Parents' Guide to

Ghost Ship

By Carly Kocurek, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 18+

Do not board Ghost Ship.

Movie R 2002 91 minutes
Ghost Ship Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 15+

Based on 4 parent reviews

Pantera70
Pantera70 Adult
July 31, 2018
age 13+
Awesome ghost movie. I loved the story, the characters were cool. Who wouldn't love to go on a ghost ship? The only thing i don't like is that there's no part 2 and the other negative comments!!
christian2011
christian2011 Adult
August 26, 2012
age 16+

Ghost Ship. Fairly good horror movie. Too intense for people 16 & under.

Ghost Ship is about a passenger ship back in 1962 which was secretly hijacked by a bunch of terrorists who brutally massacred passengers on board in order to get to the safe which contained millions of dollars worth in gold bars. One of the most gruesome scenes is when people were eating and dancing in the ballroom part of the ship and a cable wire came loose by one of the terrorists and it literally swung down so fast it sliced about 40-50 people whom were dancing, in half, and you see their bodies graphically fall apart. A young girl was one of the victims as she tried to escape, and two terrorist kidnapped her and killed her in her room. She is later seen as a ghost and tries to help the crew get off the ship as soon as possible because of their own members is actually the mastermind behind the 1962 incident. There is alot of swearing in this movie (pervasive use of f**k, motherf**ker, c**k, sh*t, and other religious profanities.)

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much swearing
See all 4 parent reviews

What's the Story?

If there is one thing characters should know in horror films, it's that entering an abandoned house in the middle of nowhere is never a good idea. The characters in GHOST SHIP of course ignore this simple rule, resulting in a bloody confrontation that leaves only one member left standing. Things go horribly wrong for a salvage crew assigned to recover a passenger ship missing since 1962. Despite such odd occurrences as the appearance of a ghost girl, the team continues to explore the ship. The crew finds what seems like a fortune –- boxes filled with gold bars. Of course, nothing in horror films comes without a price.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (4):
Kids say (7):

Ghost Ship has virtually no redeeming qualities. The plot is tired and poorly developed, the character development is sparse, and the gory scenes (including one that features a cable slicing 40-50 couples across a dance floor) do not even appear that scary. There is absolutely no reason to watch this movie unless you have a hankering for seeing people get sliced, diced, dismembered, and shot. Definitely NOT for kids.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the ideas of greed and honor depicted in this movie. At what point does the crew's greed become problematic? Why does Epps refuse to leave behind her crewmates and defend Murphy even after he attacked her? Families may want to discuss the filmmaker's decision to cast a woman in a role that is traditionally assigned to men.

Movie Details

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