The Ghost Dance

Dr. Kay Foster is the head anthropology professor at an Arizona museum and university. Overseeing the excavation of Indian artifacts in the desert, she and her crew unearth the remains of a sadistic Indian shaman named Nahalla. Later that night, after the mummified carcass is carted off to Kay's museum, an Indian bum sneaks into the dig site and steals a pouch which belonged to the shaman. Believing that he will harness great powers and resurrect Nahalla himself to walk beside him, the thief uses the pouch's contents in the performance of a blood ritual. Nahalla is resurrected, but rather than walk beside a lowly thief, he instead takes over his body. During a time when American settlers had taken over most of their land and the Indians had lost hope, the advent of the ghost dance cult renewed their spirit. The cult was founded on the idea of a world soon to be inhabited solely by Indians, including their long-dead ancestors, and where the buffalo would once again roam in force. Rather than believe in such a thing, Nahalla took up his own cause against the white man, namely that of torture and death. Now in the present and as bloodthirsty as ever, the legendary madman sets his sights on the museum staff.

"The Ghost Dance" is a relatively obscure slasher film from the sub-genre's early days. It's obscurity is certainly undeserved, as it's one of the best slashers I've come across. Horror films which center on Native American themes are often among my favorites to watch. I've always been fascinated by the various Indian tribes and their ways of life. Learning about their cultures, legends and beliefs was one of my favorite parts of history class. What's more, the mythology and superstitions of their people are fertile grounds for horror tales. Hell, many of the old Indian legends are basically horror stories in and of themselves. Not only that, but they're actually frightening. Combining such elements with a slasher was a novel idea.

Peter F. Buffa's film is well-made, one or two jarring scene transitions not withstanding. The VHS transfer is beat up, but you can tell that it's an exceptionally filmed picture. The secluded desert vistas definitely help, as does the atmospheric museum which is effectively imposing at night. Indeed, two of the film's best sequences take place in the dimly-lit confines of the museum. One involves the double-murder of two people who's liaison in an old stagecoach is rudely interrupted. The other has Nahalla chasing Kay through the museum corridors, eventually making their way to the bird display. This leads to the striking image of Nahalla standing in front of a stuffed eagle, his back looking like it has sprouted wings. Not only the most memorable shot of the film, but a thematically rich one as well. That said, it's actually the second standout visual we're treated to here. When the thief is on his way to the site of his blood ritual earlier in the film, we get a terrific shot of him amidst the mountains and a stormy, lightning-filled sky. Again, the VHS is a bit of a mess, and this thing is in desperate need of a loving restoration.

As Kay, Julie Amato makes for a strong heroine. She carries herself with a sense of authority, never coming across as helpless despite the trouble she finds herself in later. The twist involving her character about midway through is predictable, but that doesn't take away from the film. Henry Bal is Nahalla, and he's most assuredly a formidable slasher villain. One of my favorite sequences has Kay driving to a dinner date, Nahalla eerily popping up along the road every step of the way. Another has the revived shaman stalking her in the form of a house cat. Kay is a very appealing final girl, and there was tension in wondering what would happen to her. That's more than I can say for most final girls. The film's score has it's moments, enhancing the mood at it's best, sounding generic or even somewhat cartoonish (during the museum chase) at it's worst. The kills aren't overly graphic, but they're nothing to sneeze at either, particularly those of the stagecoach twosome. The ending is a little sudden, but it works.

It's a pity that Buffa never directed another film. He clearly knew what he was doing, as "The Ghost Dance" doesn't come off as the work of an amateur. There are flaws, sure, but nothing major. This is a quality slasher that cuts deeper than the norm. You wouldn't want to dig up Nahalla, but this film is another story. It's like striking gold for slasher fans.

It might be because the copy I saw was so dark that any scene not taking place in broad daylight was totally unwatchable, but Ghostdance did nothing for me. There are some good ideas and the death scenes I could make out were decent like the one with the hapless victim falling through a glass display, but it was hard to tell who was who and I couldn't help but check out. This might be a film that will get a much needed reappraisal if it ever comes to Blu-Ray with a brighter transfer.

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.

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.

Greetings And Salutations, and welcome to my review of Ghost Dance; here's the breakdown of my ratings:

Story - 0.75 Direction - 1.00 Pace - 1.00 Acting - 1.00 Enjoyment - 1.00

TOTAL - 4.75 out of 10

I do love a good supernatural revenge hack-an'-slash. Sadly Ghost Dance is not a good one. It teeters on the verge of averageness.

The main issue I have with this little picture is the story's scope. A native American's spirit possessing one of his descendants would be looking for some serious payback, and rightly so. However, we don't get half as much as was required, and there's real mention of the tribesman's motive. It gets mentioned in passing but is never expanded upon - It should have been his driving force; his incentive to kill, to set the tables straight. Details such as this are the difference between an okay picture and a wonderful one.

The filming of the screenplay isn't too inventive, though the director does attempt to add more interesting shots and a varied tempo. The shots mostly work and are used when the low budget didn't allow for a respectable special effect. Such as the runaway truck at the burial dig site. The truck pins a man to the side of the opened grave. Instead of seeing the man's legs crushed and held between the truck and mud wall, the director opts to show the scene from outside the grave. By doing this, the actor has to sell his pain and torment. It works, though the scene isn't too well composed. The varied pace isn't as successful, and for one simple reason, it's not varied enough. Though the cutting is quicker and sharper, it's not by too much, and as such, the film's flow hardly alters - not enough to help.

The actors and actresses are the best things about the movie, which isn't much compliment. The only one who hinders the film is the bad guy, Nahalla, played by Henry Bal. It's not Bal's fault though. A non-speaking role is tough to play as it relies on the body and facial acting of the performer; it also needs a good director. In most of the sections Nahalla's in, he's a hulking shadow. Though he has the physique he doesn't possess much ominousness or danger - except for the massive blade he wields. And for a resurrected killer, that is a shame.

Ghost Dance had good possibilities that both the writers and director overlooked. That said, it's still a passable movie to pass an hour and a half, but only if you have nowt else to watch and you've stumbled across it on a streaming service for free.

Please feel free to visit my Absolute Horror list to see where I ranked Ghost Dance.

Take Care & Stay Well.