THE GHOST DANCE

The spirit of a malevolent, long-dead shaman, Nahalla, is unearthed during an archeological dig in the Arizona desert. The dig is overseen by local archeologist and anthropology professor Dr. Kay Foster. Nahalla possesses Aranjo, a local Native American man, after Aranjo steals a Kachina doll from Nahalla's grave and performs a ritual with it. Through Aranjo, Nahalla begins exacting a murderous rampage. First, he causes a truck to roll into the archeological dig site, seriously injuring one of the workers.

Later, Aranjo infiltrates the local museum after hours, where he kills Carol and Rick Haley, both colleagues of Kay's. Aranjo begins to stalk Kay and her boyfriend, Tom Eagle, lurking outside her house one night. In research conducted by Kay and her peers, it is discovered that Nahalla, a shaman previously unidentified by the academics, arrived in the region in the 1890s with an Anglo wife whom he had kidnapped. Nahalla formed an offshoot cult from the Ghost Dance, which centered on the notion of a world soon to be inhabited only by Native Americans and their ancestors.

One night at the museum, Paul and Kay examine the mummified remains of Nahalla, which have been stored in a medical laboratory. After Kay leaves, she encounters Aranjo who appears in the darkness on a desert road. Terrified, she visits the local police station, but Tom believes she experienced a hallucination due to stress and her hectic work schedule.

Back at the museum, Paul continues researching Nahalla's history by reviewing historical compendiums, and identifies the woman he kidnapped as Melissa Stuart. Paul leaves Kay an urgent phone message and prepares to leave, but is confronted by the possessed Aranjo who stabs him to death. The next morning, Kay examines historical records in the university library and uncovers a photo of Melissa Stuart, to whom Kay bears a shocking resemblance.

Tom brings Kay to visit Ocacio, a local medicine man, hoping he can help them. Ocacio reluctantly agrees to assist, but says he needs to visit the dig site, which Kay and Tom arrange for the next morning. Back at the museum, Kay discovers Paul's corpse on the medical examination table beside Nahalla's, and is confronted by a knife-wielding, possessed Aranjo. Aranjo chases Kay through the museum before cornering her in the laboratory, where it becomes clear he does not want to hurt her—instead, he wishes to use her body as a vessel for Melissa's spirit. Aranjo adorns Kay with a mystical necklace, causing her to become possessed by Melissa.

Before dawn, Tom meets with Ocacio near the dig site. Tom retrieves the Kachini doll, which Ocacio uses in a ritual to control Aranjo. A possessed Kay stumbles on the scene and tries to stab Tom, but is knocked unconscious. Aranjo stabs Ocacio to death, just before Ocacio drops the Kachini doll on an open fire, causing Aranjo's body to spontaneously combust. Tom returns to the museum with Kay and douses Nahalla's mummified corpse in alcohol, but before he is able to strike a match, Kay reveals herself to still be possessed by Melissa. She looks at Tom menacingly and wields a scalpel.

Aranjo, possessed by Nahalla, is destroyed when a ritual causes his body to combust after the Kachini doll is burned, and Kay is saved from being permanently possessed.

The climax involves ritual folklore as the destruction of the artifact that bound Nahalla's spirit ends his reign of terror. By severing the supernatural connection, the film resolves its central threat, restoring Kay and foiling the shaman’s aim to return via reincarnation. Both psychological and supernatural dangers are quelled through traditional means, blending slasher mechanics with Native legend.