The Ghost and the Darkness (1996)

Apologies for the strange 'chop' underlying the audio in parts...

Today Matt & Todd dive into the 1996 African‑adventure / animal‑horror thriller The Ghost and the Darkness.

Arriving in theaters with a fair amount of mid‑90s buzz, the film has since become a bit forgotten—despite starring Val Kilmer and Michael Douglas, boasting a tight script by William Goldman, striking visuals, and Oscar‑winning sound design. Reviews at the time were mixed‑to‑positive, and the movie turned a modest profit, but it never quite broke through the way its pedigree suggested it might.

We enjoyed the film’s supernatural-ish tone even if it was an element that landed badly to insufferably for some viewers. It can be hard to root for the “heroes,” even the movie versions as dynamic as Douglas is, or as charming as Kilmer, once you understand the historical context.

But taken as a cinematic experience, what we think it’s really about is a beautifully shot, atmospheric thriller that embraces its setting, its legend, and the eerie campfire‑story energy at the heart of the tale.

It’s a compelling fireside tale brought to life by a strong cast, including:

• Michael Douglas as Charles Remington
• Val Kilmer as Colonel John Henry Patterson
• John Kani as Samuel
• Bernard Hill as David Hawthorne
• Whit Bissell Award Winner Tom Wilkinson as Sir Robert Beaumont
• Emily Mortimer as Helena Patterson
• Om Puri as Abdullah
• Henry Cele as Mahina
• Brian McCardie as Angus Starling

A little mythical (perhaps), a little messy, but still one of the more unique “man‑eater” films out there, The Ghost and the Darkness remains an entertaining slice of 90s adventure‑horror filmmaking.

Matt has over 100+ lists for movie suggestions on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Letterboxd⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠You can reach out on Bluesky: @MovieMattSirois

Terrible movies often find him, even under under the alias Marcus at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Movie Asylum of the Weird, Bad and Wonderful⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Follow who we follow:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Once Upon a Geek⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Fade Out Podcast⁠⁠⁠