Villian(s)  Haunted Nazi ship, ghosts

Actor(s):  Richard Crenna, George Kennedy, Nick Mancuso, Sally Ann Howes

Brief Description  Death Ship is a 1980 British-Canadian supernatural horror film directed by Alvin Rakoff about a group of shipwreck survivors who board a mysterious, automated black vessel, only to discover it is a haunted Nazi torture ship.

Plot:
(George Kennedy) is making his final voyage alongside his upcoming replacement, Captain Trevor Marshall (Richard Crenna). Out of the fog, a massive, rusted black freighter appears on a collision course, intentionally ramming and sinking the cruise ship. Upon its theatrical release by Embassy Pictures, Death Ship received mixed-to-negative reviews from critics. However, over the years, it has earned a status as a cult classic. Fans of the film appreciate its slow-burn, atmospheric tension, eerie maritime set designs, and its unique, bizarre blend of a traditional ghost house story with WWII historical horror elements. A tiny group of survivors—including both captains, Marshall's family, and a few crew members—drift in a lifeboat until the ominous black ship returns and idles nearby.

Seeking shelter and medical aid, they board the vessel, only to find it entirely deserted yet somehow running itself. As they explore the claustrophobic corridors, the ship reveals its dark past as a World War III-era Nazi prison and execution vessel. Driven by the malevolent spirits of its former crew, the ship begins to torment and systematically kill off the passengers using its own machinery, swinging blocks, a blood-spewing shower, and a freezer packed with frozen corpses. Meanwhile, Captain Ashland slowly becomes possessed by the evil ghost of the ship’s Nazi commander, turning against his fellow survivors.