The Ghost Dance

So I got this somewhere recently and for some reason put it on to watch. It looked super duper cheesy and sometimes I get in the mood for that. I put it on and saw a dark poorly made movie and thats always reason to make me wanna quit watching, but I didn't.

It was a plot thats been done a million times of archaeologists digging on sacred ground and the mummy of a native American comes and kills a bunch of people! the end LOL.

It was decent for a slasher movie and although I never want to see it again I will say if you like slasher movies that it is pretty good. Its not just a slasher movie its a bit deeper plot wise. Very rare movie, so if you find it you might wanna watch it.

4 out of 10 stars

"The Ghost Dance" focuses on an anthropologist whose archeological dig in the Arizona desert unleashes the spirit of a powerful, corrupt Native American shaman who begins to exact a violent revenge through the possession of a young Native man.

This under-seen relic of '80s video stores could broadly be classified as "redsploitation" fodder, which I suppose could be partly true, though I think "The Ghost Dance" is a bit more sensitive to its themes than other films that fall in that category.

Shot on location in Tucson, the film is benefitted by the stunning desert landscapes and atmospheric museum interiors, the latter of which being where a lot of the story unfolds. The story is also set apart from many of its contemporaries by the fact that its focus is on adult professionals (university professors, anthropologists, researchers), giving it another unusual dimension that differs from the standard teenage stalk-and-slash.

This is not to say that "The Ghost Dance" is a perfect film, as it is far from it; the main element lacking I believe is the background mythology and actual nature of the villain, whose supernatural machinations become muddled and incoherent at times. Despite this, the attention to detail and respect for the Native American culture still feels present. The direction also has an at times "made-for-TV" charm to it.

Overall, "The Ghost Dance" is a worthwhile oddity in the '80s slasher pantheon. It is slightly more cerebral than most of its peers, and the supernatural angle lends a unique dimension, even in spite of the machinations not feeling fully fleshed out at times. As an independent slasher of the time, "The Ghost Dance" is surprisingly much better than many. 6/10.

It's late afternoon on the Arizona desert as workers unearth an Indian body.Dr.Kay Foster(Julie Amato),the director of anthropology at a local university supervises the dig.She finds the remains of an ancient Indian warlord known as Nahaluh.That sinister night an Indian scavenger,Aranjo(Henry Bal)creeps into the excavation and steals an Indian medicine bag.That's where the horror begins.Peter F.Buffa's "The Ghost Dance" is a bloody supernatural slasher flick with a nice Indian angle.The acting is surprisingly good and there is some suspense and gore,including throat slashing and spear impaling.The film is extremely obscure,so grab the copy and treasure it.Highly recommended.8 out of 10.

Horror films like "The Ghost Dance" are the most difficult ones to rate and review. On one hand, it's quite dull, incredibly slow-paced, and suffering from too many budgetary restraints. On the other, however, it takes its subject matter seriously and the cast and crew really do try hard generating a suspenseful atmosphere and a couple of authentically tense moments. The concept is quite like "The Mummy", namely that an important archaeological discovery comes to life, turns out to be pure evil, and goes after the scientists who dared to disturb its final resting place. Here, it's the spirit of a raging Indian warrior that possesses a tall Indian medicine man and turns him into a silent killing machine. Writer/director Peter R. Buffa, who didn't really accomplish any other things in his film career, does an admirably fine job during a handful of sequences, including a spooky cat-and-mouse game on a highway at night, and a suspenseful confrontation inside the museum's research room. The performances, from an overall unknown cast, are rather good as well. Still, though, it's painfully obvious to see why "The Ghost Dance" is so obscure and doesn't have any cult status whatsoever. Although featuring three or four vicious and explicit murders, the overall pacing is too slow, the characters are bland and dull, and the killer isn't menacing enough.

There are hidden gems and then there are petrified turds. This film pretty much falls into the latter category. First of all, it's just hopelessly low budget and not scary. Like it would probably bore your grandparents. Not so much an "indigenous slasher" film, as some reviews have mentioned, but a vengeful spirit possession film. The leads try desperately to act scared in various situations throughout the film, and it just falls flat. There's barely any suspense or jump scares or gore, as you would have in a typical slasher flick. Just some possessed Native American dude in a wig randomly appearing throughout the film offing museum goers and staffers. Another annoying aspect is the lack of lighting in various scenes (will somebody turn a bloody light on in this flick!) It's understandable that it's an unearthed piece of drivel, but it would be nice to see what's happening in key scenes. Don't waste your time with this one.