Haunting of the Queen Mary (2023) User Reviews

Convoluted and Muddled

[sanchitvarma14 · 4/10 · 19 August 2023]

The film is beautifully shot with great production design and atmosphere. The cinematography is excellent in places and you have to give them credit for sheer ambition. But that's where the positives end.

The screenplay is incredibly muddled and confusing and the story just fails to make any sense.

They try to weave in the past and present storylines together in a manner that they think is very clever but the two plot lines never mesh together and the end product is an incoherent mess.

Overall , the movie was like a fever dream where I was left admiring the beauty on the screen but scratching my head wondering what the hell is happening.

A tedious overlong slog that while nice looking fails to establish any atmosphere, stakes, investment, or scares

[IonicBreezeMachine · 3/10 · 18 August 2023]

In 1938, the Ratch family consisting of husband and wife David (Wil Coban) and Gwen (Nell Hudson) and their daughter Jackie (Florrie Wilkinson) are on a voyage aboard the Queen Mary as third class passengers masquerading as first class passengers. Meanwhile in present day, The Queen Mary is now permanently docked as a tourist attraction and now sees the Caulder family consisting of Anne (Alice Eve) her son Lukas (Lenny Rush) and estranged husband Patrick (Joel Fry) who come to the ship intending to write about its allegedly supernatural history from a child's point of view only to find the hauntings might be all too real.

Haunting of the Queen Mary is a 2023 horror film from director Gary Shore and co-written by Shore with Tom Vaughan and Stephen Oliver co-writing. The film is a British co-production among several companies and producers and began development back in 2013, around the same time producer Brett Tomberlin was working on another tourist attraction based horror film, 2018's Winchester which was also scripted by Vaughan. The producers really seemed to be pushing for Haunting of the Queen Mary as they announced their intention to make this the first in a trilogy of films centered around the ship, but this is most likely a "one and done" deal as Haunting of the Queen Mary is one of the most tedious and unstructured ghost movies I can recall of recent memory.

I'll start off by saying I think the film does a good job photographing the Queen Mary and I did at first enjoy the shots down corridors that convey the labyrinthian nature of the ship. I also felt the production design for the segments in 1938 were quite impressive with most of the visually interesting elements taking place in that part of the movie. The movie itself however despite looking pretty nice has very little going on underneath and the writing that keeps bouncing back and forth between the past and the present prevents any establishment of mood or foreboding tone from taking hold. While it is possible to have a horror story that jumps around the timeline as Mike Flanagan's Oculus proved, there needs to be a connection between the two time lines so that it still forms into a cohesive whole. With Haunting of the Queen Mary's storylines, there's nothing that really ties the two timelines together (at least not until the very end) that it feels less like you're watching a movie and more like you're watching two thirds of two different movies that have been crudely put together. Most of the characterization is rather flat on the Caulder family with the rather strange decision of having their 8 year old son played by little person actor Lenny Rush who has appeared in well regarded material but with a mixture of clunky dialogue that feels like it's written for someone 6 years old at most it becomes very distracting. Alice Eve and Joel Fry are just stuck in bland roles and it would be hard for anyone to make those engaging. I will say that I did think the Ratch family was better by comparison as Florrie Wilkinson as the daughter Jackie gets some decent scenes, but again it's not really scary because there isn't as much time spent developing them as there should be. The movie putters along at a punishing runtime of just under two hours, and by the one hour mark I simply wanted the film to end.

I didn't expect much from Haunting of the Queen Mary given its connections to the movie Winchester which with the exception of Helen Mirren was just mediocre, but even by my lowest expectations the film still fell short of them. With paper thin characters, a sloppy unfocused screenplay, and an inability to get any fear or dread from its premise, Haunting of the Queen Mary is a failure as a horror film and there is no way we're getting that trilogy. Sorry producers.

Just a mess of incoherent shots

[david_w_gibson · 3/10 · 2 September 2023]

This is a movie begging to be recut. I actually think that if someone took the time to do that, they could get a decent movie out of it. For the most part, what ruins this movie is it's like someone filmed a bunch of scenes then slapped them together in a hurry with what they thought was an edgy jump from past to present and back again, when all they actually did was to completely lose the audience as there is no cohesion between the 2 timelines and the I was left asking "how did that happen?" or why'd he/she do that?" throughout the movie until the end, when there is the slightest of answers for the viewer, but I suspect most, unless actually in a theatre, had quit the movie half way through as I was tempted. This movie screams to be recut into a straight timeline with maybe a little flashing back or forward as that technique is overuse in general and in this film to the extreme. Acting was good, but dialogue between the couple in the present was very lacking. Cinematography was good except it looks like the camera was searching for something to shoot at times. If I had the time and equipment I think this could be recut into a decent movie.

