A couple of models are hired for some sort of PR stunt far out at sea. Everything seems fine until they sail into a fog bank and suddenly come across a ghost ship drifting in the middle of the open ocean. Naturally, the girls decide to board the ship to investigate — not exactly the smartest move.
This is the third film in Amando de Ossorio’s Blind Dead quadrilogy. Like the others, it has no real connection to the rest of the series apart from the returning zombie Templar knights.
Amando de Ossorio completely ignores the storyline and lore from the first two films, even breaking with the established behaviour of the Templars themselves. This time, we’re aboard an ancient ghost ship that apparently exists in another dimension. The ship holds a group of zombie knights lying in their coffins, waiting. The film takes an eternity to get going — and if the first two films felt slow, this one surpasses them by a long shot. Not only is it painfully sluggish, but it’s also clearly made on a much smaller budget. There are few memorable scenes, and the little that’s offered in terms of special effects is just downright sad.
Ossorio also seems to have learned nothing from his past mistakes — once again, it’s hard to tell the difference between night and day in his scenes. Maybe it’s no surprise his career fizzled out after the Blind Dead series?
In a sense — and somewhat ironically — this film could be called a “commercial suicide.” Ossorio was reportedly so unhappy with parts of the production (such as the fact that the ship built for the film was only half a ship) that he chose to make something he himself called “rubbish.” The result speaks for itself.
There are rumours of a 106-minute version of this film. The longest version available today clocks in at a measly 87 minutes (PAL). Watching the film, it’s easy to believe those rumours, even though no one has ever found a copy of the full 106-minute cut. There’s minimal blood, and despite the cast being full of models, not even a single topless scene. The editing also feels choppy in several places — as if something’s missing. Unfortunately, no one has been able to confirm this, so it remains a mystery.
To be fair, there are a few elements that work. The ship itself looks pretty cool, and the ending is actually quite decent. The score from the earlier films is reused and still sounds great. It’s also worth noting that this film at least tries to tell an original story, unlike its predecessor.
Still, The Ghost Galleon is a major disappointment. It adds nothing worthwhile to the Blind Dead saga — in fact, it takes away from it. This is especially true for the knights themselves, who were genuinely creepy in the previous films, but here come off as stiff, lifeless, and unimpressive.
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