemas and on-demand. Vertical Entertainment released it in the United States.

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 67% of 15 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.80/10. Matt Donato of Bloody Disgusting 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'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 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

Official website Haunting of the Queen Mary at IMDb