What was this about????

[jkrempelinsac · 2/10 · 9 November 2023]

If somebody asked me what this movie was about, I could not tell them. I did not understand anything. I did not understand the story, I did not understand the going back-and-forth, I did not understand why the new captain collapsed when they broke down the wall, I did not understand why the little boy was out on the ledge, I did not understand why the woman stuck a pen through her hand and they just never followed up about it, I didn't understand the purpose of Fred Astaire and the girl tap dancing, I did not understand why the guy had half of his face missing, I did not understand why they were staying overnight, I did not understand the old man in the bathtub that he shot, I didn't understand all the flashing of the lights on the camera... one big mess of scenes with no plot or objective. Oh, and the tarot cards? I could go on and on, but I still would not understand it.

Discombobulated

[sharyndebernardis · 1/10 · 11 November 2023]

I have no idea what I just watched. It was a confusing, disjointed mess. At the beginning it seemed to have the makings of a very interesting story. But all it did was get more and more confusing. I kinda get what they were trying to do with flashbacks, but there were too many, and they didnt explain anything. I was told to wait until the end of the movie and it will be all clear. Im pretty sure now the person who told me this had a stake in this movie, because when I got to the end it left me more confused than when i started. The costumes for that period where spot on, the acting was good. I suggest next time use a little more of your budget on script development.

Okay pitch, terrible execution

[jarodlblack · 2/10 · 24 August 2023]

First off, the plot makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. I found the character motivations to be unbelievable. I still have no idea why any of the characters were on the ship in the first place and what exactly they were trying to accomplish. The film kept jumping between two storylines, one in 1938 and one in the present. There wasn't enough character development to really make the audience care about the fate of any of the main protagonists/antagonists in either narrative. By the end, it isn't clear how the two stories are supposed to be connected.

Obviously the films' writers were banking on the established ghost stories surrounding the Queen Mary (the lady in white, Jackie, the 1st class swimming pool, the HMS Curacoa, B-474 murder) but the problem is the depiction/references to these in the film do nothing to advance the plot.

I will give the film two stars for great cinematography, lighting, and visuals. There are a few nicely shot scenes showcasing interior spaces on the ship as well as a couple references to historical events involving the Queen Mary, but that doesn't make up for the really poor dialogue, incoherent narrative structure, and lack of character development.

Pretty, but a mess

[sierbahnn · 3/10 · 24 August 2023]

While I appreciate the effort here, and it is a stunning visual, it is a bit of a mess. It does not engage with its broken timeline and lackluster characters, the timeskips break tension rather than build it, and there is a lack of relatability and stakes.

I was hoping for more, given that there are so many '10's, but I have a sneaking suspicion that those are crew and friends. This is clearly not a ten. You can tell that those reviews are probably planted, as they call for the audience to "pay attention" or you "miss it". If your storytelling is so jumbled that the audience cannot follow the story, then you are doing something wrong. Telling the audience to 'pay attention' is a cop-out. You should engage them, and they will do it without being told to.

Pretty, but not engaging, and certainly not scary.

Promising and ending up boring with no answers or points1

[diane_berger · 4/10 · 24 August 2023]

I see that it needs an analysis of 600 charecters, but, honestly, it is a waste of time and effort.

The actors did the best they could given the circumstances, just as much as the operators, but the script is so bad that nobody ever, with the best talent or intentions could save it or make it pass an average score.... I wonder sometimes what is wrong with investors that put their money into movies or things r that have no artistic or intellectual value?!

It's a shame in a world where money could be used in a so much better way... A movie like this is not even likeable, so it's not going to make a blockbuster, and in terms of its message it's totally worthless, so why make it?!

