Deadrise 2011

Paula, Renée O’Connor, an inspector for the Historic Trust, wraps up a significant project in the upper Midwest. On her way home to Chicago, she gets a late call to check out a new applicant, and, though it’s late on Friday, she takes a detour to the site of a once-proud steamship along an industrial waterfront. The ship’s 400-foot black form looms against the sky, collecting dead fish in stagnant water near the pier.

Moments after her arrival, her car is seriously disabled and her life is about to change forever. In the chaos that follows, she meets the ship’s self-appointed caretaker, Vigs, Larry Joe Campbell. Making the best of a bad situation, she accepts his offer to spend the night in one of the cramped but historic staterooms. He invites her to dinner and cheap beer. She gets sick from the food and retires to her room to sleep, but is awakened repeatedly by startling and compelling commotion that leads her to every corner of this dark and frightening ship. At the table, a weary Nate Mitchell as Waiter appears in small but telling moments, underscoring the ship’s odd hospitality.

As the night deepens, Paula’s investigations and feelings collide with the ship’s secrets, and she follows a trail through the decks, corridors, and hidden compartments toward a truth about herself that will change her life forever. The film, a lean, independent suspense thriller, relies on atmosphere, mood, and character rather than big-budget spectacle, offering a fresh flavor that stands apart from mainstream cinema. The conclusion promises a dramatic surprise waiting for her, one that reshapes everything she thought she knew.