“Ghost Dance” is a supernatural slasher film that was released in america in 1982, directed and co-written by Peter F. Buffa – and the plot is constructed around spirits of Nahalla, a long dead Essene shaman who gets dug out during an archaeological search deep in the Arizona desert. There, a spirit possessed by an Essene shaman turns into a local Indian named Bambi Aranjo who goes on a severe killing spree. As a slash film, it became the first to portray the American Indians on screen. Plenty of people appreciated it for the fact that Indian characters are written with their culture and not as though they were simply scalpers.
Cast & Crew
- Director: Peter F. Buffa
- Writers: Peter F. Buffa, Robert M. Sutton
- Cast:
- Julie Amato as Dr. Kay Foster
- Victor Mohica as Tom Eagle
- Henry Bal as Nahalla
- Frank Salsedo as Ocacio
- James Andronica as Paul Michaels
- Patricia Alice Albrecht as Carol
- Deloris Maaske as Lena
- J. Christopher Senter as Rick Haley
- Henry Kendrick as Lt. Sutton
Release Information
Film was also out on May 21 1982 in the united states.
Personal Insights
The film “The Ghost Dance” has etched its name in the Horrowey world in the sense that it remarkably fused Indian ideologies and characters in the third dimension portraying it in a slasher film set.
The blend of traditional elements with horror, focusing on cultural aspects and the exciting, supernatural world speaks narratively in the film. Although never a completionist success, it adds to its cult like status which a lot of horror fans appreciate due to its unusual twist.
**Culturally Significance terses>
Even if “The Ghost Dance” featured Native Americans it is stalking ‘absent indigenous indigenous narratives’ in a horror film. The portrayal’s title refers to the ghost dance, a late nineteenth-century movement performed by Native Americans seeking rejuvenation of their culture and struggle against the colonizers. Their depiction may be somewhat inaccurate, but the movie does explain to the viewers some general things about Native American religion and history which definitely invites them to investigate further.
If you wish to see what the movie is about, check the Vinegar Syndrome Blu-ray promo video at the bottom.