Directed by Steven LaMorte
We all knew it was only a matter of time before we tackled a Mickey, er…, Steamboat Willie, public domain horror movie. Yeah, Steamboat Willie, not related to that other guy at all… Anyway, there are heaps of these mouseshit steamboat willie slashers clogging up platforms like Tubi (which is where I saw this) so I picked the one with David Howard Thornton (who plays Art the Clown in the Terrifier series). Was this the right choice? Who knows! Time for Screamboat!
After a pair of ship workers release a deranged imprisoned rodent from an old steamship, it quickly begins a murder spree on anyone unfortunate enough to get in its way. Elsewhere, a young bartender tries to escape an equally dangerous situation, a group of mooching drunk party girls, all dressed like some very familiar princesses, who decided the bartender is their new best friend. Escaping onto the last ferry leaving before a terrible fog settles in, our group soon learns that there’s a dangerous stowaway on board; one that won’t rest until it’s the last living thing on that ferry.
As you can probably tell from some of that summary, one of Screamboat’s biggest strengths is that it knows just how dumb this premise is and doesn’t try to take itself too seriously. You can (and I did) make a drinking game out of every time there’s a Disney reference, like those aforementioned princesses or someone sneaking a famous line into the dialogue. Some of it’s groan-worthy, but it helps establish the tone that they were going for here and differentiate this from some of the other Steamboat Willie slashers (yes, I have seen a few of them) which try to play this concept straight. These wink and nod moments definitely help lighten the mood a bit and sustain the pacing.
Speaking of ridiculous, Steamboat Willie’s costume is absurd in the best way. It looks so damn stupid, and seeing a genuinely creepy actor like David Howard Thornton mincing around in this thing is kind of amazing. Doubly so, because Willie isn’t a human sized mouse (rat?, mouserat?) but about a 1foot, maybe 1.5 foot tall thing that always looks absurd in proportion to everyone else. And no, there is no attempt to explain how this mini slasher is so strong, he just is because that’s the kind of movie this is. But I really need to take a moment and appreciate David Howard Thornton, he is giving this role his all and through sheer force of will manages to channel the chaotic energy that a murderous yet legally distinct Mickey Mouse would possess. Watching this is worth it just for Thornton’s performance and costuming. That energy really comes through during some of the kills, which, while never as crazy as some of the highlights of the Terrifier series, can still get pretty gnarly.
As you’d expect, the concept of this being the Steamboat Willie slasher and the absurdity that follows that concept is what sustains most of the movie. The characters exist but aren’t super memorable, they’re mostly just there to be killed by Willie and that’s fine given the type of movie this is but they don’t stay with you like some of the other more unique ‘final girl’ characters of recent years, like Tree of Happy Death Day or Sienna of the Terrifier sequels. Again, this isn’t surprising given the kind of movie this is, but just figured I would point that out.
In some ways this is kind of a ‘junk food’ movie. It’s not substantial, it doesn’t stay with you, or change anything about your life, but it’s an enjoyable diversion that would be good with a group with some drinks.
