Watching Wyrd Movie Review: Titanic 666

The following was written by Author, Watching Wyrd Co-host, and Wyrd News Correspondent, Scott Baker for the Horror Writers Ink Newsletter. Enjoy!

Welcome to the premiere edition of the HWI newsletter. For those of you newly-admitted to the asylum, the inmates are a lovable combination of writers and readers with twisted senses of humor. You’ll fit in fine. But it’s BYOP (Bring Your Own Prozac).

My first contribution to the newsletter is a review of a hidden horror gem – the Tubi original Titanic 666. [NOTE: If you’re not familiar with Tubi, it’s a free movie service that hosts old movies like the ones shown on local stations late at night when we were Monster Kids. You do have to deal with commercial breaks during the movies, but’s it’s worth checking out.]

I thought the same thing when I heard the title and my eyes rolled back in my head. They nearly got stuck there when I noticed that Asylum Studios produced the movie. Don’t get me wrong. Those of you who know me well realize I enjoy badly-made movies because sometimes they’re unintentionally hilarious (ask me about Jesus Christ: Vampire Hunter and The Velocipastor.) So, naturally, I watched this one.

I was pleasantly surprised with Titanic 666.

The plot focuses on the maiden voyage of the Titanic 3, a modern cruise liner built as a replica of the original ship. Titanic 3 is scheduled to sail along the original path as its unfortunate namesake and, when arriving at the location where the original ship sank, will lay a wreath and hold a memorial ceremony. Among the history buffs and wealthy partygoers on board are Mia and Jackson Stone (played by AnnaLynne McCord and Derek Yates), two social media influencers who want to use the voyage to boost their subscriber base, and Professor Hal Cochran (played by Jamie Bamber), a deep-sea archaeologist and history collector who has agreed to display his collection on the maiden voyage, and behind the scenes secretly sell choice items to the social elites at exorbitant prices.

Just before departure, a young lady (played by Lydia Hearst) stows away in the cargo hold. Furious over how the tragic deaths of so many people are being exploited for profit and sensationalism, she has snuck aboard to enact justice. As Titanic 3 nears the site of the 12 April 1912 sinking, the young woman summons the spirit of her great-great-grandfather, Edward Smith, the captain of the original Titanic, who unleashes the angered souls lost on that night to remember to wreak revenge on those aboard Titanic 3.

The movie is fast-paced, and the tension builds quickly once the souls of the dead are resurrected. My favorite aspects of the movie are the special effects of the spectral images, which have an eerie quality. They’re much better than I expected from an independent film. Yes, the plot is predictable in places and some of the actings is two-dimensional, except for AnnaLynne McCord and Jamie Bamber who are excellent in their roles. I thought the ending was a bit of a disappointment. It wasn’t terrible; it just fell short of the rest of the film. Titanic 666 won’t be the best movie you see this year, but I doubt it will be the worst. It is definitely worth watching. I give it 3.7 out of 5 skulls.

[TRIVIA: If you ask yourself why the ship in the movie is named Titanic 3, it’s because in 2010 Asylum produced an abomination of a movie titled Titanic 2. I watched the film to see what it was like. Passing a kidney stone would have been more enjoyable. If you do get the urge to watch Titanic 2, fight it and go outside to sweep the street with a broom and dustpan, or clean your bathroom with a toothbrush. It would be a better use of your time.]

To learn more about Scott Baker click here.