GHOSTS OF RED RIDGE – Review

Between movies and series episodes, I’ve probably seen a few thousand westerns. Some have crossed over with sci-fi and the supernatural, like COWBOYS & ALIENS, JONAH HEX or a number of totally forgettable flicks pitting cowpokes against vampires, zombies or other things that go bump in the night. This low-budget affair, THE GHOSTS OF RED RIDGE, breaks a bit of new ground… more uniquely, perhaps, than laudably.

Red Ridge is a dusty, nowhere little town of dashed hopes. It was founded on the promise of a gold rush that never materialized, leaving a handful of bored residents with nowhere better to go. Even the local outlaw gang that harasses the folks can’t rustle up enough loot to make a decent living. The sheriff (Owen Williams) and his deputy (Trent Culkin – apparently no relation to the other Culkins in the biz) seem like good guys, but hardly the stuff of which legends are made. Adding to the sheriff’s sense of being over-matched are ghostly hallucinations that start driving him nuts. He sees dead people (none of whom look anything like Bruce Willis) and doesn’t know why. Or handle it well.

As events unfold, there are a few holdups and shootings, with a couple of unlikely deaths. The small gang gets smaller and the town’s sparse population takes a few hits. The sheriff is more of a thinker than a doer. Oddly, his only book is about thermodynamics.  But the most unusual part of this isn’t the ghosties. It’s the only western I can recall in which absolutely no one rides a horse! A couple of them pull the stagecoach in one scene. But no one’s ever in a saddle, and none are even tied to any hitching posts along the street. (Maybe the Equine Actors’ Guild was on strike when the shoot was scheduled. As Westerns have gone out of favor, most of its members may be heavily saddled with debt, and that ain’t hay. Jus’ speculatin’ here.)

The cast of actors I’ve never seen do a competent job of filling their roles under the tutelage of director Stefan Colson, whose prior work behind the camera is equally unfamiliar. They collectively keep things interesting enough to stick with despite the low level of action. Writer Brandon Cahela and several of the credited producers also donned outfits for supporting roles. Another sign of limited funding.

All in all, the film is a low-key curiosity that might work for you, now that you know not to expect much in the way of F/X or adrenaline stirring.

GHOSTS OF RED RIDGE debuts on digital formats on Tuesday, Dec. 3.

RATING: 1.5 out of 4 stars