The late 70s and early 80s were considered the golden age of the slasher film. With a saturated market of low-budget slashers, a lot of well-crafted horror movies did not get the attention that they normally would have. The Ghost Dance is a slasher that revolves around a Native American killer with supernatural elements that is set in Arizona. During an archaeological dig, the spirit of an evil shaman is accidentally resurrected and possesses a local native man. The poor man is transformed into a vengeful killer, picking off people around Dr. Kay Foster, the woman in charge of the dig. As Dr. Foster investigates the legends around the unearthed Shaman, she discovers lore about a coming world populated only by Native Americans. Soon, even her most skeptical friends believe start believing in a power from another world.

At 93 minutes, the movie does not overstay its welcome. It also boasts decent acting and production values. The individual kills are not unique, but this is also viewing the movie decades later and after having watched hundreds of horror movies. It is much more competently made than a lot of 1980s slashers and some of the cinematography struck me as very good. I later found out that the cinematographer was Fred Murphy who would later work on “Stir of Echoes” and “The Mothman Prophecies”.

The special features were great. There were three big interviews, each about twenty minutes long. Peter Buffa, co-writer and director, had a demeanor that I really liked. His interview was done in a conversational style and told a lot of great behind the scenes stories. He discussed the issues with financing a film. He talked about the biggest time wasters on set. He talked about how much the University of Arizona assisted with research materials, filming locations, and advice. Peter also discussed his horror philosophy and how he prefers suspense and jump scares to gore. He also spread compliments around to his co-workers. He mentioned that the casting director went on to become a legendary casting director in the world of television. He mentioned how scary Henry Bal, who played the killer, could be during a take, but as soon as Buffa yelled “Cut!”, Henry would turn into a funny, goofy guy who loved practical jokes.

Next was an interview with Robert M. Sutton, co-writer and producer, who also came across as a friendly guy. Sutton told stories about attempting to film on the Yaqui reservation and being refused. Then they tried to film on a famous Western set but could not afford the cost with their budget. They eventually rented a Boy Scouts of America camp down the road for a fraction of the cost. In another wild story, he talked about having to get an actor out of jail to film the scenes and then take him back to jail when the scenes were done. He also tells of the distribution hiccups and how the VHS was so dark people had no idea what was happening in the movie.

The final interview was with a stunt coordinator, Don Shanks, who got his start wrestling bears for a TV show. He proceeds to tell all kinds of stories about getting hurt in various ways and stunts going wrong. There was a time the generator operator mistook a snake for an electrical cable. For a snake stunt early in the film, they had to call around to hospitals and make sure that anti-venom was in stock for that specific species. Don also brought up his work in “Silent Night, Deadly Night” and how he was cast as Michael Myers in “Halloween 5”. Again, this was a very entertaining interview to watch.

Other special features include a commentary track with critics and film historians and the original trailer. The artwork looks good, and the sleeve insert is reversible. So, you can choose your cover. This release is high-quality with some of the most entertaining interviews that I’ve come across in a feature’s bonus materials. The movie was very well-made; I just wish the story and some of the kills were a little more innovative. This is a solid slasher, but not necessarily special. However, adding up the pros and cons, I would still say this Vinegar Syndrome release is worth adding to your horror collection.