Story is a mess but it's a gorgeous looking film

[NateWatchesCoolMovies · 6/10 · 31 August 2023]

The Haunting Of The Queen Mary is a bizarrely grandiose, intensely eccentric, grand old horror spectacle that unfolds in two timelines about a hundred years apart and while I have to say that it's not much of a coherent beast in terms of storyline, it's one of the most visually stylish, atmospherically engaging films I've seen this year. In 1938 the Queen Mary steamship makes a special, no expenses spared Halloween voyage across the Atlantic and one ill fated family of carny stowaways has an increasingly dangerous encounter with... something supernatural. In present day a young woman (Alice Eve) tours the now dormant ship and tries to convince the slightly shady duty captain to let her include footage of it in her upcoming podcast but it soon becomes clear that the supernatural element might be still hanging around. Well, not that clear but that's the best I can surmise it. I'll be totally honest with you: the writer and editor of this thing may have had a few too many while working on this because the plot just... careens around wildly making not much sense, the transitions from time period are loose and undefined and the core elements of the story are buried in pacing pandemonium. Having said that, the director and cinematographer seem to have had just the right amount because this is one of the most beautiful looking horror pictures I've seen in some time, an opulently lit, complexly structured palette full of striking costume choices, clanking steampunk viscera below deck and some of the most flat-out gruesome murder scenes committed to celluloid involving an axe swung just about as furiously as possible into people's faces. The 1938 sequences are breathtaking in period detail, dialogue and song/dance numbers as the ship hosts celebrities like Fred Astaire himself, among others. This is a big, loud, immersive and hectic experience that's reminiscent of the early 2000's Dark Castle horror films like Thirteen Ghosts, Ghost Ship, Gothika and House On Haunted Hill. These type of films are absolutely dripping in the style, production design and visual artistic aspects even if story and logic don't quite fall into step. That's a great way to describe this one, a big ol' ghost story you just sort of surrender to like a runaway theme park ride, it's so much fun.

Prepare to set sail aboard the RMS Boredom...

[paul_haakonsen · 3/10 · 26 August 2023]

When I sat down here in 2023 to watch the movie "Haunting of the Queen Mary", I had never actually heard about it. But I have to admit that I was immediately drawn in by the movie's cover/poster art, and the fact that it was a horror movie that I hadn't already seen.

Writers Gary Shore and Tom Vaughan, however, failed miserably to concoct a script and storyline that appealed much to me. The narrative in "Haunting of the Queen Mary" jumps back and forth between 1938 and the current day, however it utterly failed to make either of the two periods particularly interesting for the viewer. And the movie suffered terribly from an interior script and having characters that were as bland as tap water.

The jumping back and forth is done without much of any grace, and the end result is a rather confusing and messy heap of a narrative, and that ultimately made my interest in the movie wane with each passing minute. I have to say that I didn't figure out if there was a point to the narrative or not, and I ended up giving up on the ordeal before anything could be revealed; not that it mattered at that point.

The acting performances in "Haunting of the Queen Mary" were adequate, taking into consideration that the actors and actresses virtually had nothing worthwhile to work with and bring to the screen in terms of characters, dialogue and narrative contents.

Visually then "Haunting of the Queen Mary" was okay. I wasn't impressed with anything in particular, but the special effects were fair enough. And the few scenes of gore and mayhem made it semi-durable to sit through the boredom that is "Haunting of the Queen Mary". The ship itself and the interior of the vessel was actually quite nice, and that does count for something.

I gave up on the movie with just 30 minutes left to watch. But by then I just couldn't take any more of the boredom that directors Gary Shore and Rebecca Harris were bringing to the screen. And this is definitely not a movie that I will return to for a second time in order to finish watching it. I just simply don't care about the narrative or the characters in the movie.

My rating of "Haunting of the Queen Mary" lands on a three out of ten stars.

It's good if you don't miss the important plot points.

[adammilks · 8/10 · 13 January 2024]

I see many confused with this film and it's because they missed a key element , the boy never leaves the ship thus he was a vessel for the little tap dancing girl from 1938. Her Parents were also waiting for vessels to leave the ship. When dead you are stuck on this ship. The present mother doesn't slam the window on her son. She is slamming it on the little girl thus she had realized it was not her son. She came back for her boy, lied and told the captain her son was sick. At the end it's the mother from 1938 in the cop car thinking she'll be reunited with her daughter but the jokes on her. Hope that helps.

Float your boat much (or menos)?

