“Ghost Town” Movie Review

 

“Ghost Town”

Movie Review

 

The horror movie "Ghost Town," written and directed by Owen Conway, stars Owen alongside Robert Sprayberry, Eva Hamilton, and Becky Jo Harris. The story centers on a vagabond who accepts a position as a bartender in a small Arizona town in 1877. After a string of strange deaths, he quickly becomes the subject of investigation. He finds himself in the center of the bizarre, possibly supernatural mystery that is plaguing this community as he desperately tries to escape the noose.

 

Owen Conway plays Solomon, a vagrant who is in terrible straits. He no longer has a horse, has no money, and his gun is lost. Fortunately for him, a town can be seen out in the distance, and he has a job working for Hagan, the proprietor of the neighborhood tavern and whorehouse. When one of the customers is shot and killed while speaking to him, he hasn't even been at the job for five minutes.

 

As if having a "insufferable prick" for a boss and that weren't terrible enough, Solomon starts experiencing bizarre hearings and visions. During the night, something attempts to break down his door with a roar. The following morning, as he is speaking to Stella, a spider crawls out of her lips and into her hair without her noticing. Director Owen Conway not only directed Ghost Town but also starred in it. He wisely doesn't try to stage anything too extravagant and maintains the film's goals within its means and his degree of expertise. The film's tone is established with dialogue that frequently refers to the town as a ghost town, graveyard, etc., mentions of an undertaker who was hanged for "committing unnatural acts with the corpses," and basic effects that help the audience visualize Solomon's experiences or potential hallucinations. Which they possibly do a little bit too well because the steady stream of incidents dispels any doubt that there is a problem in this community. Even the most straightforward Western set piece, a shooting, concludes with a horrible scenario in which Sheriff Hoyt pours cheap alcohol on the dead bodies and then burns them on the spot in the street. The cast is limited, as befits a movie set in a deserted village, and the only two characters we spend a lot of time with are Kate and Benjamin. Kate is a prostitute who has an irrational hatred for Solomon. Even Moran, who sounds like a TV preacher for the majority of the film, gives genuine performances.

 

Which they may do a little bit too well considering the constant stream of occurrences that prove there is a problem in this neighborhood. Even the most basic Western scene—a shooting—ends in a horrific scene in which Sheriff Hoyt pours cheap alcohol on the dead bodies before setting them on fire in the street. The cast is small, as befits a film set in a deserted village, and Kate and Benjamin are the only two people we spend a lot of time with. Kate, a prostitute, harbors an unreasonable animosity toward Solomon. Even Moran, who for the bulk of the movie sounded like a TV preacher, offers sincere performances.

 

The intriguing movie Ghost Town has a lot of potentials but falters in the last quarter. It would be interesting to see if Owen Conway pursues his potential as a director or keeps writing and playing in his brother Robet's movies.

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