Screamboat (2025): Terror Sets Sail in This Nautical Nightmare

The deeper they float downriver, the closer they come to the secret that should have stayed buried.

Screamboat (2025) delivers a chilling new spin on the horror genre — set entirely aboard a retro river steamboat that becomes a floating prison of terror. Blending old-school atmosphere with modern suspense, this claustrophobic thriller follows a group of influencers, musicians, and tech elites who are invited aboard the “River Queen” for an exclusive party cruise on the Mississippi. But what begins as a glamorous weekend turns into a waking nightmare when the boat loses power... and something begins picking them off, one by one.

At the heart of the story is Elle Monroe, a rising DJ with a troubled past, who senses something is wrong long before the others do. With no signal, no escape, and an eerie fog trapping the boat in place, paranoia grows as strange messages appear carved into the walls and the ship’s crew vanishes. The deeper Elle digs, the more she uncovers about the boat’s haunted past — and a vengeful spirit tied to a massacre that occurred on board a century earlier.

Director Jordan March (known for Shadows on 9th Street) masterfully builds tension with tight camera work, dim lighting, and chilling sound design. The steamboat itself becomes a character: its creaking wood, rusted pipes, and echoing halls amplify the dread. The film draws inspiration from classic horror, but its twists are sharp, surprising, and soaked in psychological unease. This isn’t just a ghost story — it’s a descent into madness, guilt, and fear of the unknown.

As bodies disappear and whispers grow louder, Elle must piece together the mystery before the river claims them all. With nods to The Shining and Ghost Ship, Screamboat delivers its horror not just through gore, but through isolation and atmosphere. By the final act, it becomes clear: some vessels were never meant to carry the living.

Screamboat (2025) proves that the scariest journeys don’t lead away from land — they drift deeper into it, trapped between the real and the supernatural, where no scream can be heard through the fog.