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Ghost Town
Deputy Langley tracks a kidnapped girl to an abandoned ghost town. However, the town is not abandoned, but haunted by the spirits of an outlaw, Devlin, and his gang, who hold the equally deceased townspeople hostage until the outlaws can be killed by a lawman.
Release : | 1988 |
Rating : | 5.3 |
Studio : | Empire Pictures, Lexin Productions Inc, Trans World Entertainment (TWE), |
Crew : | Production Design, Director of Photography, |
Cast : | Franc Luz Catherine Hickland Jimmie F. Skaggs Bruce Glover Laura Schaefer |
Genre : | Horror Western Crime |
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Reviews
Sick Product of a Sick System
It's funny watching the elements come together in this complicated scam. On one hand, the set-up isn't quite as complex as it seems, but there's an easy sense of fun in every exchange.
It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.
It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.
"Ghost Town" follows Langley, a policeman who arrives in a remote ghost town in search of a missing woman (Catherine Hickland). The town seems to still have some residents lurking about, however—ones from its nineteenth-century past.This offbeat horror-Western pastiche seems to have flown under the radar of genre fans for nearly three decades now, having been relegated to home video in the late eighties after an extremely small theatrical run. While it's not a masterpiece, "Ghost Town" is a weirdly charming and memorable collision of supernatural horror with the gritty Western; the result is an almost otherworldly atmosphere that is as dreamlike as it is dreary.Written by David Schmoeller ("Tourist Trap"), the film plays on the Western angle considerably, and the tension between the two genres is a source of both humor and horror. The film is visually striking and atmospheric, drenched in dust and boasting some eerie Western set pieces and a dreary, ominous desert backdrop. The film is surprisingly gore-free for the most part, though it does supply some creative special effects with the gang of outlaws. Pacing-wise, the film does lull in spots, but for the most part keeps its wheels turning. Franc Luz and Catherine Hickland turn in memorable performances, as does Jimmie Skaggs as the zombified antagonist.Overall, "Ghost Town" is a marginally impressive late-eighties effort that stands out for its unique blend of genres. Its off-kilter atmosphere is a major strength, but there are some memorable scenes throughout, as well as playful and sinister performances from the cast. Definitely not a genre masterwork, but when taken in the context of its peers, it's one of the more unique late-eighties horror films. 7/10.
The walking dead inhabit a ghost town in the modern day southwest. Among the town folk is a monstrous villain who terrorizes everyone. Into this hell hole stumbles a modern day sheriff, looking for a missing girl. The effects, makeup, and authentic location somewhat overcome the below average acting. Memorable characters include Bruce Glover as "Dealer", and even more interesting is Jimmie F. Skaggs as "Devlin". "Dealer" has a knack for telling the future through his card reading. "Your future will wait till you get there, it's the past you can't do anything about." Skaggs actually saves the film as the nasty villain "Devlin". A strong bad guy is an essential part of any good western, or for that matter any zombie western. - MERK
Perhaps "Ghost Town" isn't one of the best horror movies of the 80's, but at least you'll have to admit the concept is refreshing, courageous, original and semi-successful. This one of the very few horror/western hybrids ever made and particularly the accomplished atmosphere is praiseworthy. "Ghost Town" maintains an unsettling and ominous ambiance throughout, and I have to confess that was certainly the last thing I expected to find in a Charles Band production. The basic plot and conceptual ideas (thought up by David Schmoeller of "Tourist Trap" and "Puppet Master") are reasonably ingenious as well, but the script is sadly very incoherent and occasionally even forgets to make the slightest bit of sense. "Ghost Town" opens with the mysterious disappearance of a young woman who literally gets sucked into a time-tornado after being deviated from the main roads and chased by an invisible horseman. The young and straight-shooting deputy Langley follows her trail and ends up in a forsaken and seemingly cursed ghost town in another era. The town's dominated by an immortal and sadistic outlaw named Devlin, and he also kidnapped the young woman (for reasons still unknown to me) and keeps the cursed villagers under a siege of terror. "Ghost Town" often feels incomplete, as if several extended parts of the screenplay were left out. Many things remain unexplained, but you strongly feel that - somewhere in the original script - there must have been perfectly reasonable answers to all questions; only the ended up on the cutting floor instead of in the film. There's the aforementioned WHY regarding the kidnapping of the girl, but also the background of Devlin's character remains too vague. Still, if you manage to overlook the few shortcomings in the script, you'll reckon that "Ghost Town" is actually scarier than most contemporary horror movies, and this even without the use of gory make-up effects or many gruesome killings. This movie has other trumps for generating suspense, like the sublime choice of locations, uncanny music and creepy characterizations. Devlin is a fascinating villain and Jimmie Skaggs did a tremendous job playing him. He looks menacing, talks nasty and just loves raising hell wherever he goes. I really enjoyed those copious times where he stood in the saloon or out in the streets, spotted the deputy and shouted out "Lawman!!" Other supportive characters are pretty cool & creepy too, like The Dealer and the blacksmith. The end sequences are a bit weaker again, but by then "Ghost Town" will already have made a lasting impression on you and it's most likely going to be a positive one.
I remember seeing this movie on a tape with three other movies. A friend of mind had loaned me the tape for the weekend and I kept it for another week or so because I kept watching over and over and over this movie Ghost Town. It dragged me in so deep, I felt there was a personal message for me that I had to get before I could return the video to my friend.As you know it is a very interesting film that hops back and forth from present day to the eerie past when Devlin and his cronies ruled supreme in this town. It was of course up to our present day sheriff Langley to first of all rescue the lovely heroine and then in order to return to the present day, he had to kill Devlin.I think one of the great things about this movie was the characters. I feel that whoever chose the characters in this movie did a fantastic job because each of the actors and actresses were quite believable in their roles--no plastic acting.Maybe that was the thing that kept me watching that movie 12 times or more during the week I had borrowed my friend's video--the 'believability' of the film thanks to the great acting throughout.Very worthwhile watching!!!