[kosmasp · 6/10 · 24 December 2023]

No pun intended - I have to admit I had higher hopes for this. And underneath all the ... well craziness, there is at least a decent movie in there. But as others already have attested .. it is quite messy, it is quite convoluted to say the least. And yet I do find something appealing in here - also I have been accused of rating better than I should.

One of the biggest shockers is in the trailer, but they had to sell the movie somehow of course. And talking about that, I reckon the trailer was suggesting something different than what we got. Even a game does this way better than the movie did (similar story that is - "Ghost ship" as a big theme .. talking about Men of Medan of course).

Still the movie has some shocking moments and some really bloody violence to go with that. There are glimpses of genius here and there ... but it all sinks with the madness (see what I did there?) ... the time hopping adds to the confusion - which again you can be like me and say it is ok or fine or even makes this interesting ... but it feels like this has been chopped and edited and re-written too many times. It may have made more sense to do a limited series with all the stuff they tried to cram in there! It is so packed you wouldn't be able to find any stowaway who managed to get on board.

Try to sit back, free your mind, don't think about how illogical some (much?) of the stuff is and let the visuals take over ... there is a reason for all this ... and maybe the ending is good ... and maybe it isn't ... chances are you will be laughing as maniacly as one of the main characters does ...

A Convoluted Mess.

[meddlecore · 3/10 · 25 August 2023]

To begin with, this film definitely has a very alluring, dark, and eerie, style to it.

However, it suffers from some severe structural issues.

As it jumps back and forth 3 timelines: 1938- the time when a series of grizzly murders occurred on the ship; to recent history- where a struggling family has reunited, in order to investigate the haunted history of the ship, with hopes of monetizing it, by either writing a book, or creating a VR experience, about it...ultimately culminating with an incident around which the plot is based; and modern day, when the parents return to the ship, to solve the mystery, concerning what happened to their son on their previous visit.

Unfortunately, (as others have already noted) it's a bit of a convoluted mess.

The main problem being that the crux of the plot is not explained very clearly.

Meaning that the intuitiveness of the viewer is required to pick up on what is actually going on.

Hints are provided.

But they are somewhat vague, and could easily be missed.

With the supernatural action sequences only adding to the confusion.

And feeling somewhat out of place, when they occur.

Sure...there are definitely some cool parts to the film (particularly in regards to the gore).

However, they try way too hard to prolong the mystery...and the point of it all to become lost in the process.

In short...it just doesn't play well as a whole.

Which is a shame...because the concepts here are great...and there's a load of talent involved.

But the plot structure has no flow to it.

You hope the conclusion is going to tie up the loose ends, and clear up some of this confusion.

However, it only acts to muddle things up even further.

And leave you utterly confounded.

Making you wonder what it was ever about in the first place.

In the end, I did manage to figure it out (after some reflection).

But I could EASILY see what happens eluding most people.

And even if you do manage get what's going on after the twist kicks in...you are left wondering what the purpose of some of the occurrences leading up to that point really were.

As it seems that some scenes were included simply to confuse you (like the one where she drops out of the door, into the ocean, for example).

So it's flabbergasting to think they thought that this was a coherent story in any way shape or form.

Because it's really not.

Which is too bad...cause while there's so much to be admired...it leaves room for desire.

3.5 out of 10.

It made no sense. Don't bother watching.

[soelir · 3/10 · 7 February 2024]

I eventually watched this right the way through on my third attempt. I know, I deserve to never be allowed to watch anything ever again.

It started off ok, except for the dodgy accents, and like others have said it looked good. But it was such a horrific mess.

On the first two attempts I figured I was too tired to follow the plot and must have missed something obvious. I definitely didn't.

There's just too many things going on.

So, there's a murderer who was sacrificed to allow the ship to never sink. He then went into someone else's body to go about murdering and trying to get off the ship. Instead of just getting off the ship with no fuss.

Then he's still hanging about in the captain? Or the captains from each time all know and keep quiet?

Then everyone who has ever died is trapped there, but you only see a few of them?

And the second mom laughs because she gets it in the back of the police car, but we don't know what she gets.

The little girl is still wandering about and saved the boy, but the mom killed the boy when they were at home?

The guy threw away the evidence before they left the boat after gleefully buying a picture of the little girl?!?!

Seriously, something went wrong somewhere and the result is a hot mess.

