Efficient little RKO suspense B, with Val Lewton producing and loads of fog, has third mate Russell Wade discovering that Captain Richard Dix is nuts and murderous, and can't convince any of his fellow crew of that. A young Mark Robson directs carefully, building the suspense slowly and efficiently, and one does spend a lot of the movie wondering what new threat is around the corner on deck. Dix is fine, declaiming some man-and-superman philosophy that must have resonated in wartime and still does, and Wade has an everyman appeal that makes us sympathize with his plight. It's over rather abruptly, and the happy-ish ending isn't altogether convincing, but if you want to see what a well-produced, atmospheric B looked like in 1943, here's an excellent example.
Review of The Ghost Ship
