Happy Holidays!

Whether you celebrate Christmas or Hanukkah or Kwanzaa or even nothing at all, The Weird Western Emporium hopes you have a wonderful and safe Holiday Season and a very Happy New Year!

The Emporium will reopen on January 11th, 2010!

American Vampire on the Horizon!

If you read my previous post about it, you know I'm pretty dern excited about the new Scott Snyder/Stephen King/Rafael Albuquerque half Weird Western Vampire comic American Vampire from DC/Vertigo. Well the solicitation just came out today and goodness it looks to be fun!

The official word is this:

Witness the birth of a brand new species of vampire in this new ongoing series that begins with five extra-sized issues featuring back-to-back stories by exciting new writer Scott Snyder and the master of horror himself, Stephen King! When notorious outlaw Skinner Sweet is attacked by an old enemy (who happens to be a member of the undead), the first American vampire is born... a vampire powered by the sun, stronger, fiercer, and meaner than anything that came before. Plus... Pearl Jones is a struggling young actress in 1920s Los Angeles. But when her big break brings her face-to-face with an ancient evil, her Hollywood dream quickly turns into a brutal, shocking nightmare.

The book comes out on March 17, so save some of that Christmas money!....or don't, its only 4 bucks...

Bang! Howdy

The tragic thing about Three Ring's Bang! Howdy is, not only did I find out about it too late, but people have systematically stopped playing it. The reason for this is because the game just isn't being updated....and the promised expansions have yet to materialize.

What IS Bang! Howdy you ask? According to Wikipedia: Bang! Howdy is a free online strategy game with a "Wild West" theme (Personally I would have stated it has a "WEIRD West theme.....but then I'm biased) The setting mixes elements from a variety of related genres, such as Steampunk or Native American myth. Several of the players' available units are entirely mechanical, including artillery and a "steam gunman", a robot boasting large wagon wheels for movement while wearing a cowboy hat. Other, more conventional units include cavalry and gunslingers.

I'll have to admit, I've only played the game for a small amount of time but I like the graphic style, which is very cartoony but brings out the Steam-Western elements of the game nicely. I also like the music, which has a sort of Hip-Hop/Western fusion sound to it.

Currently there are only 2 Towns, a Frontier Town (a very classic Western town that you start the game in) and the Indian Trading Post. More have been promised including a Boom Town which is supposed to focus on the Steamier elements of the game and a Ghost Town which will focus on the "Weirder" elements with spooks and haunts. However those were promised years ago, and have yet to develop. Only time will tell whether the game continues to grow.

Its too bad really, because Bang! Howdy is BIG among its fans....how many games do you know that have endless videos on Youtube, OR its own Wiki called Howdypedia?

As for game play....I can't really say. I only played for about an hour a few weeks ago to get a feel for the game and most of that time was spent doing tutorials. While I've been meaning to go back and devour it, time hasn't permitted just yet. Don't let that depress you, though, this is the PERFECT opportunity for you to find out what all the Hubbub is about yourself! All your questions can be answered at Howdypedia and all of your game play itches can be scratched at the game's Main Page Who knows, now that the rush has died down, maybe it'll be time for the rest of us to take a crack.

Until you start playing, here is the main site's official preview to give you a taste of what the whole thing is about:

Deadwalkers...The Western is Dead!

I hate to admit it, but I didn't give Deadwalkers much of a chance when I came across the trailer a few months ago on Youtube. It felt somewhat cheap, amateurish, and the deep "I'm so sinister so this must be a scary movie" narration didn't really help things. I just figured it was done by a bunch of cowboy actors looking to make a Zombie pic.




My opinion was based solely on its trailer:



Then I came across an article in Rue Morgue Magazine that said not only is the film winning a bunch of awards on the film festival circuit, but that its actually quite good! So I looked back into it and I came to a new conclusion...these people put there blood, sweat, and tears into this film and I say Good for them! I just wish Id given them the proper chance at the time. But don't make the same mistake I did.....check out the Production Blog, which has videos and links to some articles, and their Youtube channel, which has some behind the scenes videos and a funny Thriller parody! Also their Facebook Page has photos and other stuff. You can also become a fan and get updates on their travels and progress.

This film should be supported not only for what they were able to accomplish on such a low budget, but for everyone else trying to do the same thing and not finding an easy time of it.

The Official word on Dead Walkers is this:

Bounty hunter and gunman Jack Link has a knack for trouble, but when he stumbles into a town cursed with the undead, he might have bit off more than he can chew. Deadwalkers is a 13min short film by Spencer Estabrooks.

