''Ghosts of the Ozarks'' is a 2021 independent mystery/science fiction thriller film. It was directed by Matt Glass and

Jordan Wayne Long Jordan Wayne Long is an American filmmaker, performance artist, and co-creator of the production company HCT.Media. Film In 2018, Long produced and co-directed a feature film titled ''Squirrel'' with Matt Glass. That same year, Long also second- ...

. The film stars Thomas Hobson, Tara Perry, Phil Morris,

Angela Bettis Angela Marie Bettis (born January 9, 1973) is an American actress, film producer, and director. Following her breakthrough role as Janet Webber in the Drama (film and television), drama film ''Girl, Interrupted (film), Girl, Interrupted'' (1999 ...

Erick Redbeard Joseph Ruud (born November 28, 1981) is an American professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Erick Rowan. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand and is a member of The Wyatt Sicks. Having previously wrestled ...

(credited as Joseph Ruud),

Tim Blake Nelson Timothy Blake Nelson (born May 11, 1964) is an American actor, writer, and director. Described as a "modern character actor", his roles include Delmar O'Donnell in ''O Brother, Where Art Thou?'' (2000), Gideon in ''Minority Report (film), Minori ...

, and

David Arquette David Arquette (; born September 8, 1971) is an American actor, producer, and retired professional wrestler. Arquette's breakout came with his starring role as Dewey Riley in the slasher film '' Scream'' (1996), a role which he later reprised i ...

Synopsis

The story takes place in post-Civil War

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...

, around 1866. A young Black doctor, James "Doc" McCune (Hobson), is mysteriously summoned by his uncle, Matthew McCune (Morris), to Norfork, a remote fortress town in the

Ozark Mountains The Ozarks, also known as the Ozark Mountains, Ozark Highlands or Ozark Plateau, is a physiographic region in the U.S. states of Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma, as well as a small area in the southeastern corner of Kansas. The Ozarks cover ...

which appears to be a biracial utopian paradise. The nephew is to become the new town physician. However, the wooden-walled town is filled with secrets and ominous forebodings, and "Doc" McCune becomes suspicious about the true nature of the colony. His uncle Matthew appears to be in charge of the population, but the basis of his leadership is not readily apparent. Matthew instructs his nephew that everyone in the town, regardless of their job, knows their "purpose," and the uncle dissuades "Doc" from being too curious. The forest outside Norfork's walls is populated by menacing, supernatural presences (the "ghosts"), who attack townspeople who venture outside the

citadel A citadel is the most fortified area of a town or city. It may be a castle, fortress, or fortified center. The term is a diminutive of ''city'', meaning "little city", because it is a smaller part of the city of which it is the defensive core. ...

at night; before the attacks take place, the forest is enveloped in a creeping red mist. When "Doc" McCune tracks down the previous town doctor, a woman named Annie (Perry), who lives in a house in the forest with her mute brother, William (Rowan), and asks for help in setting up his medical clinic, she is friendly but uncooperative, which heightens the young doctor's suspicions about the town. She also assures the doctor that she and her brother do not fear the "ghosts."

Production team

Many of the actors in the film, as well as the directors, were involved with the producing, writing, and scoring. The story was written by Jordan Wayne Long and Tara Perry. The soundtrack was composed by Matt Glass. The film was produced by Long, Perry, Glass, Michael May, Christina McLarty Arquette, and David Arquette. Perry also sings on the closing theme, "On This Mountain (Reprise)," a song sung earlier in the film by Nelson, who plays a blind Scandinavian saloonkeeper, and his wife, Lucille (Bettis). The film premiered at the

Austin Film Festival Austin Film Festival (AFF), founded in 1994, is an organization in Austin, Texas, that focuses on writers' creative contributions to film. Initially, AFF was called the Austin Heart of Film Screenwriters Conference and functioned to launch the c ...

in October 2021. The film has no relation to an identically titled 2004 book by Bruce Carlson.''Ghosts of the Ozarks'', by Bruce Carlson, at Goodreads.com
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References

External links

* {{IMDb title, tt11186952 2021 fantasy films 2021 films American independent films 2021 independent films 2020s English-language films 2020s American films English-language independent films English-language fantasy films