Torture Ship
| Torture Ship | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical poster | |
| Directed by | Victor Halperin |
| Screenplay by |
|
| Based on | "A Thousand Deaths" by Jack London |
| Produced by |
|
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Holbrook Todd[1] |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Producers Distributing Corporation |
Release date |
|
Running time | 64 minutes[2] |
| Country | United States[1] |
| Language | English |
Torture Ship is a 1939 American science fiction horror film directed by Victor Halperin, based on Jack London's 1899 short story "A Thousand Deaths". The film stars Lyle Talbot as a mad scientist who performs experiments regarding "the criminal mind" on captured criminals onboard his private ship.
Cast
- Lyle Talbot as Lt. Bob Bennett
- Irving Pichel as Dr. Herbert Stander
- Julie Bishop as Joan Martel
- Sheila Bromley as Poison Mary Slavish
- Anthony Averill as Dirk - Stander's Aide
- Russell Hopton as Harry "The Carver" Bogard
- Julian Madison as Paul - Stander's Aide
- Eddie Holden as Ole Olson
- Wheeler Oakman as John Ritter
- Stanley Blystone as Captain Mike Briggs
- Leander De Cordovaas Ezra Matthews
- Demetrius Alexis as Steve Murano
- Skelton Knaggs as Jesse Bixel
Production
The film is based on the short story "A Thousand Deaths" by Jack London originally published in Black Cat Magazine in May 1899.[1]
By the end of the first week of August 1939,
Release
Torture Ship was distributed by Producers Distributing Corporation on October 22, 1939.[1]
Reception
From contemporary reviews, "Herb." of Variety noted the acting in the film stating "there can be no quarrel with the acting of the princpals" but that Torture Ship was a "quickie action thriller that misses fire [sic] all the way on its possibilities" and that the film "has so many unreasonable and unexplainable points that it will annoy even the most jueve-minded [sic]"[4] The Film Daily also praised the film's acting while finding Halperin's direction as "O.K." while declaring the film "has enough punch and drama to satisfy the nabe trade."[4]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g "Torture Ship". American Film Institute. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
- ^ "Torture Ship (A)". British Board of Film Classification. November 27, 1939. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
- ^ a b c Rhodes 2006, p. 238.
- ^ a b Rhodes 2006, p. 239.
Sources
- Rhodes, Gary D. (2006). White Zombie: Anatomy of a Horror Film. McFarland. ISBN 0786427620.
External links
- Torture Ship at IMDb
- Torture Ship at the TCM Movie Database
- Torture Ship at Rotten Tomatoes
- Torture Ship is available for free viewing and download at the Internet Archive
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