Nice!

Steamcon 2010

Steamcon is a Seattle based Steampunk convention. I could have sworn that they did this a few years ago, but according to their website, this years con was the "Inaugural Year". It took place for 3 days in October and consisted of, according to their website:

* A Vendor’s Bazaar packed with exotic wares
* An Art Exhibition
* The Perpetual Teatime and Hospitality suite
* The Magic Lantern Theater
* Talks and discussions on all matters Steampunk
* Gun modification demonstrations
* Lessons in etiquette
* Steam technology exhibitions
* Games and diversions of a role playing nature
* Cabaret acts presented by the esteemed Mr. Bodewell

This actually sounded like a lot of fun, that Magic Lantern Theater would have been amazing! Unfortunately, I only just found out about the convention so I wasn't able to go. Who knows, maybe next year, because next year the Weird West invades Steamcon!

That's right, the theme for next years Steamcon 2010 is The Weird, Weird West. It should be pretty amazing to see what people come up with costume-wise. Maybe they could even try to get Ghoultown as one of the musical guests. Right now the specifics are all speculative because even they don't the logistics quite yet (or if they do they aren't talkin'), but if you are interested in keeping updated their Website is a good place to start. Also their Facebook page should be a good source of info past and present.

I was going to post a video overview of the convention, but all that came up on Youtube were TONS of Abney Park performance videos....which are definitely worth checking out...but weren't really what I was looking for, so since I couldn't pick just any one, here are the lot of them!

New Official Jonah Hex Picture!

I was thinking of taking the week off for the Thanksgiving holiday, but this just came out today and its too good not to report on! Warner Brothers has released the first official photo for Jonah Hex and its perty dern cool.

Its just a front portrait type-shot, no action, but I like it!

Being a big fan of Jonah, I was kind of hoping they would do a little more with his wonky eye. In the comics they always show his right eye as being wide open and, more or less, dead. I understand that that would be difficult to do, but I kind of wish that they had, at least, given him a contact lens or something. Maybe they are planning to do something digitally.

Of course you can't see his eyes in this picture so it seems a little pointless too bring it up....but you can see them (and other pictures) here. I also like the tease of his scar...which, in the world he lives in, is legendary; everyone knows about the scarred bounty hunter Jonah Hex.

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving (or just a great Thursday for my non-American readers) and are ready for the long weekend. The Weird West Emporium will reopen on Monday.

'til then...Adios, Pards!

The Deadeye Kid rides into the Weird West!

Being a fan of Radio Drama, Ive always wanted to find some good Weird West radio plays to both post about here at the Weird West Emporium, and to simply geek out about in my own time...however there just hasn't been any to find, until now that is. Julie Hoverson and her 19 Nocturne Blvd radio troupe have been putting together the weird adventures of Lemuel Roberts, aka The Deadeye Kid.

The official word for episode 1 is this:

Lemuel Roberts, once the infamous "Deadeye Kid," travels the west
trying to make up for his checkered past.
But sorting out a feud in Ozark hill country might be more than
he and chum Clarence Fanshaw can handle.

Lem has a secret, you see, but I shouldn't say too much lest I reveal it...but its quite clever and you may need to listen to the first episode a couple times to get all the subtleties Ms. Hoverson has written into the script. Even the title has an ironic twist.....and no The Deadeye Kid isn't an undead Zombie Gunslinger (That's what I thought). Also, it may seem like Weird West lite on first listen but by the end you'll realize that the whole thing has been deeply anchored into the genre from the first moments.

So far there are two episodes, which you should have time to listen to before Episode 3 becomes available tomorrow at the official 19 Nocturne Blvd website with new episodes coming out about every 6 months (March and November).

Episodes 1 and 2 (and 3, when it becomes available) can be heard and/or downloaded here......And if you get a chance check out 19 Nocturne's other, non Western offerings, they are always good for a spooky time!

Enjoy!

Not Nick Cave's Grinderman!

I saw this video a while ago on Youtube and was quite impressed by it's professional look on such a tight budget.....however, every time I've tried to look it up since, Nick Cave's band Grinderman comes up instead...even on Google Images nothing BUT Nick Cave's Grinderman comes up...and while Mr Cave has some definite street cred and has written a couple of excellent soundtracks to two great Westerns, this is not his Grinderman.

