When I was about eleven years old, I used to love Sierra’s PC adventure game “King’s Quest VI.” There were many hidden options in the game which resulted in various endings and game play scenarios. I guess my mom was right when she said that I “always had a death wish, even as a child” because my favorite part in the game was venturing to Hades and paying the Ferryman for a ride on the River Styx. You were surrounded by lost souls aimlessly wandering through Hell, some of which couldn’t pay the Ferryman’s toll. I was also highly into Greek Mythology around that time and constantly found interest in stories of the underworld. With all of these tales of hell and despair, you think there would be more horror films about the subject. Well, get your coins ready because “The Ferryman” is here. Now there’s no Hades and no Prince Alexander, but the lore is still intact. Though it suffers from the “direct-to-DVD-cover art” that I always speak of; it’s another genre film, like “The Cradle,” that shouldn’t be judged by its cover. Originally, I was only drawn to the film because it starred Kerry Fox, who was in one of my favorite movies, the raw and moving sex-drama “Intimacy.” Aside from that, I wasn’t expecting much. Well lo and behold I was left extremely surprised by a fairly brutal and taut horror film that was definitely worth the toll.

The film centers on a group of 20 or 30-somethings who are chartering a boat to Fiji for a fun and exotic getaway. The ship is captained by a very friendly couple who are all about showing their passengers a good time. En route, they come across a stranded boat putting out a distress signal. On board they find a Greek man who seems to be slightly injured but very grateful for their help. Now on board with our couples, everything seems to be back on track until the Greek randomly stabs one of the passengers. Though the attack is witnessed by a few, no one can find the knife used, nor can they find a wound on the victim. Suddenly, our attacked shipmate begins to act funny and attacks another passenger, resulting in his possession. It seems that a lost soul who’s been running from The Ferryman for centuries has been body swapping the entire time, through the powers of the aforementioned knife. Now the remaining survivors have to band together and make this tortured soul pay the price. Literally.

What surprised me most about “The Ferryman” were the acts of violence depicted in the film. They have something pretty goddamn graphic scenes that are executed (heh) extremely well. Once possessed, boyfriends beat the shit out of their girlfriends, girlfriends beat the shit out of their boyfriends, and everyone really just gets down to the nitty-gritty. This soul isn’t just possessing for kicks. He has bloody and carnal plans for everyone on board. There’s even a scene that was hard for me to watch involving some animal abuse. (That dog is seriously a fucking good actor.)

Though the characters aren’t all necessarily likeable, their different personalities, natural desires, and actions make them better developed than in most indie genre pictures. Shit, if you put me and everyone else I know on a boat, it wouldn’t exactly be “Fantasia,” you know? Lots of lover’s spats ensue, jealousy becomes prevalent, and engagements become called off, leaving our characters a bit more human. Also, the fact that they’re adults makes the storyline a lot more enjoyable. Were they high school graduates or college students, I probably wouldn’t have cared less about what happened to them, just like in most horror films. The fact that the leads are all (older) adults gives the movie a more realistic feeling, rather than a typical youngster hack-n-slash.

I’d definitely recommend checking this one out. Some great special effects, an interesting storyline, and a surprisingly bittersweet ending make “The Ferryman” more buoyant the other horror titles lost at sea.

The Hidden Message: “A toll is a toll. And a roll is a roll. And if we don’t get no tolls, then we don’t eat no rolls. I made that up.” Sorry, that just popped in my head after typing the word “toll” earlier. Mel Brooks, anyone?