Sunday, October 9, 2011

Julianne Margulies- Ghost Ship (2002)

Today's entry features a trip back to the mediocre horror films produced by Dark Castle in the at the beginning of the new millennium. Ghost Ship (Beck, 2002), along with Thir13en Ghosts (Beck, 2001), and House on Haunted Hill (Malone, 1999) gave way to the newest wave of horror remakes. Ghost Ship features a solid performance by Julianne Margulies as Maureen Epps.

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While working with a team made entirely of men, Epps finds herself on a haunted ship. In 1962, every passenger and crew member was gruesomely murdered on board, and it has been floating around the ocean, haunted, ever since. This type of fair, while not a remake, is a standard by-the-numbers addition to the horror genre. That does not mean, however, that it is incapable of providing a good time to the viewer. Through bad performance, stereotypical plot, and over-the-top visual effects.

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While most actresses would crank out a dull performance, as with all of the actors in House on Haunted Hill, Margulies brings her A game, and delivers a role that is convincing and commanding. Epps takes charge of the situation and is not fooled by the ghost ship for a moment. She instantly is haunted by the ghost of a young girl that was on the ship when the mass murder occured, played eerily by a young Emily Browning. Margulies' take charge performance set a standard in the film that none of the other actors ever live up to.

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As October unfolds, friends are getting together for scary movie nights, and there is nothing that I find more entertaining than sitting around and watching a film by Dark Castle. The films combine an unintentional humor with their failed attempt at horror. While not the most successful horror film, judging on the level of scares provided, Ghost Ship proves to be a good time overall, and is worth watching just for a good laugh. Margulies is clearly the strongest woman, with perhaps the exception of Halle Berry in Gothika (Kassovitz, 2003), that is included in the production company's features.

Stop on by tomorrow for the latest entry...

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