The Ghost Dance (film)

The Ghost Dance
VHS Cover
Directed byPeter F. Buffa
Screenplay by
  • Peter F. Buffa
  • Robert Sutton
Produced byRobert Sutton
Starring
CinematographyFred Murphy
Music byJoseph Byrd
Production
company
Ahrememess[1]
Distributed byTrans World Entertainment[2]
Running time
96 minutes[3]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$1,000,000 (estimated)

The Ghost Dance is a 1982 American Western slasher film directed and co-written by Peter F. Buffa, and starring Julie Amato, Victor Mohica, Henry Bal, and Frank Salsedo. Its plot follows a Native American shaman who becomes possessed by an evil spirit that drives him to kill.[2] It was the first slasher film to be based around and feature Native American characters.[4]

Plot[edit]

The spirit of a long-dead warrior, Nahalla, possesses Aranjo, a local Native American man, after an archaeologist, Dr. Kay Foster, unearths Nahalla's remains during an exploratory excavation. Through Aranjo, Nahalla exacts a murderous rampage.

Cast[edit]

Release[edit]

Home media[edit]

The film was released for the first time on DVD by Mediabox on April 24, 2006.[6]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "The Ghost Dance (1982)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on May 7, 2021. Retrieved August 25, 2018.
  2. ^ a b Pitts, Michael R. (2013). Western Movies: A Guide to 5,105 Feature Films (2nd ed.). Jefferson, NC: McFarland. p. 1538. ISBN 978-0786463725.
  3. ^ Hilger, Michael (2015). Native Americans in the Movies: Portrayals from Silent Films to the Present. New York: Rowman & Littlefield. p. 174. ISBN 978-1442240025.
  4. ^ Sykes, Brad (2018). Terror in the Desert: Dark Cinema of the American Southwest. Jefferson, NC: McFarland. p. 136. ISBN 978-1476631325.
  5. ^ Lentz, Harris (2001). Science Fiction, Horror & Fantasy Film and Television Credits: Filmography. McFarland. p. 1133. ISBN 9780786409426 – via Google Books.
  6. ^ "Ghost Dance (1983) – Peter Bufa, Ken McMullen". Allmovie.com. Allmovie. Retrieved April 4, 2019.

External links[edit]