This was made by Syndic8Productions, whom Ive posted about before. It seems to be the film they were going to do before The Curse of Dr. Ogoun and, in my opinion is waay more stylish and cool looking.

Of course this is really just a fake trailer that was shot in front of a green screen, as seen in this making-of short but I have to say, I'm a little disappointed that they were going for a PG-13....heehee....a Zombie western just ain't a Zombie Western if it isn't rated R!

...Grinderman!

Wizards and Cowboys!

In a Weird West where Zombies and Ghosts and Steam Powered Machines can exist either together or in separate realities, one concept I can truly say never really thought of before now was Cowboys and Wizards. Well, fortunately someone else thought of it for me....Gemma Files has written a book called A Book of Tongues and it can be pre-ordered at the Horror Mall here

Two years after the Civil War, Pinkerton agent Ed Morrow has gone undercover with one of the weird West's most dangerous outlaw gangs—the troop led by "Reverend" Asher Rook, ex-Confederate chaplain turned "hexslinger," and his notorious lieutenant (and lover) Chess Pargeter. Morrow's task: get close enough to map the extent of Rook's power, then bring that knowledge back to help Professor Joachim Asbury unlock the secrets of magic itself.

Caught between a passle of dead gods and monsters, hexes galore, Rook's witchery, and the ruthless calculations of his own masters, Morrow's only real hope of survival lies with the man without whom Rook cannot succeed: Chess Pargeter himself. But Morrow and Chess will have to literally ride through Hell before the truth of Chess's fate comes clear—the doom written for him, and the entire world, in A Book of Tongues.

Sounds like it could be interesting! Pre-Orders must be placed by JANUARY 31st, 2010

Look out! The Corpse.....Its Got A Gun!!

For your weekend reading pleasure, The Corpse Carries A Gun! As you may remember from an earlier post of mine, Zuda.com is a great online comic book website. Currently they are presenting the superior werewolf western High Moon among other non-Weird West type stories such as Bayou and Road.

I recently found out that the way Zuda comics gets their content is by submissions. Someone comes up with a story, does an 8 page treatment which is then published, and the Zuda readers vote for which one is the best.....The Corpse Carries A Gun is one of those submissions....but it didn't win, which is too bad because its a fun quirky little Zombie Western. The story is simple, a murdered man rises from the grave to exact revenge on those who wronged him. Typical beginning for some good (and bad) horror films...the difference being, however, was where the story looked to be going....and it seemed like it was going to be a crazy ride.

If you like bears, hangings, walking dead, decapitation, violence, autonomous T-Rex skeletons, and Zombies in Space....then The Corpse Carries a Gun would have been your cup of tea....alas all we will get is Here.

Enjoy!

...beware the ghost of Jedediah Smith

If you happen to live in or near the Irvine area, there is a Weird West Haunted House Maze that you should know about. Boot Hill is celebrating it's tenth year scarin' folks and from the looks of things they are ready for ten times ten more!

The official word is this:

BOOT HILL rises from the fog for it's 10th year to inhabit the residence at 16 Goldenrod. The unearthly spirits from the old west town of Bridgewood will materialize for SEVEN haunting nights, transforming the residence at 16 Goldenrod into the old church and cemetery that once occupied the land.

Come if you dare...but beware the ghost of Jedediah Smith, he has been known to roam through the decaying grounds of Boot Hill.

If you are planning on going, Halloween is their last night (which is tonight), so get there early to avoid the crowds. Admission is completely free, but they do take donations for the Children's Hospital of Orange County.

Also, you can check out their website which has pictures, dates, Directions, and the back story for the Haunt and the Legend of Jedediah Smith! If anyone goes, let me know how it was!

I hope ya'all have a fun and safe All Hallows Eve!

Dead or Alive in the Undead West...

While browsing the internet for upcoming articles, I came across this fantastic Illustration by Ray Lederer. Its a bunch of Zombies attacking a Stage Coach! Cool! (You can click on the picture and see it in all of its magnificent detail) But there is so much more to it than that.

It turns out this is the cover of a Zombie Western novella called Dead or Alive by William Harms. Searching it out, I quite unexpectedly found it in PDF Format at the Midnight Mortuary site. Midnight Mortuary is a pretty great site all by itself, seemly "dead"icated to Horror Pinup art, but in the "Cemetery" section you can actually download a PDF copy of Dead or Alive totally free for your weekend reading pleasure and you can keep it forever!

