Screamboat (2025) Review: Demonic Rat Mayhem Unleashed

SCREAMBOAT (2025)

Written by Matthew Garcia-Dunn and Steven LaMorte

Directed by Steven LaMorte

On the last ferry of the night in New York, passengers and crew are hunted by a merciless rat, and what should have been a peaceful crossing turns into a bloody massacre. (IMDB)

Screamboat (2025) Review: Demonic Rat Mayhem Unleashed

Screamboat’s success in your eyes is really going to depend on your willingness to just go with the flow and enjoy a film that isn’t trying to be anything other than a crazy, gory, dumb old horror movie. On that front, it does a great job. It is crazy, gory, and dumb, never even attempting to take itself seriously.

However, it’s like any lower budget horror take on a beloved childhood character, you are probably either going to love it or hate it.

But what about me? 

Well, I enjoyed it. I was in the mood for a big old, dumb, crazy gorefest and I got that. 

Mostly. 

But more about that later.

First, what the hell is Screamboat?

In a nutshell, Screamboat tells the tale of Steamboat Willie as he goes on a roaring (squeaking?) rampage on the Staten Island Ferry. After being trapped in the hold of the ferry for 90 years, he is finally free and out looking for something he lost over the side of the ferry many years before. And, like any self-respecting, crazy-assed rat/mouse he decides to murder everyone onboard the ferry in his search.

Selena (Alison Pittel) is catching the last Ferry home, trying to avoid an annoying birthday party of drunk girls (mutant mouse fodder if ever you saw some) while contemplating her life choices and very existence in New York City. She does this while slowly falling for Pete (Jesse Posey) the deckhand who rapidly progresses to Captain, once the killing starts.

This isn’t a Disney-syle “meet-cute”, but they definitely hit it off in amongst all the blood, guts and death.

But will they survive? 

Can they save the other passengers?

Well, I won’t answer the first question, but it is a very definite no on the second once Steamboat Willie gets into his stride.

But do we care about the story?

Not really…

In a film with a premise like Screamboat, coming from the Producers of Terrifier 3 and starring Art himself, you are just going to want to see some blood, guts and spectacular deaths. And we get them; arms, legs, heads and even penises get severed, with blood spurting delight. Victims get electrocuted, stabbed, crushed and there is even death by forklift. If you came for death and destruction metered out by a demonic rat/mouse, then you have come to the right place.

For a low budget horror (I believe around $2m) it looks very nice. In the screener I had, the movie looked crisp and clear in its 1080p presentation. The practical effects are all suitably gloopy and sticky, and gore hounds should be mostly satisfied. I say mostly as I don’t think this one was on the same level as the Terrifier films for gore levels, but not everyone is up for that, and I am guessing Screamboat is aimed at a wider audience? The ‘sizing’ effects around Willie are a bit hit and miss but add to the laughs as he pursues his prey aboard the ferry.

There are some funny moments in Screamboat, with a few digs at other Disney IP, dark humour around the kills and even a cameo from Impractical Joker Brian Quinn! Some of the jokes are a bit heavy-handed, but that kind of works in the context of the film which itself could never be accused of being subtle.

The acting can be a bit hammy, and the dialogue isn’t written to impress but, again, this is exactly what you would expect from this kind of movie.  David Howard Thornton is clearly having a ball with the role of crazed, homicidal rat/mouse. Anyone familiar with Art the Clown will pick up on some familiar mannerisms as he chews on both the scenery and severed limbs.

The main problem for me with Screamboat was the length. 102 isn’t exactly Return of the King Extended Edition length but all the ‘best bits’ were crammed into the first half and I found the film dragged a little in the final third. I felt the film would have benefitted from being closer to the 85 to 90-minute mark, but that is just personal perspective.

Having said that, overall, I enjoyed Screamboat because I got exactly what I was expecting. Big, dumb fun. If you are expecting anything more, then you will be disappointed. Screamboat does exactly what it says on the tin. It’s not what you can easily describe as a “good” film, but it definitely entertains. I often wonder what people were expecting when they write reviews decrying movies like Screamboat – it’s about a demonic, homicidal rat/mouse who has been trapped in the bowels of the Staten Island ferry for 90 years!! It’s not Bergman.

Whatever, art is subjective (or should that be Art?) and Screamboat really isn’t for everyone, but I’ll definitely be up for the teased sequel.

Further Reading

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