A Cidade Fantasma

"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.

Late 80's western horror which has a police officer following up a missing person on a desert highway ending up way off the beaten path. While walking a corpse of a sheriff pops out of the ground telling him that he is their only hope before crumbling into dust. This sets things in motion as he figures out he's not in Kansas anymore. A time warp takes place as he is suddenly doing battle with a demon cowboy at a small town in the late 1800's.

The special effects in this one were pretty good. The demon bad guys rotting flesh was decent. At times this was boring but would compensate with some action. Nothing too heavy in this one.

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.

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!!!

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.