SCREAMBOAT
(director/writer: Steve LaMorte; screenwriter: Matthew Garcia-Dunn/based on the animated short film by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks; cinematographer: Steven Della Salla; editor: Patrick Lawrence; music: Yael Benamour; cast: Tyler Posey (Radio Operator Mike), David Howard Thornton (Screamboat Willie), Jared Johnston (Neil), Brian Quinn (McEverly), Allison Pittel (Selena), Jesse Posey (Pete), (Amber), Kailey Hyman (Cindi), Jarlath Conroy (Barry), Jared Lily (Moses), Rumi C. Jean-Louis (Matteo), Brian Scolaro (Captain Clark); Runtime: 101; MPAA Rating: NR; producers: Amy Schumacher, Martine Melloui, Steven Della Salla, Michael Leavy, Steve LaMorte; Iconic Events; 2025)
“Exploitation splatter pic that’s neither funny or scary.”
Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz
A low-budget campy horror film based on Disney’s 1928 silent animation. It’s the film that introduced us to Mickey Mouse. Steve LaMorte (“The Mean One”/”Bury Me Twice”) directs and co-writes it with Matthew Garcia-Dunn, after the film went into public domain.
It’s set on NYC’s commuter Staten Island Ferry on a foggy night, as the last ferry leaves Manhattan for home before a storm shuts it down. The focus is on three passengers-Selena (Allison Pittel), a young waitress from Minnesota aspiring to be a fashion designer; the nice-guy young deckhand Pete (Jesse Posey) interested in the waitress; and, the on duty EMT, Amber (Amy Schumacher).
A killer mouse as big as a rat, known as Steamboat Willie, has been let loose from the cargo hold by careless members of the crew. The terror immediately begins, as the mouse slaughters them and the ferry captain (Captain Clark).
The mouse is played in costume and heavy make-up by David Howard Thornton. His monstrous performance is the most nourishing thing about this cheesy film.
The slasher film hits rock bottom when a guy’s penis is dismembered while having sex on the deck.
With no captain, the ferry has no one to take it home, as it’s circling in the Hudson River with the homicidal mouse going on a killing spree. It’s an insanely absurd exploitation splatter pic that’s neither funny or scary.
REVIEWED ON 4/7/2025 GRADE: C
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