Zombie Westerns seems to be pretty popular now days, a couple of my personal favorites being Dead in the West and Jonah Hex: Two Gun Mojo both written by superstar Weird West author Joe R. Lansdale (who I still haven't gotten around to writing about).

Also, for those who are interested, Ray Lederer posted a time lapsed video of his work on the cover art. Its pretty amazing what it takes to put it all together...working and reworking the drawing to get it just right. Enjoy!

Cowboys Battle Bugs!

I found this on Paul Green's Weird West site but it looked fun enough to post again. High Plains Invaders stars James Marsters, (Spike on Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and Cindy Sampson (Supernatural).

The hanging of honorable Indian-fighter Sam Phoenix in a small western town is cut short by the unexpected invasion of uranium-based insectoid creatures, forcing Sam and a small band of survivors to take refuge in a church. They’ll need more than a prayer and a pistol to survive, as a Wild West landscape is inundated by a killer force of alien pioneers.

I'm usually fairly skeptical about television Sci Fi, especially TV Movies from the Sci Fi Channel having not enjoyed Tin Man as much as I was hoping too. But I have to admit that High Plains Invaders looks like a lot of fun. You can't beat the "small group of people fighting a larger menace" genre (whatever that might be). The CG isn't at all bad on the bugs, and it looks like it was filmed pretty darn well. Also, I'm liking what I'm seeing with the costume and set designs....now if only the story is any good this could be an addition to my Weird West movie collection!



I actually wish it WAS premiering next Sunday so I could tell everyone to watch it, but alas...it looks like we will have to wait for the DVD.

The Weird West FINALLY Comes Into Its Own!

Weird West has always been the rough and tumble cousin to Steampunk, or maybe its Steampunk's distinctly American brother. The two have been around for roughly the same amount of time, if you consider the Frank Reade Dime Novels as one of the earliest examples of American Steampunk....but Steampunk today tends to favor a more European aesthetic with the Pith Helmets and British officers uniforms, the Frankenstein-esque contraptions, leather Military goods; and Tea, lots and lots of Tea......because Coffee just doesn't cut it! The Victorian Age, as we think of it, was really a European and American East Coast convention....although Victorian Aesthetic did, quite successfully, find its way into the dress and designs of the Western United States...as some Westerns tried their best to live within the splendor and elegance of the age among the dust and the heat and the rattlesnakes.

As an extreme fan of all things Steamy I will say that there have been MASTERFUL works of art created by Steampunks on BOTH sides of the "Pond", but the bottom line is, aesthetically, European Steampunk currently rules and the Weird West has partially been left in the dust, as it were...but no longer with the recent publication of Paul Green's Encyclopedia of Weird Westerns.

The product description on Amazon says this: From automatons to zombies, many fantastic elements have been cross-pollinated with the western genre. This A-to-Z encyclopedia of the Weird Western covers film, television, animation, dime novels, pulp fiction, comic books, novels, short stories and video and role-playing games.

Wow! This is number one on my Christmas list this year, What a resource! Of course Im always looking for new Weird West stuff, so this is a very exciting book.

Now I will say this, I did read a product review and I don't agree 100% with some of the things listed in the book. I don't consider Blood Meridian a Weird Western simply because its super duper violent....there are plenty of straight Westerns that have extreme violence. Usually, to me at least, a Weird Western has an element of the fantastic or the supernatural....which I don't believe Blood Meridian has. I also don't agree with the inclusion of the old David Carradine series Kung Fu. The idea of a Shaolin Monks traveling through the American Old West isn't all that strange, especially if he is a Shaolin Monk of the time.....now if he was from the future....But don't let this fool you, Mr. Green knows exactly what he is talking about in terms of Weird West, these disagreements might simply be a case of, what my friend Steve calls, opening the Umbrella too wide.

With that said, this book is a resource that any Weird Westerner, or fan of the Genre can not live without!

One more thing, while searching for reviews about this book, I came across Mr Green's Weird West blog site, which is very much in the vein of this one. Like his book, its called the Encyclopedia of Weird Westerns, and is something of a companion/addendum; you should check it out!

Its good too see interest in this Weird West stuff growing!

Stephen King to Write Weird West Vampire Comic!

