Ghosts of Mars (2001)

A story of human colonists on Mars who must be rescued after becoming possessed by vengeful Martian ghosts.

Director:

John Carpenter

Writers:

Larry Sulkis, John Carpenter

Stars:

Natasha Henstridge, Ice Cube, Jason Statham

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Natasha Henstridge	...	Lieutenant Melanie Ballard
Ice Cube	...	Desolation Williams
Jason Statham	...	Sgt Jericho Butler
Clea DuVall	...	Bashira Kincaid
Pam Grier	...	Commander Helena Braddock
Joanna Cassidy	...	Whitlock
Richard Cetrone	...	Big Daddy Mars
Rosemary Forsyth	...	Inquisitor
Liam Waite	...	Michael Descanso
Duane Davis	...	Uno
Lobo Sebastian	...	Dos
Rodney A. Grant	...	Tres
Peter Jason	...	McSimms
Wanda De Jesus	...	Akooshay
Doug McGrath	...	Benchley

Storyline

200 years in the future a Martian police unit is dispatched to transport a dangerous prisoner from a mining outpost back to justice. But when the team arrives they find the town deserted and some of the inhabitants possessed by the former inhabitants of the planet.

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Plot Keywords:

martian | future | mining | ghost | police | 

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Taglines:

You Don't Stand A Ghost Of A Chance

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Genres:

Action | Horror | Sci-Fi

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong violence/gore, language and some drug content

Details

Official Sites:

JohnCarpenter - movie site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 August 2001 (USA)

Also Known As:

John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$28,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£104,723 (UK) (30 November 2001)

Gross:

£104,723 (UK) (30 November 2001)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Screen Gems, Storm King Productions, Animationwerks

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color (FotoKem)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

John Carpenter revealed that he had became a burnout after he had made this film and made the decision of leaving Hollywood for good. It would not till nine years later that he made a full feature film, which was The Ward.

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Goofs

During the martian attack on the jail, "Akooshay" is seen being grabbed from behind and stabbed in a medium shot. In the subsequent wide shot, this can be seen happening again in the background.

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Quotes

Commander Helena Braddock: So, where is everybody?
Melanie Ballard: Yeah, Friday night, the whole place should be packed. A whole twelve hours before sun up and there's money to burn, whores to fuck and drugs to take.

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Crazy Credits

The special effects supervisor is credited as Monkey Overlord.

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Connections

References Vampires (1998)

User Reviews

Great action, excellent horror

This is how to make a hybrid of action, horror and science fiction. John Carpenter knows exactly how to set a mood, and, as proved by this film, also knows how to direct good action. The plot is not really new, but it's not a story that's been done to death either. The actors all perform pretty well, considering that most of them are B-list actors. The special effects are great. The music is perfect for the film; John Carpenter knows the importance of a good score. The atmosphere is incredible; any fan of Carpenter's earlier work will at the very least enjoy it. The film is exciting and scary at the same time; a thing most other films can't accomplish. The action is well-choreographed and cool. The story is told in a reasonably original fashion, and it works perfectly. The pacing is great. The humor is very dark and cynical, and fits perfectly with the overall mood of the film; very good decision by Carpenter. I'd recommend this to any fan of action, horror, science fiction or John Carpenter. Just keep an open mind about it; it's a bit different from what you might expect from these genres. 8/10