Common Sense Media Review
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Ultra-gory Mickey Mouse-inspired horror comedy.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 17+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Screamboat
What's the Story?
In SCREAMBOAT, Selena (Allison Pittel) races to catch the Staten Island Ferry after her shift as a bartender. She's trying to escape five obnoxious women who are out partying to celebrate a birthday, and deckhand Pete (Jesse Posey) helps her elude them. Other weary travelers board the boat, heading for home or places unknown. But below decks, a horrific creature has been freed after 90 years. It's out to slaughter anyone and everyone who crosses its rodenty path, but things change when the creature lays eyes on Selena.
Is It Any Good?
One of many horror movies based on public domain intellectual property, this gory comedy is a slight cut above the rest, thanks to its humor, fun visual effects, and grimy ferryboat setting. Right off the bat, Screamboat is notably more ambitious than the awful Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey movies and the dreadful The Mouse Trap, although it's still not that ambitious. Its best asset is the killer "Willie" character (a burned, scarred, and twisted version of everyone's favorite mouse), played in wide shots by a puppet and in close-up by David Howard Thornton, who's best known as Art the Clown in the Terrifier movies.
Thornton brings a naughty-scamp quality to the character, as if he's almost sorry for doing all these bad things, but not that sorry. (Incidentally, in the original Steamboat Willie, released in 1928, Mickey wasn't exactly a role model.) This Willie whistles all kinds of old-timey (public domain) songs, like "Take Me Out to the Ball Game," for an extra-creepy effect. The movie offers viewers a ferry that's grubby and seedy; riding it isn't for the faint of heart. The locations around the ship give the proceedings some personality, as do the jaded New Yorkers who are used to it all and don't care. And Pittel's Selena is a fairly traditional "final girl" horror character, but she's still an appealing and intrepid one. Certainly you wouldn't go so far as to call Screamboat finely crafted or suspenseful, but for those who know what they're getting into, it might just be the cheese they're looking for.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Screamboat'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 enjoy being scared?
How do you feel seeing Mickey Mouse reimagined as a brutal killer? Should beloved characters be untouchable? What can be gained from this kind of revisionist approach?
How is drinking depicted? Is it glamorized? Are there consequences? Why does that matter?
How does Screamboat compare to other gory horror movies that are based on beloved characters now in the public domain?
Movie Details
- In theaters : April 2, 2025
- On DVD or streaming : May 2, 2025
- Cast : David Howard Thornton , Allison Pittel , Jesse Posey
- Director : Steven LaMorte
- Inclusion Information : Latino Movie Actor(s)
- Studios : Iconic Events Releasing , Deskpop Entertainment
- Genre : Horror
- Topics : Fantasy
- Run time : 102 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : November 9, 2025
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