The book is called American Vampire and Newsarama is reporting that King will be involved with the first 5 issue story. The official word, from The DC/Vertigo Blog Graphic Content is this:

Celebrated short story writer Scott Snyder and artist Rafael Albuquerque will launch a new monthly comic book series from Vertigo in March 2010 with a unique contribution from New York Times bestselling novelist Stephen King. The new ongoing series, AMERICAN VAMPIRE, will introduce readers to a new breed of vampire—a more muscular and vicious species of vampire with distinctly American characteristics. The series’ first story arc, to be told over the course of five issues, will feature two different stories, one written by Snyder, the other by King.

Snyder’s storyline is one of decadence and deception and Jazz Age glamour. Pearl is an ambitious modern woman with starlet dreams. She frequents Hollywood’s speakeasies and dance-halls searching for her first big break, only to find something far more sinister waiting for her.

King’s story provides the origin of the very first American vampire: Skinner Sweet, a bank robbing, murdering cowboy of the 1880s. Skinner is stronger and faster than previous vampires; he has rattlesnake fangs and is powered by…. the sun?

Following the conclusion of the first story arc, Snyder and Albuquerque will trace Skinner’s bloodline through various decades of American history.

I'm already on board! I love the idea of a breed of Vampire that has adapted to the distinct American climate; and starting the line in the Old West is perfect! We've always just had European Vampires, now we have a Vampire breed all our own.....well, for as long as this comic is out anyway.

I suggest you mozie on over to Newsarama for even more in depth details on the book (and some more art work as well) and also check out the Graphic Content blog for links to other sites reporting the story....if ya still haven't gotten enough, that is!

Mark your calenders, the first issue of American Vampire comes out March 2010.

I'll report on this some more when I hear stuff.

Incident at the old Red Hill Mining Co....

Last year, in Tustin California, a bunch of folks got together and uncovered a forgotten (or buried) part of Tustin's past. You see, around 1890, there was a incident at the Old Red Hills Mine. A bunch of miners went crazy and.....well.....a lot of people got hurt...in fact, they died. So afterward all traces of what happened were erased from the record books and forgotten, from History.

That's the premise for the Red Hill Mining Co. Massacre, a walk through Haunted House that was put together last year down in Tustin. I wish I had heard of it sooner, I could have told everyone who is in the area to go. It sounds like a semi professional haunt....and from what I can gather off the website, it was free AND they gave out free pulled Pork sandwiches, Mmmmm :) Sounded like a spectacular night!

Here is a short video from their website about the history of the Haunt. I loe the soundtrack, 3:10 to Yuma is one of my personal favorites:



Their website is chalk full of History, some pictures, and information about the Haunt.

Also, with the Halloween season in full swing, if anyone knows of any Weird West Haunted Houses going on anywhere in the world, please let me know and Ill post about them this week!

And Now, A Bit of Blatant Self Promotion...!

Its Halloween time again, and for the past two years Ive been involved in a great online art show/advent calender called Gothtober! Basically, 31 artists, film makers, chefs, sound artists, dancers, puppeteers, and whatever you can think of, get together and fill up 31 days of a time released calender. Today is my day, I do sound design and sound editing in my off time and I created a Haunted Weird West Ghost Town to be played in the outside of your house during Halloween!

The download instructions are in the slide show, so its completely easy to set up! But don't just go for me, you should check out everyone's stuff they all worked really hard in creating it.

I hope you enjoy it!

Carcass Pete!

Have you ever been in an Airport or someplace public and seen "that guy" laying, asleep, on his bags? And the airport security has been kind enough to block him off with portable stanchions?

THEN you look closer and you notice that there's something not right about him.....his watch is working, his hair looks real....and he's breathing...or is that just my imagination? I wish I knew the artists name who does those hyper realistic sculptures, but I saw one once in an airport and had that very reaction.

Now imagine taking that idea and making hyper realistic Freaks?! Ultra realistic sculptures of frightening and colorful people and situations? That's exactly what Thomas S. Kuebler has done.

Now this article isn't about Kuebler so much as one of his sculpture, Carcass Pete. Kuebler is great! But he isn't a Weird West artist, per say...But with that said I URGE you to follow the link and check out his stuff...its REALLY beautiful.

Each one of his sculptures comes with a story, and Carcass Pete is no different:

In life, Pete was hanged for a murder he didn’t commit. Being the vengeful soul that he was, his seething hatred for lawmen everywhere kept him bound to his decaying corpse until either his thirst for blood was quenched or he could no longer hold his six-shooter. Mere bullets only made holes in ol’ Pete. His only disadvantage was the smell of death that preceded him, giving the sheriff ample warning to make himself scarce.

Very Cool!

The Weird, Haunted, Eldrich, Occult Old West of Tex Arcana!