3/10 is being overly generous and I'm a generous scorer.

I like the kids in this. They don't deserve to have their future reputations tarnished by this drivel.

Marking this as spoilers even though it's impossible to spoil this film more.

The 10/10 reviews are clearly bots or related to the actors

[stevelivesey-37183 · 2/10 · 29 August 2023]

This feels like a sequel to the flawed Death Ship or the awful Ghost Ship.

This is terrible. There is little or nothing recommend here. The acting, direction, script, plot, editing, cinematography, pacing and colour palette are all unbearable.

And can someone please turn on a light. I know it is supposed to be a horror/thriller but this was simply dreary to look at.

Alice Eve has fallen a long way if this is what she thinks is acceptable.

What was with the weird kid? Why the two stories running simultaneously? Why the long drawn out dining room scene? The haunted phone? The weird captain?

Modern movies ...... you can keep them.

A waste of over 2 hours

[elizrug · 1/10 · 25 August 2023]

All of it was bad.

The lighting? Bad.

The plot? Bad.

The acting? Bad.

The casting? Bad.

The background music? Bad.

The directing? Bad.

The concept? Bad.

The special effects? Bad.

I cannot come up with 1 thing about this movie that was good. Literally not one. It seemed like a high school freshman drama class came up with the story and got a middle school friend to direct it.

There was nothing scary. There was nothing humorous.

There was just disjointed and ridiculous stuff going on the entire time. This may be one of the worst movies I have ever seen. Even Sharknado was far better than this.

WHAT THE $#!@%???

[rlburoker-66498 · 1/10 · 3 September 2023]

They flipflop through time so much to take your mind off the fact that it makes NO sense at all. No answers as to why anything is happening. If I hadn't wasted $7.99 on it, I would have turned it off earlier instead of the endurance contest to the end, hoping for a plausible explanation for the mishmash of events.

Was it possession? Was it haunting? Did they live or die? Who walked off the ship, the couple or were they just their bodies inhabited by spirits? Who the heck knows?

Amongst the varied "what the %$#!" and "huh??" moments, are several reminds to see if maybe we missed something. The only thing I miss is my $7.99.

A convoluted yet captivating voyage

[Howling_at_the_Moon_Reviews · 6/10 · 6 November 2023]

I don't quite think that this movie deserves its current rating of a 4.2 or all of the scathing reviews. It was not without issue, but there was a lot that was really quite positive about it.

The aesthetics and general picture were impressively beautiful, eerie and atmospheric throughout the entire film. Stylistically, the shots were quite cool and eye-catching, doing some seemingly innovative and definitely interesting things that I personally have not seen some of before. There were some gnarly effects and cool concepts. I will say it wasn't super scary, but when the spook hit, it hit. All in all, visually, it was a pleasure to watch.

The story, while certainly teetering the line between intricate and convoluted, was full of really interesting details, twists and turns. However, a lot of the good substantial intrigue was slightly squandered due to poor pacing.

I think the number one biggest issue with this film was its run time. Because this is the type of film that stylistically has an action/happening that may be confusing or raise questions and THEN the background/motive is explained later, it creates a constant back-and-forth between questioning what is going on and then having it explained to you. This works for a lot of films and keeps you on your toes and engaged.

However, Because of the pacing and this movies long run time, we are left hanging for quite awhile and don't really get any solid explanation or grasp of the actual story until over half way through. I think with a shorter run time and a bit more of a concise plot this would have had a much better reception and would have fixed many of its problems. The mediocre script and relatively bland characters didn't help either, but the acting was generally successful.

It appears I liked this movie more than the general public and was maybe a bit more forgiving of some of its short comings. I did see a lot of potential here and even taking it as is, it was still entertaining at the end of the day. 5.5 rounding up to a 6. Would recommend.

I don't even understand what it's about

[CHVZCSS · 2/10 · 9 December 2023]

The film addresses a plot that to some extent borders on confusing and tiring.

If something can be rescued from this boring experience, it is the villain, who seems interesting but is quite wasted.

I had never returned feeling cheated from the cinema until today.

The characters are so empty and boring that it is impossible to feel empathy or pity for what is happening throughout the plot.

To finish, I honestly do not recommend this movie because if what you are looking for is to have a good time and get distracted a little, you will only end up watching something that will only confuse you, will give you a poor resolution and will have an ending that simply will not make you feel anything.

