Ghost Riders (not an undiscovered sequel to any Marvel movie starring Nicolas Cage) starts strong in its own particular right with a heavy God versus The Law trip set in the Wild West of 1886. This 1987 indie feature looks like an overly ambitious attempt to get backyard-VHS horror fans into something a little different, It both is and isn't something a little different, and if this is the first time you are hearing of it, oh SOV horror fan with visions of Microwave Massacre dancing in your head, then I reckon you'll soon understand why this nominal Horror Western flew so long under the radar, even if the level of technical merit puts those other backyard movies to shame.

Ghost Riders (or Ghostriders if the Blu-ray cover art is to be believed) indeed is not your usual Camcorder Auteur affair; its written by Clay McBride and James J. Desmarais, produced by Desmarais, Thomas Callaway, and Alan L. Stewart, and Directed by Stewart. In other words, Stewart had lots of opinions in the mix. It starts with bad man Frank Clements facing the gallows as an overzealous preacher wants to bypass legalities and get the man dead before his posse can come to nefarious rescue. Which is more important, the law of God, or man? Not really sure about that one, as all the jawing back-and-forth gives said posse a chance to rush in a-killin' folks, before Clements still winds up dancing at the end of a rope.

Cut forward to 1986, with Cory (Ricky Long) flopping around a rural airfield (someone in production knew a pilot, and a little bit of nifty stunt flying ensues). Cory is the great-grandson of the preacher, and he pals around with a mild-drinking loner Hampton, the son of Texas' foremost authority on the Wild West, setting up a scenario in which people aren't totally taken by surprise when Clements and his gang return, shooting up the place in a quest for sweet, sweet revenge.

Unfortunately, as often happens in the world of short-money, lots of time is spent sitting around talking, wandering through the brush, and watching some dude in horrible shorts listen to his Sony Walkman. We'd forgive these quiet moments of exposition if they added much to the plot, but they don't, they simply flesh-out a little backstory for characters we don't much care about, when not merely allowing the characters to chew up clock with idle chit-chat.

Ghost Riders does eventually dole out some squibs, a relatively-decent amount of run-time in fact gives way to Clements and gang - in very human-looking form - creeping around the sagebrush, pumping people full of lead, and what-not, but to little end. Nominal hero of the movie Hampton isn't all that compelling, and his attraction to grumpy Pam (Cari Powell) appears to be adolescent infatuation at best; it's a low-horsepower engine that propels this overly-ambitious genre mashup to a rote end. If I may spoil things for you, ghosts bleed, but it takes a little more than buckshot to put them out of commission for good.

Ghost Riders can be viewed two ways: as a low-budget genre film with an unusual focus, or as a testament to film-making smarts and professionalism. As the former, it's mildly entertaining. As the latter it's remarkable for having been made for just under $60,000 and working as well as it does. The tale of Wild West outlaws back from the dead and out for revenge in 1980s Texas has a small focus, a decent amount of action, and plenty of just so-so filler. But as an inspiration for indie filmmakers, it sports amazing production values. If you're in the latter camp, it's recommended, for the rest of you blokes, if it sounds of interest, it couldn't hurt to Rent It.

The DVD

Video:
Ghost Riders was shot on 16mm for chump change even by 1986 dollars. MVD visual and Verdugo Entertainment do it some justice in this 16 x 9 HD presentation. As one would expect for a low budget movie, it shows its origins a bit, but on the whole the image is likely as detailed as its going to get, with colors that are surprisingly true to life, and very little in the way of film damage. The image appears to be true to its source at all levels, with only a persistence of what appears to be digital mosquito grain spoiling the view. For what it's worth, there is one slow-motion dream sequence that takes advantage of the Sweet Light, looking and feeling fantastic, for which DP Thomas L Callaway should get extra credit.

Sound:
Things take a bit of a nosedive with the original Monaural Soundtrack, that works OK when it works. The ‘80s sounding score is mixed well, but dialog levels are pretty uneven, necessitating a steady hand on the volume control.

Extras:
Extras are where this package earns most of its oats, starting with a moderated Commentary Track that includes Director of Photography/ Producer Callaway, Writer/ Producer Desmarais, and moderator Steve Latshaw. Though the commentators do at times lapse into silence as they watch the movie, and one person sits well back in the room, (leading to a quieter, tinny-sounding voice) much great nuts-and-bolts BTS knowledge is delivered. A 22-minute new original documentary Bringing Out The Ghosts: The Making of Ghost Riders is included and worth a look. You also get a portion (12 minutes) of a vintage featurette by Debbie Sharp of Baylor University, Low Budget Films: On The Set of Ghost Riders, detailing low-budget filmmakers in Texas, including the very low-key Alan Stewart, who calmly lays out some highly cogent basics of low-budget film-making. The Original Theatrical Trailer, a New Trailer and Movie Stills & Behind The Scenes Galleries round out the package.

Final Thoughts:
Ghost Riders can be viewed two ways: as a low-budget genre film with an unusual focus, or as a testament to film-making smarts and professionalism. As the former, it's mildly entertaining. As the latter it's remarkable for having been made for just under $60,000 and working as well as it does. The tale of Wild West outlaws back from the dead and out for revenge in 1980s Texas has a small focus, a decent amount of action, and plenty of just so-so filler. But as an inspiration for indie filmmakers, it sports amazing production values. If you're in the latter camp, it's recommended, for the rest of you blokes, if it sounds of interest, it couldn't hurt to Rent It.

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