The Hell Ship

An investigative newspaperman becomes entangled in the mystery of a luxury space liner that arrives sealed and empty except for a silent, monstrous pilot and a deformed or missing crew. After being abducted aboard, he awakens among other shanghaied passengers, including a dancer who reveals that kidnapped workers are kept on board to placate the changed crew. As they explore, they encounter grotesque bodily transformations, pervasive secrecy about Company space travel, and the suspicion that the ship's propulsion or environment may be inducing mutations. The survivors organize a small party to don pressure suits, search for others, and attempt to regain control before the liner reaches Io.