Ghost Town

 

Ghost Town. Dir Richard McCarthy (1988).

I remember seeing this Empire Pictures film at 16,000 video in Florida. I also had the issue of FANGORIA that showed all the gore FX. It seems like the scriptwriter David Schmoeller wanted to make the Charles Band version of the song "Ghost riders in the sky". Catherine Hickland from "One Life to Live" plays a blonde with a vanity license plate that reads Kate, she gets swept away like aforementioned country song.

 

Marty Robbins just keeled over and died!

There’s a new sheriff in town, some doofus named Langley (played by Franc Luz). I like how the last sheriff sends him a cryptic message before rotting away then popping back down into the dirt. The makeup effects by Scott Coulter are decent, he also worked on Mortal Kombat (1995). 

The soundtrack reminds me of Ghoulies (1985). Crispin Glover‘s Dad Bruce Glover shows up. The town is called Cruz del Diablo in case you were wondering. As advertised there are tons of ghosts and gaunt visuals. The entire town is full of ghosts which is what you want out of this film. Band had some money to spend because the production looks pretty authentic for a Western. 

Have you heard my son go on and on about Zemeckis yet?

The only problem with Ghost Town is that there are no likable characters. This shit is so confusing to me because David Schmoeller directed two incredible drive-in flicks Tourist Trap (1979) and Crawlspace (1986). 

Etta played by Laura Schaefer comes onto Langley and I can’t tell if she’s a ghost or not, I don't wanna be rude but her acting isn't great.There’s one stereotypical pig named Bubba played by Michael Alldredge----great more characters not to like!

 

Old West currency is still Gold pressed Latinum correct?

They revealed Kate‘s abductor as a long-haired dude with a fucked up smile and a bullet hole in two sides of his face. The cowpunk is played by Jimmie F. Skaggs. Skaggs was in two of my favorite shows Deep Space Nine and Buffy. 

The sexual situations in this movie are very clunky and uncomfortable. The good ole boys nail a sheriff to a windmill, oh jeez Trump must’ve loved this scene! I wonder if that asshole is a fan of Charles Band because we would know if he were because he never shuts up.

 

Are you as turned on as Donny was?

They mention the greasy long haired cowpoke's name is Devlin----get it like he’s a devil? HAHAHA. Good one Schmoeller high fives all around! 

I used to rent movies from Phar-mor as a youngster, where you'd get them for 50 cents--NO REALLY! There are certain shitty movies like Twice Dead (1988) and Barbarian Queen (1985), just CERTAIN titles that you would rent at the same place you could get a hoagie or a lightbulb. I actually bought the first Black Sabbath on cassette and it included their cover of Evil Woman by The Crow.

So, basically I’m saying the quality of this movie is not so great although if you must have it on Blu-ray in 2026 it costs $50. Shout Factory and Kino are neck and neck is a race to who's catalog vanishes to out of print status faster. 

I despise how all the ghosts just show up and laugh at you with their bullet holes streaming blood and making a mess. The weak plot line of Kate becoming a singer who died, it’s just not very clear and yet again it’s clumsy.

 

URRRRPPPP

Ghost Town has an underlining fetish of S&M going on that I found unappealing. I don’t think it’s intentional, though the long-haired cowboy says to keep his woman in line you must "spare the rod and spoil the child". What the hell does that even mean? 

GT has more laughing and torturing and making girls cry---Yippie skippy! There’s really not much to like about this movie. I am a fan of Spaghetti Westerns and some American ones but Charles Band just doesn’t know what he’s doing with the genre. I think if they had a better scriptwriter, they could’ve done something effective with this film. Although Schmoeller is capable as a talented director who's made some of my favorites his Western is pretty much a dud. 

WOULD MAKE A PRETTY DOORSTOP!

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