Deadrise
Year: 2011
Runtime: 95 mins
Language: English
Director: Richard Brauer
Paula, a Historic Trust inspector, finishes a major Midwest project and heads home to Chicago. A late‑Friday call directs her to a derelict 400‑foot steamship on an industrial waterfront. Her car breaks down, she meets Vigs, the ship’s caretaker, and accepts his invitation to spend the night in a stateroom, sharing dinner and beer as the night unfolds.
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Deadrise (2011) – Full Plot Summary & Ending Explained
Read the complete plot breakdown of Deadrise (2011), including all key story events, major twists, and the ending explained in detail. Discover what really happened—and what it all means.
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.
Last Updated: October 01, 2025 at 10:25
Explore Movie Threads
Discover curated groups of movies connected by mood, themes, and story style. Browse collections built around emotion, atmosphere, and narrative focus to easily find films that match what you feel like watching right now.
Claustrophobic Thrillers in Confined Spaces like Deadrise
Tense thrillers where a trapped protagonist uncovers dark secrets in a single, confined location.If you liked the tense, isolated feel of Deadrise, explore more movies like it that trap their characters in a single location. These similar thrillers use confined spaces like ships, bunkers, or remote buildings to build high-intensity suspense and a palpable sense of dread, perfect for fans of psychological tension.
Narrative Summary
Stories in this thread typically follow a character who becomes stranded or voluntarily enters a confined, often unsettling location. The narrative tension rises steadily as they explore their surroundings, uncovering clues and facing psychological or supernatural threats that are inextricably linked to the space itself, leading to a confrontation with a deep-seated secret.
Why These Movies?
Movies are grouped here for their shared focus on spatial confinement as a primary source of suspense. They create a consistent mood of anxiety and foreboding through atmospheric settings, a steady, dread-filled pace, and high psychological intensity, making the viewer feel as trapped as the protagonist.
Atmospheric Psychological Thrillers like Deadrise
Slow-burn stories where the unsettling atmosphere drives a character's psychological discovery.For viewers who enjoyed the heavy, mood-driven suspense of Deadrise, this list features similar movies where atmosphere is key. These psychological thrillers share a steady pace, a tense tone, and a focus on a protagonist's unsettling journey of discovery, often leading to life-changing truths.
Interior
2014
Unforgettable
2017
Secret Obsession
2019
Stir of Echoes
1999
Deadrise
2011
Sudden Fear
1952
And Soon the Darkness
2010
Unearthly Stranger
1963
Dark Was the Night
2015
The Fog
2005
The Town That Dreaded Sundown
1976
Guilt Is My Shadow
1950
Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?
2017
Summer of 84
2018
Dark Nature
2023
Narrative Summary
The narrative pattern involves a character entering a mysterious environment that acts as a catalyst for personal revelation. The story unfolds linearly, with a focus on sensory details and mounting unease rather than complex twists. The protagonist's investigation of their surroundings mirrors an internal journey, ultimately forcing a confrontation with a hidden part of their own past or identity.
Why These Movies?
These films are united by their primary reliance on atmosphere to generate suspense and emotional weight. They share a tense tone, steady pacing, and a straightforward narrative structure that prioritizes mood over plot complexity, creating a cohesive experience of psychological dread and discovery.
Unlock the Full Story of Deadrise
Don't stop at just watching — explore Deadrise in full detail. From the complete plot summary and scene-by-scene timeline to character breakdowns, thematic analysis, and a deep dive into the ending — every page helps you truly understand what Deadrise is all about. Plus, discover what's next after the movie.
Deadrise Timeline
Track the full timeline of Deadrise with every major event arranged chronologically. Perfect for decoding non-linear storytelling, flashbacks, or parallel narratives with a clear scene-by-scene breakdown.
Characters, Settings & Themes in Deadrise
Discover the characters, locations, and core themes that shape Deadrise. Get insights into symbolic elements, setting significance, and deeper narrative meaning — ideal for thematic analysis and movie breakdowns.
