Common Sense Media Review
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Bloody, shocking horror tale has muddled storytelling.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 16+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Haunting of the Queen Mary
What's the Story?
In HAUNTING OF THE QUEEN MARY, it's 1938, and the ocean liner RMS Queen Mary is underway. A trio of performers, the Ratch family, who are sailing in third class, decide to pretend to be first class passengers and dine in the main hall. Meanwhile, in the present day, Anne Calder (Alice Eve) and her estranged husband, Patrick (Joel Fry), are working on a book and virtual project about the ship, which is now in dry dock. They bring their 8-year-old son, Lukas (Lenny Rush), along, and he promptly gets lost on a "ghost" tour. Back in 1938, Jackie Ratch (Florrie Wilkinson) meets Fred Astaire (Wesley Alfvin), and they perform a dance together. Then something strange happens to David Ratch (Wil Coban); he snaps and goes on a bloody murder spree. In the present, Anne and Patrick find themselves on board the deserted ship, trying to find out what happened to Lukas while the odd Captain Bittner (Dorian Lough) keeps watch.
Is It Any Good?
Beautifully shot and with some striking, shocking images, this time-jumping horror tale nonetheless has a muddled narrative, and confusion and frustration eventually outweigh appreciation. Directed by Gary Shore, Haunting of the Queen Mary certainly takes advantage of its setting, a massive ship with ornate ballrooms and opulent décor -- the dance sequence with Jackie and Fred Astaire is a delight -- not to mention long, creepy hallways and the dank, sinister areas below decks. And David Ratch is a formidable, intimidating villain, clad in a creepy half-mask that covers his wounded face. The modern-day antagonist, Captain Bittner, is also wonderfully horrible.
Unfortunately, what either of them is actually up to isn't quite clear. (The same goes for the story as a whole.) The dialogue is often obscured by music or sound effects, making the confusion even thicker. When it comes to the heroes, some trouble is taken to establish that Lukas is Anne's child from a previous marriage and that he was raised by Patrick. But what's actually going on with this couple -- or, indeed, what actually happened to Lukas -- is harder to suss out. It's as if Haunting of the Queen Mary was filmed by talented humans but edited by an AI that randomly stuck scenes together with little concept of clarity, emotion, or storytelling.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Haunting of the Queen Mary's violence. How did it make you feel? Was it exciting? Shocking? What did the movie show or not show to achieve this effect? Why is that important?
Is the movie scary? What's the appeal of horror movies? Why do people sometimes like to be scared?
Some say the RMS Queen Mary is haunted in real life. Do you believe that? Why, or why not?
What can we learn about life in other eras from the scenes set in 1938? What was different then? What's still similar?
Movie Details
- In theaters : August 18, 2023
- On DVD or streaming : October 17, 2023
- Cast : Alice Eve , Joel Fry , Dorian Lough
- Director : Gary Shore
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Vertical Entertainment
- Genre : Horror
- Topics : Fantasy
- Run time : 125 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : September 18, 2025
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate