Masters of Horror - Dream Cruise (2007)

Daniel Gillies of SPIDER-MAN 2 and 3 stars as an American attorney in Japan whose childhood trauma has left him with a crippling fear of the ocean. But when he begins a dangerous affair with the wife of a wealthy client a sunset boat trip will reveal the violence and vengeance that waits just below the surface. How do you unleash the horrific ghosts of everyone s past? Just add water!Ryo Ishibashi of AUDITION and THE GRUDGE co-stars in this creepy shocker adapted from the short story by legendary Japanese horror novelist K ji Suzuki creator of DARK WATER and THE RING/RINGU series where the ultimate nightmares come to life aboard a DREAM CRUISE.System Requirements:Length: 60 minsFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: HORROR/ASIAN HORROR Rating: NR UPC: 013138991188 Manufacturer No: N9911 Product Description

Not up to the high standards set by most Masters of Horror films...

This movie was weak and not well done. It lacked in many areas, but more specifically was not scary, was not surprising in any way, and was a waste of money (unless like me, you had to just had to have every single Masters of Horror movie for your collection). Beware!

Japanese Horror is usually so much better than this. March 24, 2008

Misleading Title and Downhill From There

First off, I have to shout-IS EVERY SINGLE J-HORROR FILM ABOUT A VENGEFUL SPIRIT?! NOW-SPOILER ALERT- Now that I have that off my chest-this is an absolute waste of time. The acting, particularly by the lead male-is atrocious. I don't know it is just the fact that he is struggling with an American accent(he seem to be Australian in the documentary), but his general demeanor is that of a street thug, not a high powered attorney-very poor casting(if he's a foreigner, why not just let him speak with his own accent?). Secondly, the entire moral ambiguity of the finale leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Sure, the husband has dispatched the first wife and deserves the typical J horror retribution, but why are the 2 adulterers spared? Especially the wife-who admits she only married her husband for the money and the status? Why would S. save the woman (and come to think of it-why would he save the brother who admitted to doing next to nothing while he drowned?)The effects are silly and the scene with the hand is laugh out loud funny. And lastly-the title Dream Cruise makes absolutely no sense-it is not a "dream cruise" is the sense that everyone was excited to go on it(actually, 2 out of the 3 cruisers would rather not have), nor is it a dream in that anyone wakes up at the end and it was all in their mind. Best avoided-slow moving, badly acted and nonsensical entry in the J Horror realm. February 14, 2008

Decent flick but not without its flaws.

I enjoy anything paranormal so Dream Cruise was a no brainer for me. If you've watched any of the MOH series at all then you already know what to expect as far as quality goes. The special effects are good but the acting leaves a bit to be desired. Dream Cruise is a bit misleading too, I expected a cruise ship but instead I got a cabin cruiser so I was a bit concerned how they were going to make such a confined area to be scary but they do it really well. The scene with the arm is one that I will remember for some time, it was really good. I can not say a whole lot without giving much of the plot away but the abridged version is a young and upcoming lawyer falls in love with one of his clients wives. His client invites him out for a cruise to discuss a new business deal but the lawyer is strill struggling with the demons of his past and his brothers drowning so a cruise is the last thing that he wants. However, ever a lawyer he agrees to go with the client and his wife (the one he is having an affiar with) on the boat only to find out that his client knows all about the affair and is driving them out to the middle of no where. After some much horrible dialog, acting and miles from any civilation, the boat becomes (not surprisingly) helplessy stranded and that's when the fun begins.

I'll leave the rest for you to watch and see for yourself. If you have netflix or a local rental store, give it a watch.

- Dan. December 2, 2007

Very Effective

Okay, yes, we've seen this story, essentially, a million times in one form or another. While some of the Masters of Horror episodes have really tried to be original, this one, rather, focuses on telling the story well and creating a good scare.

An American lawyer in Japan is invited on a boat by an important client. We fnd out that our American friend is a) having an affair with his client's wife and b) is afraid of water after having witnessed his brother drowning as a child.

You can sort of guess what happens next, but let me tell you that the scenes that were meant to scare-- did on me. Wow, the tension was built up quite nicely and I actually felt for the characters.

This is one of the better MOH installments. Out of the 12 episodes I've seen (8 from season 1 and 4 from season 2, this ranks 3rd behind INCIDENT ON AND OFF A MOUNTAIN ROAD and DREAMS IN THE WITCH HOUSE.)

November 24, 2007

Not a 60-Minute Masters of Horror Epic

I was extremely disappointed with this segment of MOH because it was not a typical 60-minute horror vignette. It was 90 minutes! Thus, because of its drawn-out and trite content, it probably should have been 45-50 minutes. While I enjoyed many of the visual effects, the script was amateur and unbelievable. The acting was equally under par. I have viewed EVERY Masters of Horror episode from the outset...this one ranks at the bottom. There's no horror in "Dream Cruise". Get the facts straight on the length. November 17, 2007

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