I've been watching vampire movies all week. One particular sub-category of vampire movie that apparently has been somewhat popular is the vampire western. What's odd is that according to the commentaries by the directors on some of them, everyone thinks they thought this up for the first time, and that blending the two genres is a somewhat unique idea. It's been around a while.
The first one that I'm aware of is
Curse of the Undead starring Eric Fleming. I don't own a copy of this movie, and I wish I did. It's apparently not available on dvd yet. I remember seeing it on Saturday afternoons when I was a kid, and being pretty dang frightened by this classic blend of two genres. This is an old fashioned western and an old fashioned vampire movie in one. It gets very good reviews, and I'd love to see it again.
One I have seen pretty recently, and might even have a copy around here of is
Dracula Meets Billy the Kid. This ain't a good movie really, but it's got some very fun campy bits with an old John Carradine as the Count trying to find his way among all the cowpokes. It's more a curiosity than anything else.
Near Dark is a movie I've been hearing about forever. It's always one I wanted to see and it comes highly recommended. As a western it's a bit of a letdown, but it's not a half-bad vampire movie. The setting is the modern west and this is really a love story. A young man meets a mysterious young woman who changes him into a vampire, though that word is never used. He is kidnapped by her "family" a gang of vampires who roam the landscape seeking victims and just trying to get by. They are a disaffected bunch of different types, some cruel and some kind, but all willing to harvest humans as necessary.
Bill Paxton and Lance Henrikson are in this movie and they aren't bad as murderous vamps, but the whole deal never really comes together for me like I expected. Now that I've seen it a few times, I might get to liking it better, but I'll admit to being underwhelmed the first time through. The ending isn't all the compelling and frankly to my mind undermines some of the themes which the movies attempts to establish. The movie always simmers, but never really comes to a boil.
Another movie that taps this blend of genres is
John Carpenter's Vampires. This is based on a John Steakely novel of the same name and essentially according to Carptenter was an attempt to have the Wild Bunch meet Dracula in the modern world. It's a rough and violent movie, but I've always found Carpenter's stuff to be my cup of tea. This movie starring James Woods as a very bitter and sadistic vampire hunter really makes you look hard and fast for a hero. This is a more existential battle, with vampires more akin to a rat infestation than a supernatural menace.
There are some nifty turns in the plot, and I always find myself caring more for the fate of the lovely Sheryl Lee who becomes a vampire against her will during the course of the movie.
There is a sequel titled
Vampires: Los Muertos that stars Jon Bon Jovi and is better than it probably ought to be given its budget limitations. I actually like this one okay, but it's necessary to overlook its flaws.
The most famous of the "western vampire" movies is probably
From Dusk Till Dawn by Quentin Tarrantino and Robert Rodriquez starring George Clooney and Harvey Keitel. This is an unabashed exploitation recreation which pits a pair of murderous brothers and a single-parent family against a mob of misbegotten Aztec vampires. It's got a lot going for it and features some really smart movie making and some better than average acting. The movie is extra gory and that's not something that I necessarily need, but it's not a problem either.
It's produced two sequels.
From Dusk Till Dawn 2 - Texas Blood Money is a heist film but with vampires. It's a quickly-paced low-budget item with some fun set pieces, but it doesn't really succeed completely as a full story. There's an incredible amount of gore in this one, and it actually becomes distracting, hurting the overall effect of the movie. I do like it for what it is, a harmless distraction.
The second sequel is actually a prequel titled
From Dusk Till Dawn 3 - The Hangman's Daughter and this is an actual western set in the time of the old west. This one does a good job of establishing itself and does offer a wonderful idea of having Ambrose Bierce become one of the main protagonists in the flick. It's a clever notion and gives the movie some points in my book. This is another exceedingly gory movie, but the gore seems more necessary in this one. Some really good acting jobs make this not a bad flick at all.
So as you can see there have been a great many "vampire westerns" and I'm probably forgetting some. It's a sub-genre that generates some pretty interesting diversions. Good stuff by and large. I just wish the directors would quit taking credit for "inventing" it.
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