Ghost Town: An American Terror

I recently watched Ghost Town (2023) on Shudder. The film follows a man in search of employment who stumbles upon a saloon in need of assistance. The one steadfast rule of the establishment is not to interfere with the prostitutes. When the wandering man breaks this rule, he quickly learns why it is a rule in the first place.

Written, directed by, and starring Owen Conway (Eminence Hill), the movie also features Robert Sprayberry (Perception), Eva Hamilton (The Black Mass), Becky Jo Harris (Spiked), and Nathaniel Burns (Krampus: The Reckoning).

This movie was a frustrating watch. This had some potential in its writing and a standout performance from Robert Sprayberry. His character is ruthlessly entertaining and had me laughing throughout the film. The dialogue is well-written and effectively delivered. The female characters in the movie are gorgeous. Unfortunately, Owen Conway's character was frustrating, and the horror elements fell flat. The makeup used to create the ghosts was mediocre, and as the storyline shifted from a western to a haunting, the special effects failed to make the transition. The ending twist didn't have the impact it should have achieved with better execution.

In summary, Ghost Town's unique western/horror misses the mark. I would rate it 3/10 and recommend skipping it.

Don't get me wrong, this isn't Avatar, Marvel or Top Gun. The budget doesn't make for a thrilling watch if you are used to those movies.

It does have a heart if you can see past the low budget sets and occasional special effects. What Ghost Town does give you is a quality ghost story, well acted characters that intrinsic to the plot and an ending that, although we always know where it is going, keeps us guessing as to how it will get there.

I was more hooked into watching this movie than most films that cost a hundred times Would it be any good if had a much bigger budget? Maybe. It didn't do the Desperado movie any good all those years ago.

I guess that most of the big actors stopped taking small roles. Just a few years ago, there were decent movies released almost weekly. That time has passed. I don't know how a studio can feel comfortable releasing something so bad. I literally felt like I was watching a high school play. It was terrible. The acting and writing were both awful. The bar owner was laughable. The ladies of the night were worse. As I've said before, judge for yourself. Watch it and tell me I'm wrong. Movies just aren't the same. There is a clear line drawn at the time of the pandemic. The producers of this movie have no business charging people to watch it.

Director-Writer-Star Owen Conway does a Supreme Job on the Look, the Garish-Color-Scheme and the Costumes and Make-Up, especially for such a Minuscule Budget.

The Story is Not Much More than Tropes of the Sub-Genre. It Doesn't Break any New Ground or Shoot any Surprises that Startle.

It's a Good-Effort All Around with the Weakest Link the Final 10 Minutes when it Lethargically Tries to Explain and Tie-it-all-Together, that is Dull and Fails Miserably, almost Negating the Fun Images and Interplay that Came Before.

Truth be Told the "Truth" of the Story is Muddled and Sporadic, with an Appearance of a Brief Shot of a "Demon", that Looks like a Left-Over Mask from "Donnie Darko" (2001), that is a Sudden Scare but Goes Nowhere.

The Movie is Never Boring and has a Certain "Cheap" Charm that Never Looks Cheap, in Fact it Looks quite Elegant at Times.

Lots of Bloody Gun-Violence but Only a Modicum of Horror-Gore.

Overall, the Effort Shows and for Fans of Grind-House, Independent Shock and Schlock Cinema, it's...

Worth a Watch.

It's literally the sharpest looking HD western movie ever, extremely vivid and unusual.

Acting and characters are okay- most of them, maybe the biggest downside is unusual constant brightness which is a bit too much, everything looks too much clean for a period of time where the plot is located.

But costumes are excellent, story is okay- without too many jump scares, main actor and majority of the rest are very good. However, except for the unbelievably original and accurately dated authentic wild West replication, for some reason camera had filmed only immediate shots which began to feel quite claustrophobic as the time went by.