A hellish sound reverberates up from the bowels of the luxury cruise liner Antonia Graza - and it's not Jayne McDonald.

The ship's got a story to tell - she's been adrift for more than 40 years after mysteriously disappearing on her maiden voyage from Italy to New York.

First on the scene is salvage boat skipper Sean Murphy (Byrne), a salty old seadog who specialises in making a dollar out of wrecks most bounty hunters won't touch.

With him are team leader Maureen Epps (Margulies), First Mate Greer (Washington) and an assorted bag of rough 'n' ready salvage workers.

"Let's hope there are no more surprises," spits Murphy after one of his crew almost falls through the floor into the decaying ballroom below during a recce.

Well, of course there are, including the ghostly presence of the survivors, a swimming pool that drips blood and a malevolent spirit lurking below deck.

Director Beck, whose last outing was the underrated Thirteen Ghosts, builds up the tension during the first hour as taut as an anchor chain.

The opening scene, where a steel hawser whips through waltzing couples like a guillotine, is one of the most genuinely inventive to be seen in a horror for a while.

Production designer Grace Walker has put together an eerily claustrophobic hulk - a sort of haunted house at sea.

Of course, the story's as old as the legend of the Marie Celeste but it's a laudable attempt to blend the supernatural with schlock-horror.

It all falls apart a bit towards the end, when the bloody events leading to the vessel's fate are revealed rather too quickly.

However, those of you who have managed to stay along for the ride won't be disappointed to find yourselves on dry land.

Tim Evans