Haunting of the Queen Mary

Haunting of the Queen Mary
Theatrical release poster
Directed byGary Shore
Screenplay by
  • Gary Shore
  • Stephen Oliver
Story by
  • Stephen Oliver
  • Tom Vaughan
Produced by
  • Brett Tomberlin
  • Nicholas Ferrall
  • Nigel Sinclair
  • Lars Sylvest
  • Thorsten Schumacher
  • Jason Newmark
  • Laurie Cook
  • Mali Elfman
Starring
CinematographyIsaac Bauman
Edited by
  • Colin Campbell
  • Ken Blackwell
Music by
  • Jason and Nolan Livesay
Production
companies
  • Imagination Design Works
  • White Horse Pictures
  • Rocket Science Industries
Distributed byVertigo Releasing
Release dates
  • 20 July 2023 (2023-07-20) (Italy)[1]
  • 18 August 2023 (2023-08-18) (United Kingdom)
Running time
125 minutes[2]
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Box office$1.4 million[3]

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

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.[4] In January 2019, Shore was announced to direct.[5] 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.[6] 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.[7]

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.[8]

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 67% of 15 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.80/10.[9]

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."[10]

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.[11] 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."[12]

References

  1. ^ Sernagiotto, Camilla (29 June 2023). "La maledizione della Queen Mary, il trailer dell'horror di Gary Shore". Sky TG24 (in Italian). Sky Italia. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  2. ^ "Haunting of the Queen Mary (18)". British Board of Film Classification. 13 November 2023. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
  3. ^ "Haunting of the Queen Mary". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
  4. ^ McNary, Dave (17 December 2013). "Queen Mary Thriller Launches Ubiquity Studios Slate (Exclusive)". Variety. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
  5. ^ Ritman, Alex (25 January 2019). "Queen Mary Horror Finds Captain in Dracula Untold Director Gary Shore (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 5 October 2021. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
  6. ^ Wiseman, Andreas (1 March 2021). "Alice Eve To Star In Gary Shore Haunted Ship Horror The Queen Mary, First In Planned Trilogy — EFM". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 4 October 2021. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
  7. ^ Grater, Tom (4 October 2021). "Joel Fry Joins Alice Eve In Horror Pic The Queen Mary". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 4 October 2021. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
  8. ^ Vlessing, Etan (1 August 2023). "Alice Eve Fights Off Ghosts in Haunting of the Queen Mary Trailer". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 1 August 2023. Retrieved 1 August 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  9. ^ "Haunting of the Queen Mary". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
  10. ^ Donato, Matt (24 August 2023). "Haunting of the Queen Mary Review – Gary Shore Chills the Bones with an Overstuffed Supernatural Voyage". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
  11. ^ Anderson, Jeffrey M. "Haunting of the Queen Mary Movie Review". Common Sense Media. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
  12. ^ Chhibber, Mini Anthikad (19 August 2023). "The Queen Mary film review: This ship flounders in a murky sea of B-movie clichés". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 17 September 2023.