The Shadow of Chikara

1977

1h 54m

IMDb RATING

4.4/10

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Horror

Western

Two former Confederate captains try to remove diamonds hidden in the Arkansas mountains, but a native spirit guards the sacred site against intruders.

Directors

Earl E. Smith

Writers

Earl E. Smith(writer by)

Stars

Joe Don Baker

Sondra Locke

Ted Neeley

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Top cast

Joe Don Baker

Wishbone Cutter

Sondra Locke

Drusilla Wilcox

Ted Neeley

Amos Richmond - Teach

Half Moon O'Brian

Posey

Rafe

Dancer

Rosalie Cutter

Virgil Cane

Confederate Officer

Yankee Officer

Maj. Lee Blackburn

Directors

Earl E. Smith

Writers

Earl E. Smith(writer by)

All cast & crew

Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

**_Western set in northern Arkansas with Joe Don Baker and Sondra Locke_** After one of the last battles of the Civil War, a captain and his half-breed scout (Baker and Joy N. Houck Jr.) team-up with a college geologist (Ted Neeley) to find a deposit of diamonds in a cave in the Ozarks. On the way, they are joined by a woman (Locke), but are hindered by shadowy pursuers. "The Shadow of Chikara” (1977), also known as “The Curse of Demon Mountain” (amongst other titles), is worth seeing because of the unique locale for a Western, as well as the quality cast. Speaking of which, Locke and John Davis Chandler (in a small part) previously appeared together in “The Outlaw Josey Wales” from the year before. Sondra’s new beau from that flick, Clint Eastwood, visited the set a few weeks into the shoot for a respite, checking out the area and doing some fishing. I’ve heard this referred to as a cheap production, but it’s not. For instance, the opening Civil War battle scenes are convincing, not to mention the characters are fleshed out and well acted. The second half does get tedious though, yet there’s a nice surprise at the end. The blurry version currently available on streaming runs 1 hour, 31 minutes, but the original cut runs 23 minutes longer, which explains the abrupt (amateurish) editing in the short version. It was shot in north-central Arkansas at Bull Shoals State Park; and Yellville, which is a dozen miles to the southwest, as well as Buffalo National River, which is 15 miles further south. GRADE: B- (if I saw a quality print of the original version, I might rate this higher)

Wuchak26 Apr, 2025