"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.

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.

Ghost Town starts as Kate Barrett (Catherine Hickland) drives along an isolated desert road, her car suddenly breaks down & she hears horses hoofs approaching... Deputy Sheriff Langley (Frank Luz) of Riverton County is called in to investigate Kate's disappearance after her father reports her missing. He finds her broken down car & drives off looking for her, unfortunately his car breaks down too & he has to walk. Langley ends up at at a deserted rundown ghost town, much to his shock Langley soon discovers that it is quite literally a ghost town as it's populated by the ghosts of it's former residents & is run by the evil Devlin (Jimmie F. Skaggs) who has kidnapped Kate for reasons never explained & it's up to Langley to rescue her & end the towns curse...The one & only directorial effort of Richard Governor this odd film didn't really do much for me & I didn't like it all that much. The script by Duke Sandefur tries to mix the horror & western genres which it doesn't do to any great effect. Have you ever wondered why there aren't more horror western hybrid films out there? Well, neither have I but if I were to ask myself such a question I would find all the answers in Ghost Town because it's not very good. The two genres just don't mix that well. There are plenty of clichés, on the western side of things there's the innocent townsfolk who are to scared to stand up to a gang of thugs who are terrorising them, the shoot-outs in the main street, saloon bars with swing doors & prostitutes upstairs & horror wise there's plenty of cobwebs, some ghosts, an ancient curse, talking corpses & a few violent kills. I was just very underwhelmed by it, I suppose there's nothing terribly wrong with it other than it's just dull & the two genres don't sit together that well. There are a few holes in the plot too, why did Devlin kidnap Kate? I know she resembled his previous girlfriend but how did he know that & what was he going to do with her anyway? We never know why this ghost town is full of ghosts either, I mean what's keeping them there & what caused them to come back as ghosts? Then there's the bit at the end where Devlin after being shot says he can't be killed only for Langley to kill him a few seconds later, I mean why didn't the bullets work in the first place?Director Governor does alright, there's a nice horror film atmosphere with some well lit cobweb strewn sets & the standard Hollywood western town is represented here with a central street with wooden buildings lining either side of it. I wouldn't say it's scary because it isn't, there's not much tension either & the film drags in places despite being only just over 80 odd minutes in length. Forget about any gore, there a few bloody gunshot wounds, an after the fact shot of two people with their throats slit & someone is impaled with a metal pole & that's it.I'd have imagined the budget was pretty small here, it's reasonably well made & is competent if nothing else. Credit where credit's due the period costumes & sets are pretty good actually. The acting is alright but no-ones going to win any awards.Ghost Town is a strange film, I'm not really sure who it's meant to appeal to & it certainly didn't appeal to me. Anyone looking for a western will be annoyed with the dumb horror elements while anyone looking for a horror film will be bored by the western elements. It's something a bit different but that doesn't mean it's any good, worth a watch if your desperate but don't bust a gut to see it.

One of the better horror movies I've seen in the last decade, Ghost Town has a dreamlike quality to it that lends to its weird combination of Western, ghost movie, and conventional horror/slasher flick. From the opening sequence (where an invisible horseman pursues a modern-day automobile), to the bizarre sequences with The Dealer, to the final wrap-up, the whole pic segues in from dreams to flashbacks, from modern-day to 1890s, until you're not sure exactly where you stand. Highly recommended.