If you read Heavy Metal in the 1980's, than you probably remember a funny/scary little Weird West strip called Tex Arcana by John Findley. I used to read Heavy Metal in high school, but I only came across Tex once, in a tenth anniversary issue. The story was called The Ballad of the Witch's Daughter and it was a conventional Horror Western with a few of the regular Tex Arcana characters....and it sure left an impression.

Hosted by the Old Claim Jumper, a Crypt Keeper type of character who, though dead, lives in his grave with the epitaph Here lies the Old Claim Jumper, ? - 1850, His dyin' were hard an' he deserved it . Tex Arcana hearkens back to the old EC horror books, but then takes the idea and does something new with it. Its black and white illustrations have a creepy Underground comix feel to them and yet it can't seem to escape its Heavy Metal, drug era roots, mostly with two of its characters. The inter-dimensional demons Herp and Sweaz are right out of the animated Heavy Metal movie or the underground comix scene. I don't hate them as characters, or even dislike them....but I do wish they were only temporary...(Ive got mushroom demon in my Weird Western comic)....however since their introduction, they've become two of the major characters.

I had no idea that the strip was a long running, Weird Western graphic novel in the works when I first read it. A few years ago, however, I found that it had been collected into book form, so of course I bought it. I haven't read the whole thing yet so I can't really make any judgment on its content as a whole, but the story I DID read (Book 1: The Stranger) was a really good Vampire story about a mysterious stranger who comes to the town of Hangman's Corners and infects it, turning its citizens into Vampires. The story also introduced the characters we would be following into the rest of the stories. I enjoyed the it very much and was surprised by a few things, like Tex Arcana was an actual character, a magical Cowboy, who's whole face is never seen. He tends to show up to trouble too late (if at all) and is always accompanied by the mysterious Lady in White who is WAY more powerful than he is, and speaks in a foreign tongue that no one understands. Personally I wish there had been more Tex, he seems pretty interesting, but doesn't show up a lot throughout the stories, which I guess adds to his mystery.

Honestly, though, you don't need me to review this book, there is this website, you see, for the comic...the official website of John Findley, that not only reprints the entire contents of the Tex Arcana book, but also a brand new story that has yet to be published...it's about Tex's Mysterious Woman in White. So if you have nothing to do this weekend, and don't mind spending a few hours in the town of Hangman's Corners...head on over and rest a spell...Tex, The Woman in White, Doc Mason, and the others are waiting to show you a few cracking good stories from the "Weird, Haunted, Eldrich, Occult Old West of Tex Arcana"!

Enjoy!

Der Fluch des Dr. Ogoun!

I was actually going to write about an Austrian independent film I found on Youtube called Grinderman (Which Ill get around to posting about soon) when I came across a film called "The Curse of Dr Ogoun" which was made by the same people...and by that I specifically mean Syndic8Productions, who seem to be based out of Vienna according to their Youtube Channel page. The style of the film looks pretty cool and if this ever makes it's way stateside it might be worth a look..

...And speaking of look, here's the Trailer, Enjoy!

The new Lone Ranger movie a Weird Western?

With this script review of the new Lone Ranger movie from Latino Review, there seems to be talk of Tonto, played by Johnny Depp, hunting a Wendigo....hmmm, interesting.

Of course this wouldn't be the first time the Masked Rider of the Plains has dipped his foot into the Weird West waters.....but more on that later.

You can see it all at the Latino Review website!

"I'll be your Huckle - BOO - Berry!"

I've been trying to get to Tombstone, AZ for a while now and, quite by mistake, I found one more reason to go! They've opened an attraction called Tombstone Ghosts and Legends. Its a corpse ridden tour of Tombstone's history focusing on its famous killings and death stuff. Its hosted by the ghost of Doc Holiday and I have to say, it may be cheesy but it most definitely looks fun. I happen to be a big fan of tourist-y attractions, and if you add ghosts...I'm there!

(And if its Old West themed, with Weird West elements...I'm DOUBLY there!)

Here's how the city of Tombstone describes it:

Experience Tombstone’s past like never before!
Our CGI Ghost or Doc Holliday tells the actual history of
Tombstone using Hollywood special effects & surprises.


The Ghost Tour was created by Halloween Productions, which seem to specialize in doing a lot for very little, and it certainly shows. For such a small town, with probably not a lot of money to spend on such things, this is most definitely looks to be worth a visit.

