Macabre...ish Horror Review: Ghosts of Mars

by Kimberly Walker February 10, 2019

Ghosts of Mars, 2001/ 108 min. Rumors have been spreading for weeks, through settlements, colonies, towns etc. leaving emptiness and death in it’s wake. Something that’s been buried for centuries has been uncovered. It is 2176 A.D. Mars, terraforming is 84 % complete and is home to 640,000 colonists.

The movie begins at the end, the movie is a discovery reporting of events. A team of officers is on a mission and arrive at a remote mining town to transport a dangerous criminal, James ‘Desolation’ Williams (Ice Cube), wanted for murder.

When they arrive, they find a typically bustling mining town, empty. The only one seemingly around is their prisoner, alone in the local jail.

Upon searching the town, Shining Canyon, they find evidence of a blood bath. And strange contraptions, ornaments and traps made from barbed wire, scissors etc., anything sharp. And though they find no one, they do find body parts.

One building is filled with arms, hanging from the ceiling like streamers and heads lined up on pikes. They find a few locals still alive, in a holding tank. Amongst the trouble makers is Dr. Arlene Whitlock (Joanne Cassidy), officer in charge of the mining operation. A door to an ancient cave was breached and now it’s out and no one’s safe.

Infected miners are possessed by ancient Martians that practice self mutilation, wearing other people’s faces as masks and killing all those who aren’t possessed...destroys all in their path. Why? Because the ghosts perceive all non-Martians as invaders.And unfortunately killing a possessed person, simply releases the spirit to roam free again. Jericho (Jason Statham) and Lt. Ballard (Natasha Henstridge) are tasked with finding answers by team leader, Cmdr. Helena Braddock (Pam Grier).

One by one the team goes down as they investigate. You start to get that Desolation may not be the deranged murderer people say he is. They discover the ‘tribe’ of deranged possessed miners, beheading people in a crater and the team must find a way to kill them and the ghosts inside of them. When Desolation’s gang arrives to break him out, the gang and the police must band together to survive.

This movie is graphic, gory and bloody. There’s also suicide and maiming by stupidity. And lots of recognizable faces in this movie.

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