31 Days of Scares- #27 ‘Ghost Ship’ The Wire Scene

The 31 Days of Scares isn’t a countdown of the best horror movies.  In fact, it’s not even about the best movies. It’s simply about some of my favorite “scares” or scenes from horror movies and they’re in no particular order.  So there’s no need to debate countdown order. It’s pretty random.  With that said: on to the countdown!

“Ghost Ship” sails it’s way into the number 27 spot on our 31 Days of Scares countdown.  This movie tends to get a lukewarm reception, but everyone seems to agree that it has an awesome opening sequence.

The scene starts on a luxury cruise liner where everyone is out dancing and enjoying the high life.  It’s a pleasant scene. I’d even go so far as to say it’s sweet dream-like sequence.  But the dream abruptly ends as a wire snaps and decimates the crowd in a glorious bloody fashion.

What always gets me about this scene is that the trajectory of the wire is all over the place.  It cuts through the midsection of just about everyone in the crowd, but then it hits the captain across the top of his head. The captain who happens to be standing in the middle of the crowd. But I guess if the wire cut across the middle, like it should’ve, it would’ve decapitated the little girl and then you wouldn’t have that great scene of her standing alone in the middle of a blood bath. So tomfoolery is to be expected.

Regardless of all that, the wire cutting scene is a fantastic and remarkable moment in an overall average film.  And that’s why it’s on our 31 Days of Scares countdown.