If you can stand it, someone on Youtube brought their camera phone into the attraction and filmed it. The video isn't all that good, and the commentary is annoying....but it's a full walk-thru of the attraction and gives you a good idea of what to expect inside. That can be found here.

Or you can keep the surprises a surprise and stick with the overview of the attraction, its your choice, Pard!

The Lonesome Stranger - All-Monkey Western!!

I'm not sure what to think about this, but if you like Monkeys dressed up as Cowboys, with animated mouths, have I got a short film for you! I came across it on Youtube, and although I didn't feel like watching it, I did....and found it thoroughly entertaining! Its called the Lonesome Stranger, and DrowningKittens on Youtube has this to say about it:

Howdy, Pardner! Are you ready for some rootin'-tootin' good ol'-fashioned cowboy fun? What about if'n them cowboys is a bunch of monkeys - all dressed up for a high noon shootout? How about if'n them monkeys ride dogs instead of horses? Yessir, that would be somethin'. Well, that day's done come, my friend - The Lonesome Stranger (1946 - part of the Speaking of Animals series) shows us what life would be like if talking monkeys tamed the Wild West.

I seem to remember, when I was younger, seeing an all animal version of Swinging on a Star, where the Monkey who was "singing" the song has a mouth very much like these Monkeys have.

Regardless, here it is, in all its Weird West Simian goodness!

EDIT: The link to the program seems to have died (due to copyright claims which seems weird for something that came out in the 30's) so until I can find another version of the film here is a Taco John's commercial that feels like it was directly inspired by the "The Lonesome Stranger: All Monkey Western":

Gris Grimely! Ghoultown! Elvira!

This post was actually meant to show off Mr Gris Grimley's spectacular cover art work for an upcoming Ghoultown DVD release, but I decided that I should show you what the art work is for in the first place. Its a music video for Ghoultown's song Elvira......Directed by Mr Grimley and starring the Mistress of the Dark herself.

Enjoy!

Along the Weird Trails!!

Weird Trails, What a great title....if I had thought of it, I would have named this blog Weird Trails.....although the title is a bit ambiguous for a blog. Regardless, I came across this book about a year ago and it looks like a real treasure. The concept is simple, its a "facsimile" of a supposed pulp magazine from the 1930's...a less successful fiction magazine in the style of the similarly named (and very real) Weird Tales, a fiction pulp magazine that's still around. It might also be a "Mocumentary" about how the book finally went out of business....the more I read about this the more it appears to be deeper than it seems.

I haven't read this yet, but its my next purchase. Just looking at Amazon's sample pages, this looks to be a really fun unique publication (and I love the cover). With two column stories, vintage ads, some great pulp era artwork (Actually the artwork reminded me of Tex Arcana a little bit, but that's not a bad thing), and stories with names like Riders of the Purple Ooze and Trouble in Cthulhu Canyon this sounds like the demon hybrid of H.P. Lovecraft, 1930's Pulps, Dime Novels, and the Old West (which I'm very sure it is!)

Why I haven't purchased this yet is beyond me!

Just go to the Amazon.com page and click on the cover art, you can see what I'm talking about.

I just hope the stories are good.

BiiiiiiirdMaaan!

I have to admit that not only did I not watch Birdman when I was younger, I didn't even know who he was. However, his next incarnation, as Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law on Adult Swim was a personal favorite. So imagine my surprise when I found out that original Birdman did an episode with a Weird West twist.....I should state right now, however, that this is a modern day story, with a group of Urban Cowboys using, what still amounts to technologically advanced gadgets.

It might be a bit of a cheat, but I thought that this silliness was too silly not to be seen! Enjoy...

Strangeways: The Thirsty

Being part 2 of the Strangeways series, The Thirsty deals with Vampires in the Old West, where Part 1 dealt with Werewolves. I have yet to read this series, but this is how it was described by Comic Book Resources:

Strangeways is the story of ex-Union officer turned expressman Seth Collins, as he finds himself adrift in the closing frontier of the post-Civil War era. Only this frontier is haunted by more than the ghosts of war. Things that are neither man nor beast, but the worst of both, hunt in the shadows and moonlight. Bandits and bad men are the least of your problems out here. Those can usually be solved by way of a little help from misters Smith and Wesson. But sometimes even those forceful persuaders aren't enough.

The Thirsty seems to be publishing online before they collect it onto paper.....so the series is currently HERE for you to enjoy. If you have nothing else to do this weekend, here is a little Old West vampire-ness to while away the time with!

