In 2176, a police unit is sent to investigate mysterious murders in a Martian mining colony and arrest a known and dangerous felon, but there’s something else going on there too. The anger of the people who have lost everything explodes into mad violence and slaughter.

In the 22nd century, Earth is destroyed by depletion of resources and overpopulation, then humans colonize Mars and dig out the resources greedily. Police Melanie Ballard arrives at a thriving coal town to transport criminal Williams in a prison to another location. But it has already been ruined, and the people have been horribly beheaded. In the course of investigating the incident, Melanie finds that ghosts of Mars have been released from the secret door in the cave to the ground and have begun revenge by possessing humans. The film portrays directly the scheme of ‘white pioneers vs. savage Indians’ in the horse opera to Mars. And like western female pioneers often symbolize civilization in the horse opera, Ghost of Mars expresses ‘the most advanced civilization’ through which human beings can make Mars earthenized as the matriarchy society. Of course, it is clear that the gender-reversed matriarchy in the film is not a positive future. John Carpenter’s 2001 film portrays a variety of genres including horse opera, SF, black comedy, and horror in one movie. It’s fun to see the loud taste of John Carpenter’s using body mutilation and the mirroring of trivial patriarchy. (Jay SOHN)