Screamboat - Terror a Bordo

I have to admit that I harbored zero expectations to this 2025 horror comedy titled "Screamboat", given all the crap that has been released recently with the likes of Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Popeye, etc. But still, I hadn't watched this movie already, and given my love o all things horror, of course I had to check it out.

Writers Matthew Garcia-Dunn and Steven LaMorte put together a pretty straightforward script. It wasn't particularly outstanding, but I will admit that the movie was actually oddly entertaining for the cheesy thing it was, pardon the pun. There was something oddly enjoyable about the movie, which I suppose was because it was so far out there.

The only one on the cast list that I was familiar with was David Howard Thornton, and he was portraying the mouse. It should be noted that the acting performances in "Screamboat" were fair.

Sure, "Screamboat" is by no means a cinematic gem in the horror genre, but it was actually an entertaining enough off-beat slasher horror comedy.

And there was actually enough blood and mayhem to keep a seasoned gorehound such as myself sated.

My rating of director Steven LaMorte's 2025 movie "Screamboat" lands on a five out of ten stars.

The exact representation of a movie having some positives, but also some highs. I can't wait to see my reaction to the other 2025 projects, some high ones. But this is a middle-tier project on a flimsy budget. And for what it's worth, it's not actually that bad. Yes the movie drags, but I really admired the film for being different and energetic.

The Mouse was actually scary, and had some soul their with his loved one, and the animation in these segments are touching, but also a superb layer of depth and uniqueness to this character. And the 1st segment of kills, the first hour are fun and effective. The dark rooms, the action, and the drama is really fun and you'll enjoy some of the effective kills if your a horror fanatic. And yes, I said the mouse was perfectly scary, because he was small, he had armed weapons, and his creepy laugh and smile made him feel very threatening and absolutely beutiful with the costume designs. And the makeup doesn't look so bad, but the story is fairly weak.

The story is a boat and some parts of the story is shown in child format, the second half is very slow and doesn't use the format as effectively as it could, but the effects and the props are great and look fairly fancy. And the Sinking boat added some much needed stakes. But the kills in the second-half feel slightly forced and the effectiveness is slightly removed as they're really quick.

But the story has a nice ending, and the women as Winny was effective and charming, she looked great in the role. And the never-giving-up is a good motion for this story. However, the plot-twist was also highly enjoyable as it suited the movie well. Not a bad lower budget effort if I'm being honest.

I'd rate this film a 5 Out of 10, As the first-half was thrilling and effective, but the movie looses it's steam and focus in the second-half. But the effects look nice, the story isn't so bad, but it could do with more of the child friendly story it's inspired by. Not a bad effort at all.

This film is passable, if you've seen the trailer or know what this is even about, you'll be getting exactly what you were probably expecting - a bunch of purposely expressive characters you'd wanna see killed in true slasher fashion. This is a goofy, extremely self aware film that delivers on just that - if you're expecting anything serious or anything on the aspect of plot that isn't purposely cliche, then you're not watching the right film. Some complaints lie with the pacing, as well as how rushed the end began feeling and looking. Some kills could have gone farther with the hype of people being behind Terrifier, but worry not, this film delivers in its own special take on that; filming in some spots feels jarring and even blurry, some cheap spots. Some genuinely good moments of laughs and self aware dark humor, along with some really fleshed out and decent scenes. This is much better than some other films in this joke wave, however it's far from anything spectacular or good. Memorable? A good film to watch with friends and even catch in theaters for an experience? Yes. This film is serviceable at the very least, I'd recommend if you know exactly what you're walking into - which you should.

I'm pretty sure this movie had a budget of three dollars, seventy-five cents, and a stick of gum.

What were they thinking when they decided to make this cinematic mess-if we can even call it "cinematic"?

Honestly, I have no idea. Have people really lost their creative sense to this extent?

My review of the film:

It felt like I was watching a cheap movie from the 80s.

Oh my God, the effects!

The acting? I swear, it felt like the actors had zero experience. I don't even know where they found them-maybe at a Sunday flea market or something!

And the dialogue? Where do I even begin?

DDDVVVDDD.

Since a few years we are bombarded with rancid, extremely gory, and pretty idiotic trash-horror movies revolving around the legendary cartoon characters we all grew up with, like Mickey Mouse, Winnie the Pooh, and Popeye. Why is that? Well, because those nostalgic figures are now so old that all copyrights are expired, and they ended up in the public domain. One might hope that there is still more than enough respect left not to touch these iconic figures - let alone ridicule them - but that is of course not taking into account a lot of untalented horror directors nowadays.

"Screamboat" is not the first horror movie about Mickey Mouse (there are also "Mickey's Mouse Trap" and "Mouseboat Massacre") but I honestly think this is the best of the three. Of course, though, you have to take "best" with a serious grain of salt in this case. There were competent people working on this production - more specifically the producers of "Terrifier" - and there are certainly a handful of inventive & deliciously raunchy kills in it, but all in all it remains an indescribably silly experience to watch in the cinema.

On the nightly ferry back and forth to Staten Island, New York, a monstrous rodent wakes up and promptly begins a massacre. The crew of the ferry and all the other weird characters who take the nightly journey are horrendously slaughtered. "Screamboat" starts off energetically, and especially the first half of the film is shamelessly entertaining thanks to the over-the-top gore, the tongue-in-cheek humor, and the surprisingly subtle references to a whole lot of other Disney classics (Cinderella, Tarzan, Frozen, ...). But then, for some inexplicable reason, things go wrong entirely. The psychotic mouse turns into a melancholic lover in search of his lost Minnie, the kills become bland and repetitive, and the final act seems to last forever. Perhaps the funny effect of a murderous Mickey Mouse wore off quickly, and the energy and good atmosphere on the set was short-lived. One thing is for sure, I'm glad Walt Disney isn't around anymore since many years, so he never had to see this.