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Perfection is becoming a bit of a ghost town itself, in part thanks to giant underground worm creatures dubbed “graboids.” So, essentially, this is one fun-filled horror-western-comedy creature feature, but set in a modern era.
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The town residents feel like modern cowboys, namely plucky heroes Val McKee (Kevin Bacon) and Earl Bassett (Fred Ward). Taking place in the desert town of Perfection, Nevada, the ex-mining settlement makes for an isolated setting.
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Sure, this isn’t a western in the traditional sense, but the setting, motifs, and structure is there. But the interactions between Dourif and Jones are amazing. Like pretty much all anthologies, it’s a mixed bag. Not all horror is of the supernatural kind. Tales of revenge for desecrated burial grounds, pregnant drifters, haunted gunslingers, and a family man forced to participate in a lynch mob. The unlikely pair gather around the campfire to tell each other four tales of terror.
Best weird west novels movie#
Based on a story by David Schmoeller ( Tourist Trap), Ghost Town is a fun Western movie that takes a literal interpretation to the ghost town.Ī prairie set anthology with a wraparound that features James Earl Jones as a grizzled bounty hunter with a body in tow and Brad Dourif as a man in route to meet his wife. He’s then whisked back in time and forced to square off against the zombie-like Devlin, an outlaw who made a pact with the Devil and forever trapped the town in purgatory. Sheriff Langley stumbles upon a missing woman’s car on the side of the road, and in his quest to find her, he finds a nearby old ghost town literally haunted by the ghosts of its past. If you have a soft spot for schlocky ‘80s horror, this is for you. Too bad this never launched more sequels. This is the perfect merging of the two genres the mounting tension between American soldiers and Native Americans makes for a great backdrop to the unique monster mythology that provides the supernatural terror.
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It’s not hostile Native Americans behind the disappearances, though, but a species of monstrous underground dwelling creatures.
Best weird west novels full#
With a cast full of names like Clancy Brown, Doug Hutchison, Jocelin Donahue, and more, The Burrowers follows a rescue party in search of a family that went missing under strange circumstances from a still unexplored territory. Petty scared the pants off gamers with the Outlast series, he helmed this 2008 horror western set in 1879. Its super low budget shows, though.īefore video game writer J.T. Atypical, weird, and dreamlike, Eyes of Fire feels like a folk tale. It further sets them on a collision course with witchcraft and one very haunted forest. Their journey takes them into Shawnee territory, a hostile tribe very unhappy about the trespass. Set in 1750, a preacher is accused and persecuted for polygamy and adultery, so he and a group of followers, including his mistresses, escape death by fleeing town. Low budget and full of surrealistic imagery, Eyes of Fire is a unique entry in the horror western. This one is a deep cut that’s still stuck on VHS. Lucky for you, it’s currently streaming on Tubi, Kanopy, and Prime Video. Featuring a cast of notable actors like Patrick Fugit, Henry Thomas, Isaiah Washington, Nicky Cox, and Michael Shannon, it’s a shame Dead Birds went straight to home release as it deserves a bigger audience. Written by Simon Barrett ( The Guest, You’re Next), this modest budget horror film is a hidden gem. But this plantation is deserted for a reason- it’s home to bizarre, near Lovecraftian supernatural forces. Set during the Civil War, a group of Confederate army deserters seek refuge in an abandoned plantation after robbing a bank and fleeing from the law. These 10 films are a perfect primer into the world of horror westerns. Frontier living is harsh, but throwing horror into the mix makes it downright brutal. This makes for a perfect time to look back at some of the best horror westerns that have come before. On Friday, IFC Midnight is releasing Emmi Tammi’s The Wind, a western frontier set horror film in which its lead might be dealing with a demonic presence. And both the western and horror genres are fond of exploring unknown frontiers. The isolation, the ever-present danger of starvation or brutal conditions, and the general rougher way of life in westerns make for a great foundation for horror stories. Of all the many subsets and genre mashups of horror, the horror western seems like a match made in heaven.