Cruise Into Terror (1978)

Network: ABC
Original Air Date: February 3rd, 1978

Lesson learned by watching Cruise into Terror: Vengeful men who worship the dark are just asking for trouble!

Seriously, I don't think I knew that!

This Aaron Spelling production featuring several attractive TV stars such as Stella Stevens and Dirk Benedict as the passengers on a trip into hell, also features Mr. Spelling’s panache for semi-hip dialog, sexual innuendo and as much T&A as one can get away with on television (i.e. not much). However, despite its superficial trappings, Cruise has some decent special effects and an overall creepy vibe. I mean, on a three day trip there’s a woman overboard, an attempted shark attack, an underwater archeological dig, demonic possession and the awakening of Satan’s son. Not to mention Lynda Day George in some spicy lingerie! Lucky Christopher (her hubby co-stars as her hubby)! All of that couldn’t have been included in the price of the ticket!

The more I think about it, the more I think this movie has a lot in common with the other cool satanic television movie Horror at 37,000 Feet - except no William Shatner falling out of a plane. Too bad, but you can’t win ‘em all, eh?
 

In his place, we have John Forsythe who puts in a days work and then some as Reverend Mather. He’s great, if perhaps slightly off kilter with an over the top performance. Still, he could never reach Shatner’s depth of scenery chewing… And the world breathes a collective sigh of relief!

I love the cast of this movie. The friendly face of Roger E. Mosely, the hunkadelic Hugh O’Brian and the stalwart Ray Milland all lend a hand in making this movie a bit better than it probably had any right being. Of course, I reserve a special place for Christopher George who was simply machismo on a stick. He’s pretty great here, even if I wish he had more screen time. He was (obviously) always at ease with his wife Lynda and together they made some of the wildest horror movies of the 70s into early 80s until his untimely death. I just get such a kick out of watching him in these movies because he was always the attraction. He was the one who always played it straight and made movies that might be considered subpar rise above their means. He didn’t have too work to hard here because all in all Cruise is an enjoyable ride all on its own.