Dead Calm (1988)

REVIEW

Nail-biting suspense abounds in this high-seas thriller about a married couple who take to the Pacific in their yacht to find peace of mind after the death of their infant son. Their tranquility is shattered, however, when they take aboard the lone passenger of a sinking yacht, unaware that the man is a psychopath.

Director Noyce effectively uses the tiny confines of the boat to develop a frenzied atmosphere of claustrophobia and terror. Neill and Kidman give grounded performances as the victimized couple, and Zane is a perfect embodiment of evil as the maniacal visitor.