The Ferryman (2007)

Director:

Chris Graham

Writers:

Matthew Metcalfe (story)
Nick Ward (screenplay)

Release Date:

2007 (Australia)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

Everybody pays.

Plot:

The story of a group of twenty-something's who charter a boat to Fiji for the trip of a lifetime, before stumbling upon an evil that demands vengeance at any cost.

Plot Keywords:

Fiji | Yacht | New Zealand | Fishing Boat | Mist

Cast

  (Credited cast)

John Rhys-Davies	...	The Greek
Kerry Fox	...	Suze
Sally Stockwell	...	Tate
Amber Sainsbury	...	Kathy
Tamer Hassan	...	Big Dave
Craig Hall	...	Chris Hamilton
Julian Arahanga	...	Zane
Lawrence Makoare	...	Snake
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Imogen Cassin	...	Imogen
Ben Fransham	...	The Ferryman
Robbie Magasiva	...	Man in Club

MPAA:

Rated R for brutal horror violence, language, some sexuality and drug use.

Runtime:

Germany:100 min (European Film Market)

Country:

New Zealand | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

USA:R | Singapore:M18 | Australia:R | Malaysia:18SG | New Zealand:R16

Filming Locations:

Auckland, New Zealand

Company:

Atlantic Film Productions

Trivia:

The back tattoo which Davis is wearing shows a snake, that bites itself - in figure of an eight. It's the symbol for eternity and immortality.

Movie Connections:

References "The Love Boat" (1977)

Soundtrack:

Home Again

One hellish boat-trip to the Other Side!

Reasonably good and old-fashioned scary demonic horror from New Zealand, "The Ferryman" occasionally succeeds in combining the claustrophobic atmosphere of "Dead Calm" with the 'do not even trust your loved ones'-suspense factor of "The Shining". This film features one of the most solid basic horror-premises in years, as it revolves on the ancient Greek myth of the ferryman who – according to the legend – needs to be paid in order to guide newly deceased souls over to the other side. For centuries already, one man always managed to escape death by constantly shifting into the bodies of unsuspecting tourists and seamen crossing the waters surrounding the New Zealand islands. He uses an uncanny old dagger to transfer his spirit into a new host and his unfortunate victims die in the old body. When a tourist yacht with six passengers on board rescues and old and sickly man during a storm, they don't realize their lives are endangered as he now has six vital and healthy bodies to choose from. The first 40 minutes of "The Ferryman" are a bit slow and uneventful, mainly because director Chris Graham spends too much time on the overly detailed and slightly redundant character drawings. We're getting rather useless information regarding the three couples' backgrounds and history. A good thing, however, is that none of the characters is your average slasher-stereotype. They're all realistic and likable (at least, most of them) people and not just dumb high-school students on their way to an island-party, or something. As soon as the eerie old man – another great role for John Rhys-Davis – plants his dagger in the chest of his first victim, "The Ferryman" turns into an exciting and spectacular horror film. Some of the death sequences regretfully take place off screen, but others are pretty gruesome and cruel. The titular ferryman only appears briefly at the beginning and the end of the film, but he's a traditionally nasty-looking monster with a rotting face and a hoarse voice. The inescapable location of a yacht in the middle of the open sea and often stuck in thick fog banks adds a great deal the atmosphere and the photography is beautiful. The last sequences on board the yacht, and particularly the ingenious epilogue, will undoubtedly please even the most skeptical horror fan. Recommended.