Cruise Into Terror

This picture was great fun back when I first saw it as a kid. Predating the spate of early 80's knife-kill flicks meant that 'Horror' as a genre still meant supernatural thriller when this picture was made, and it relies heavily on a taut atmosphere of suspicion and fear among the passengers for its shocks. There are few of the Hallowe'en style jolts that we associate with contemporary horror, in fact very little happens. Watching it again just a few years ago I was surprised that it still gave me chills from its tight, claustrophobic shooting and editing style in a way that good giallo thrillers do (and most giallo pictures, rather disappointingly do not). The writing and acting are standard made for TV disaster fare and the picture is less impressive if you focus on that. So turn the lights down, get some popcorn, turn a deaf ear to some of the shriekier dialogue and enjoy the film as a mood piece. And when the hair on your neck stands up, let it.

A handful of passengers and crew aboard a one-engine vessel in waters off the Gulf of Mexico are bedeviled by a cursed 2000-year old Egyptian sarcophagus brought up from a sunken pyramid in the depths. A resigned, somewhat beleaguered cast of old pros (including Hugh O'Brian, Lee Meriwether, Stella Stevens in a brunette wig, Ray Milland, John Forsythe as a priest, and the Georges--Christopher and Lynda Day) manage to get through the preliminaries and "Poseidon Adventure"-like character introductions without embarrassing themselves, but the underwater shots of swimmers combined with the "Jaws"-like music cues turns this TV-movie into instant camp. Aaron Spelling co-produced, perhaps as an antidote to his sticky-sweet "Love Boat" series.

This film essentially revolves around an ancient Egyptian sarcophagus being transported 2000 years earlier across the Atlantic Ocean and then buried-in what is now the Gulf of Mexico-with the hope and expectation that whatever is inside of it will never see the light of day. With that in mind, the movie begins with the captain of a cargo ship being ordered to take several passengers from the United States to Cozumel where they will then be off-loaded at that time onto a much larger cruise ship. Although "Captain Andrews" (Hugh O'Brian) doesn't like the idea of transporting these passengers on a ship which is in bad need of repair, he ultimately relents and after charting a new course departs for his directed destination. Unfortunately, as luck would have it, while at sea the ship encounters all kinds of mechanical and weather-related problems and as a result, he decides to temporarily acquiesce to the passenger's request to set anchor right above the underwater Egyptian tomb which houses the sarcophagus. Naturally, being rather curious, the passengers all decide to ignore the warnings of their fellow passenger "Reverend Charles Mather" (John Forsythe) and follow the guidance of an archeologist by the name of "Dr. Isiah Bakkun" (Ray Milland) who advises that they search for the sarcophagus and-upon finding it-retrieve it at all costs. But what none of them count on is the actual cost each of them will have to pay. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that this was a rather mediocre made-for-television movie which had a solid cast but suffered from a ludicrous plot and its generically edited format. Having said that, however, it still managed to be somewhat entertaining and for that reason I have rated it accordingly. Average.

A genuine all-star cast (including Oscar winner Ray Milland) tackle a deep-sea treasure hunt. Milland plays an archeologist determined to prove the ancient Egyptians settled in Mexico by opening a tomb on the Gulf floor.

Let me read that again. Yep. That's right. I don't know what college hired Milland's character as a professor, but don't send your kids there.

High O'Brian is the square-jawed captain. His "Gilligan" is Dirk Benedict, who kids around so much it's no wonder he can't get a job on a better ship. John Forsythe is the recovering-alcoholic preacher who sets himself up as Milland's antagonist, warning him not to open the tomb because of a "curse." He utters lots of ridiculous, superstitious and anti-Biblical claptrap. I belong to and teach adult Sunday School at a fairly conservative Southern church and if we got hold of a preacher spouting this inanity we'd pitch him out OVER the front steps. The mark of a good actor is to hit his marks and not bump into the furniture, but the mark of a great actor is the ability to recite ridiculous dialogue and make it sound reasonable. Forsythe is a great actor.

Forsythe's jaded wife is an unglamorourized Lee Meriwether. Actually married couple Christopher and Linda Day George play a squabbling couple without much to do. Frank Converse (no, I never heard of him, either) plays a mysterious character with the more mysterious name "Lazarus" who mysteriously arrives without a ticket but whom O'Brien mysteriously lets on board because he said he had one . . . That's the slipshod way this ship is run.

Stella Stevens (leaning forward a lot in low-cut dresses) is the heroine who says she can read minds. And a couple of eye-candy girls are along for the ride, one who is hot and the other who is not (you can tell the latter because she wears glasses, the Hollywood sign of a frump).

Naturally, given the nature of looking for a submerged Egyptian tomb we're handed lots of underwater scenes. I don't like underwater scenes. I never can tell what's going on in them. And either these scenes are particularly murky or I got a poor print. Or both.

Historically, Biblically, sensibly, you name it, the story is garbage. But a talented cast is able to put it across so it makes some sort of sense in some sort of universe. I only wish it had been longer and the more neglected actors (all of whom I like) had more to to. It should have been a miniseries. I've actually witnessed worse. Really.

One caveat: the primary interest these "ancient horror awakes" movies have is in who dies. This movie goes on a long time with no deaths. Too bad. Short as it is, they can afford to cull some of the expensive cast.

In CRUISE INTO TERROR, an "all-star cast" sets off on a cruise through the Gulf of Mexico, only to be thrust into a life-threatening adventure into the unknown. Strange, near-fatal "coincidences" start happening.

Then, a cranky anthropologist (Ray Milland) wants to investigate a sacred tomb at the bottom of the Gulf, and the game is on! Things go from bad to worse, with supernatural occurrences aplenty. Annnd, there's a gale on the way!

Sort of like a haunted version of LOVE BOAT, this movie is a soggy cousin of HORROR AT 37,000 FEET. John Forsythe looks very stern and rants a lot as a preacher, while the beautiful Lee Meriwether tries her best to look frumpy as his frustrated wife. Christopher and Lynda Day George are also on board as a struggling married couple. The stunning Stella Stevens is a psychic divorcee, and Dirk Benedict is the First Mate.

This is guaranteed, top-of-the-line made-for-TV entertainment! Just make sure you watch out for that darned black cat!...