Writers: Stephen Oliver, Tom Vaughan and Gary Shore
Directors: Gary Shore and Rebecca Harris
Somewhere between ghost story and horror, Haunting of the Queen Mary blends myth and urban legend to create a film that’s never quite sure where – or what – it is.
Set aboard the RMS Queen Mary across two time periods, we have a contemporary family, the Calders, driving to Long Beach, California, to pitch a new book about the vessel’s supernatural history. Alice and Patrick (Alice Eve and Joel Fry) and their son, Lukas (an always charming Lenny Rush), offer a book inspired by Lukas’ interest in ghost-hunting. The ship’s Captain, Bittner (a delightfully sleazy Dorian Lough), allows them to stay onboard the docked ship to get a feel for the place. Lukas, armed with his camera, joins a ghost-hunting tour but is lured away when he hears a child’s voice.
We also join the Queen Mary in her 1930’s heyday – it is Halloween and the guests are at a fancy dress party. A family arrives for dinner, and gives their name as Howe. They sit down and it is revealed they are actually the Ratch family; Gwen (Nell Hudson), David (Wil Coban) and daughter Jackie (Florrie May Wilkinson). In the dining room, Jackie spots a famous producer and, better still, the film star Fred Astaire. Queen Mary hosted a great deal of celebrity guests, and Jackie (a budding starlet; already wearing her dancing shoes) begs her father to let her approach their table.
The focus switches to below decks and officers are called to a situation in one of the cabins. A woman has been bludgeoned to death. What follows is a melange of supernatural shocks and graphic gore, embedded in a multi-strand narrative.
Two hours long, Haunting of the Queen Mary overruns (and runs out of steam) around the 90-minute mark. Even the final twist, which should be spine-chilling, is muddled and incoherent. Think of the masters of suspense, the best ghost stories: these are not bloated specimens. With Haunting pulling the audience in so many directions, we’re never sure where our attention should be focused. The decision to concentrate on the contemporary family is a mistake: the chemistry between Eve and Fry is non-existent. The atmospheric Halloween party is far more seductive. The eerie costumes, the frisson of passengers dining just feet away from Hollywood royalty: this is where the film’s heart lies. The Ratches are moments away from being rumbled, and Jackie’s spirited pitch at producer Victor (Angus Wright), is a real moment. Her audition piece – aided by Fred Astaire (danced with aplomb by Wesley Alfvin) – really captures that era of grift and glamour.
It’s when the film tries to shock and stun, that everything falls apart. Playing on the Queen Mary’s reputation, the supernatural element is so heavy-handed that any sense of actual jeopardy is lost. We aren’t invested in the characters, or what happens to them. The premise – a haunted luxury liner – was always going to be interesting, and it has potential to become a great film. Haunting of the Queen Mary just isn’t it.
Vertigo Releasing presents HAUNTING OF THE QUEEN MARYon digital platforms9th October 2023
The Reviews Hub Score:
Muddled and incoherent
