Allison Pittel, Allyson Sereboff, Amy Schumacher, Brian Scolaro, David Howard Thornton, horror, Jesse Posey, Kailey Hyman, movies, New York City, Poonam Basu, reviews, Rumi C. Jean-Louis, Sarah Kopkin, Savannah Whitten, Screamboat, Stephanie Bates, Steven LaMorte, Tyler Posey
April 1, 2025
by Carla Hay
Directed by Steven LaMorte
Culture Representation: Taking place on the Staten Island Ferry in New York City, the horror film “Screamboat” (inspired by the animated film “Steamboat Willie) features a predominantly white group of people (with a few African Americans, Asians and Latin people) representing the working-class and middle-class.
Culture Clash: A killer 2-foot-tall mouse named Screamboat Willie goes on a deadly rampage on the Staten Island Ferry.
Culture Audience: “Screamboat” will appeal primarily to people who are fans of campy slasher films and horror movies that are parodies of other films.
“Screamboat” is a predictable but entertaining horror comedy that’s a slasher film parody of Disney’s 1928 animated film “Steamboat Willie.” The cast members give performances with knowing cheekiness, which makes it easier to watch. The visual effects for this low-budget movie are hit and miss.
The movie has a questionable filmmaker decision to make Screamboat Willie, the serial killer mouse who’s at the center of the story, only about 2 feet tall. However, he has extraordinary strength, which explains why he is able to kill so many people. Screamboat Willie is played by David Howard Thornton, who is also known for playing serial killer Art the Clown in the “Terrifier” horror movie series. Screamboat Willie and Art the Clown are both non-verbal, with personalities that can be described as being both ferocious and mischievous.
Directed by Steven LaMorte (who co-wrote the “Screamboat” screenplay with Matthew Garcia-Dunn), “Screamboat” takes place during the course of one night on New York City’s Staten Island Ferry, where the massacre happens. The movie pokes fun more at horror stereotypes than at “Steamboat Willie,” which was the first animated film to star Mickey Mouse, who played the mischievous title character. Minnie Mouse, who also makes an appearance in “Steamboat Willie,” is the inspiration for a plot development in “Screamboat.”
“Screamboat” introduces numerous characters who might or might not be alive by the end of the movie. The character who gets the most screen time is Selena (played by Allison Pittel), an aspiring fashion designer who has moved to New York City from Minnesota. Selena is on this nighttime boat ferry trip because she’s a reluctant guest of a birthday party for Cindi (played by Kailey Hyman), a “queen bee” type who likes to be the center of attention.
Cindi is a variation of the name Cinderella. The other women in the party also have variations of Disney princess names. Ilsa Arindel (played by Sarah Kopkin) is supposed to be like Elsa from “Frozen.” Ariana (played by Savannah Whitten) is a parody of Ariel from “The Little Mermaid.” Bella (played by Stephanie Bates) is a version of Belle from “Beauty and the Beast.” Jazzy (played by Poonam Basu) is a satire of Jasmine from “Aladdin.”
Selena wants to distance herself from the five other young women in the party because the other women are drunken cacklers and screechers who look and act like they watch too many reality shows about dating where people get drunk and make fools out of themselves. Selena is a “nice girl” who doesn’t partake in their intoxicated obnoxiousness. Selena is so studious about her fashion designer plans, she has brought a fashion sketchbook with her on this trip.
Before she boards the ferry, Selena asks a ferry employee named Pete (played by Jesse Posey) to help her ditch her party friends by telling Pete to point the party women in the wrong direction if they ask where Selena is. Pete willingly obliges. Quicker than you can say “horror movie romance,” you can tell that Selena and Pete are attracted to each other and will probably act on that attraction later. Pete’s older brother Mike (played by Tyler Posey, Jesse Posey’s real-life older brother) is the boat’s radio operator.
Other people on the boat include the blowhard Captain Clark (played by Brian Scolaro); a know-it-all emergency medical technician (EMT) named Amber (played by Amy Schumacher); various police officers and boat employees; and a doting mother named Aubrey (played by Allyson Sereboff) and her son Matteo (played by Rumi C. Jean-Louis), who’s about 11 or 12 years old. The comedic elements of “Screamboat” are what save the movie from being a formulaic bore. The cast members maintain a tricky balance of making their terror believable while also conveying that they’re in on the joke that “Screamboat” is a campy movie.
A running joke in the movie is that various people, through choice or circumstance, have to be the captain of the ship and sometime argue about it. “Screamboat” gives a nod to Mickey Mouse’s whistling in “Steamboat Willie” by having Screamboat Willie whistle “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” when Screamboat Willie is about to attack a victim. “Screamboat” spoofs a horror cliché—someone who reports seeing something strange but is not believed—when Selena sees Willie in action but hardly anyone believes what she saw. Selena describes Screamboat Willie as “a demonic mouse with shorts and a hat.”
The origins of Screamboat Willie are explained later in the movie. Because he’s supposed to only be only about 2 feet tall, “Screamboat” has awkward cutaway edits during the action scenes involving Screamboat Willie. These edits and visual effects don’t make the height/depth ratio look entirely consistent or convincing. However, some of the kills are gruesomely memorable, such as when a guy dressed as the Statue of Liberty has his torch prop used against him.
“Screamboat” is aiming for the same tone and audience of the “Terrifier” movie series. The kills in “Screamboat” aren’t meant to be as shocking as they are in the “Terrifier” movies, but “Screamboat” makes effective use of the concept that the victims are trapped on a vessel in a large body of water. This concept could work as a series, as long as the “Screamboat” filmmakers don’t keep using the Staten Island Ferry as the location in every “Screamboat” movie. An end-credits scene shows that “Screamboat” won’t be the last movie in the Screamboat Willie saga, which is good news for viewers looking for more monster mouse madness.
Iconic Events Releasing will release “Screamboat” in select U.S. cinemas on April 2, 2025.