A spooky good time

[csw2990 · 10/10 · 29 August 2023]

I love a good horror movie and this one was right up my alley. Sure, I had to watch in the day time and follow up with some cartoons before bed but I made it through without having any nightmares later that night.

The cinematography was lovely. I hate when horror movies are too dark. But this one isn't like that at all. The actors did a great job and I love that it was 2 different stories.

Come for the scares and great story telling, stay for the visuals and artistry. All the people that worked on this project did a fantastic job. Everything isn't for everyone, but don't let negative Nancy's ruin the fun of a good horror flick.

I enjoyed it. It didn't always make sense. But I enjoyed it.

[bluerosecrow · 7/10 · 21 September 2023]

I enjoyed myself while watching this movie. Visually and stylistically it was very fun. But the problem is that it really doesn't make much sense. People seem to do things just to do them. People seem to just know things without any reason or show of how they learned that information. Sometimes you may think that you must have missed something, so you rewind the movie to find that you in fact did not miss anything. Some scenes throw it back to the old school 80's and 90's where a character decides to just stop the flow of the movie to info dump a bunch of exposition. But the way it is all done makes it an honestly fun watch. It doesn't try to take itself too seriously. The music added a lot to the energy. They answered enough so that it did have a coherent main story. And overall, it was a very enjoyable watch. It would be a perfect movie to watch on a rainy October night while you eat a box of Taco Bell soft shelled tacos. And while that may sound super specific, that is the vibe this movie gives me.

Rich Potential, Poorly Executed

[deannabirkla · 5/10 · 21 October 2023]

The Haunting of Queen Mary creates a horror based historical fiction story inspired by supposedly haunted Queen Mary.

The movie tries its best to be a cohesive story about family and sacrifice by alternating between a struggling low-class family in the past and a modern family in the present, however it lacks the intimacy for the audience to create connections to these characters and as result, their survival.

The movie is visually gorgeous in their interior designs and shots, but the camera direction takes away from what could've been perfect captures.

The plot tried for originality but, it still feels familar to other possession/ghost revenge movies and the pacing of the movie makes it difficult to pay attention to the tiny breadcrumbs that feeds into the plot.

Personally I feel like this movie was trying to mimic "Haunting of Hill House" with a real location of a "haunted" location, however was unable to successfully capture that spirit.

Just read all the reviews

[sillylillyana · 4/10 · 12 March 2024]

The movie looks wonderful. You'd think there was potentional. It's all a confusing mess. Just read all the reviews. They're all the same and accurate. The past historic part of the movie had a horrible result for what is happening to the movie. I'm glad I watched this for free on Hulu. Somehow without noticeable reasoning, a man becomes possessed???? The murdered family then continues to haunt the ship, but at some unexplained point connects to a family that visits. I had so many personal questions for why the poor kid wasn't properly watched and fell into the situation of having his soul stolen and replaced????

Sleep inducing

[andydavis-19959 · 1/10 · 27 August 2023]

Any attempt at creating suspense was thwarted by the slow pace and confused unravelling of the plot. The movie is far too long, I was increasingly eager for it to end with 40 minutes remaining.

Haunting of Queen Mary is based on a good premise, but it was carried out poorly. Some failed attempts to shock with gore did little to reprieve it. I felt like the film was desperately trying to emulate The Shining, but all it really managed to do was induce yawns. It tried too hard, and fell well short.

The dialogue, and much of the acting, felt wooden and stilted. I didn't feel that I understood, or cared about, the characters. The cinematography was dull and depressing, not scary.

Overall, a very disappointing movie... and far too long.

American Horror Story Hatchet Job

[davidsaid · 2/10 · 5 September 2023]

SO yes this looks good but if you've watched any of the American Horror Story series you'll find this aesthetic overwhelmingly baked. So what's left? The story; but there really isnt much but a mish mash of convoluted yet none inspired threads cobbled together. Its miraculous to me that someone would go to such lengths to make a perhaps beautiful piece of work but then tell a story that is so void of any interest other than the fleeting hope that at some unknown moment it might give us something juicy to bite into. Yet half way through I was so parched I had to walk away from this shipwreck of a cruise. 2 stars cause its just too mean to give 1.