According to the Internet Movie Database, director Steve Beck had a background in visual effects before he ventured into feature directing with the effects-heavy Thir13en Ghosts (last year's big Warner Bros. Halloween offering, which I skipped). That makes sense, because what little Ghost Ship has to offer has to do mainly with some inspired visual-effects sequences. While I suppose it helps that the whole thing takes place mainly in the dark, it's interesting to see a movie that isn't afraid to use old-fashioned miniatures rather than resorting immediately to CGI. And the visual climax, in which hundreds of twinkling blue lights are sent heavenward above a dark ocean, would be a welcome element in someone else's movie.

But mostly, Ghost Ship is so ineptly put together that it's hard to take much comfort in the meager pleasures that it does offer. Editor Roger Barton, who got his chops working on incoherent junk like Gone in 60 Seconds and Pearl Harbor, seems to be inordinately fond of storytelling by elision, with big chunks of screen time simply missing in the interest of getting to the next shot. The result is a perfunctory narrative lacking either style or grace. The performances don't help much, with the talented Gabriel Byrne turning in an indifferent performance and Julianna Margulies thus left to carry the whole thing as One Good Woman on a boat loaded with greedy assholes. (The storyline eventually proves to have something to do with collecting the souls of sinners, leaving the virtuous Margulies as the Final Girl of horror-movie convention.) I could have used some more screen time with the ghost of exotic chanteuse Francesca (Francesca Rettondini), who at least offered some malevolent sex appeal, but it was not to be. Instead, we get another in the continuing series of spooky children who have lately haunted scary studio movies. It's all banal and secondhand.

In this context, what's truly shocking is that a big set-piece toward the end of the film flashing back on the ship's violent history is so beautifully conceived and executed. For about three minutes, this creaky old boat gets cranked up to full throttle and starts to sail like the intensely grisly, almost flamboyant shock vehicle that it oughta be. But the momentum promptly dissipates, and you're stuck watching Ghost Ship again.