Ghost Town

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!!!

Possibly the most overlooked and under-rated horror movie of all time. An original idea, well put together, should deserve more respect than the 'getting dusty on a video store shelf' this film received. Good movie. 8/10.

GHOST TOWN is a Charles Band production, but don't let that turn you away. It's not as cheapo-looking as some of his others. It reminded me a bit of ARMY OF DARKNESS, in that a modern day man is suddenly thrust back in time to a world he's unfamiliar with, and must protect the citizens of that time against evil. It's about a small town sheriff (Franc Luz) who tracks a missing girl (Catherine Hickland) to an old western town out in the desert. The town is haunted by the ghosts of both the townspeople and the villainous gunslinger and his men who used to terrorize them back in the Old West. The only way out is for the sheriff to find a way to kill the gunslinger, freeing the townspeoples' ghosts from his control and allowing the town "to die." The film blends elements of the horror and western genre nicely (scares on moment, high noon shootouts the next), and the sets are approriately spooky. There's also very little gore (one man gets impaled), all the deaths are nearly bloodless, and there's even hardly any swearing. The make-up for the villain isn't anything incredible, but is effective, and, surprisingly for a low-budget late-80s movie, the acting is pretty good. Luz is an appealing hero. My only complaint is that, after the film wraps up, the very end is a too short and leaves you wondering if the final scene was originally longer and was cut down considerably. I would have also liked to known why Devlin (the bad guy) kidnapped the girl in the first place, though it's sort of hinted that she resembles the saloon singer he was in love with back in the 1800s. But those are just minor complaints. If you haven't seen this film, I suggest giving it a look if you can find it. It doesn't appear to be available on-line anyway, so I'm afraid it's only available as a rental, if the video stores even carry it. It's not the greatest horror film ever made (though I don't know if I'd really call it that, but that's the section you'll find it in), but it makes for good entertainment on a rainy night. Check it out. You may be surprised at how enjoyable it is.

Lets get straight to the point. It's about a girl who is swept away by a ghost and taken to a ghost town. The sheriff of another town tries to find her and gets taken to the ghost town. He is drawn deep into a plot involving a bunch of outlaws who are ruling the town and he must try and stop them. The movie is rather boring but at least it leaves you wondering until the end. Frank Luz is a bit dull as the sheriff but Jimmy F. Scaggs who normally plays tramps in movies is menacing and damn evil as the main outlaw Devlin. For gore hounds, look elsewhere but for fans of 'The Twilight Zone' who love a good story with ghosts and mystery, watch this. I wouldn't watch it twice though. 4 out of 10.

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.