Creeptastic!

I should say right off the bat that The Burrowers is really good. So few Weird Westerns, have high production values, a good story, or anything worth caring about past bad ass cowboys kicking Zombie, slime Monster, Vengeful Ghost, or Vampire ass. And while The Burrowers is about kicking monster ass, there is also feeling behind the story. The sort-of main character is Fergus Coffey, an Irish man who has set out, with a group of men, to find his lost love who has disappeared into the night under mysterious circumstances.

Here is how one Youtube video described the film:

The Dakota Territories. 1879. A handful of brave pioneers maintain isolated settlements in the badlands beyond civilization. When a family is brutally abducted in a nighttime attack, a posse forms to rescue the missing from the Native Americans suspected of the crime. An Irish immigrant searching for his lost beloved, a naive teenager hoping to prove himself, an ex-slave looking for his place, and a pair of aging Indian-fighters set themselves against all the perils of the Old West, battling nature and hostile tribes. But as men vanish in the night, and horrific evidence accumulates with the dead and dying, the group discovers that their prey is far more terrifying than anything human, and their prospects are far more terrible than death.

And Fear dot Net describes it as this:

From its opening images of the Dakota territories in 1879, The Burrowers appears to be every inch a Western. But in the hands of writer/director J.T. Petty, The Burrowers probes horrors that no Western could ever fathom. What begins as a tale worthy of John Ford, a band of hardened ranchers set off into the wilderness to rescue a family kidnapped by a Native American tribe, turns into a terrifying encounter with a gruesome species that's far from human.

Very true, not only is this great WEIRD Western, its just a darn good Western...period.

The creatures are scary, but not in a malicious evil creature sort of way. Imagine if you got caught in a spider's web, and were systematically paralyzed, wrapped in webbing, and hung for a later meal....you can't really say that the spider is EVIL, more that it is just doing what it was programmed to do...that's what the Burrowers are. There is no evil intent to eat Humans, they are just doing what they do...storing food for the long 75 year slumber they take between appearances. The REAL evil in this story are the humans, and especially the captain of a Calvary troop...who shows his true colors by story's end....though he does show some of his cards quite a bit before that.

The Burrowers is bleak, it is fun as a horror movie, but not a happy feel good kind of film...things don't end well for anyone...including the Burrowers, and I have to say that as grotesque as the creatures are, you do start to feel a little bit sorry for them when they are inevitably slaughtered in the final act.

I have only a few Weird Westerns in my collection so far, WAY less than straight Westerns, but this film will be joining them....I really enjoyed it. However, before you purchase it for yourself (should you be building your own collection) renting is always a good start...you never know where you tastes will run, and solely taking my word on some films might get you some unwanted films in your collection......but this is a definite rent......and it stars Clancy Brown as the tough leader of the posse John Clay, how can you beat that?

I am sad that the short prequel film Blood Red Earth isn't on this DVD...however you can see it at Fear.net or at one of my older postings. It doesn't really further the film, it just tells a small story about the Burrowers appearance 75 years prior.

Until you get a chance to see it, though, here is a gruesome little taste of what you can expect:



While not perfect, Ill give this film 5 out of 5 Bloody Spurs

i Viva Las Chinchillas !

Hahaha, I just saw this and thought it was hilarious! A little bit of historical (or is it Hysterical?) Weird West-ness, and possibly a new Weird West holiday? Hmmmmm...

Yes, Its a Las Vegas commercial, but its particularly well done, Enjoy!

Justice League Unlimited - The Once and Future Thing: Weird Western Tales

Its Labor Day, So instead of going out and sweltering in the hot weather you should stay inside and watch some Weird Westerns; or at least one. Its a fun episode of Justice League Unlimited called The Once and Future Thing. It follows Batman, Wonder Woman, and John Stewart (Green Lantern) as they follow the villain Chronos first into the past then into the future as he collects (or rather steals) historical treasures for his own collection.

This is only part 1 of the story (the part that deals with the Old West), Part 2 can be found here.

This marks what is probably the 2nd of the 4 known Jonah Hex appearances in WB animation, and while he isn't the star, Jonah makes his presence known, like always. If I can dig it up, Ill post the Batman episode where he IS the star, its a good one (And written by one of my favorite Weird Western authors Joe R Lansdale, Who Ill be writing about at some point.)

Other great DC Western heroes that appear are El Diablo, Bat Lash, and Pow Wow Smith.

I hope you enjoy it! And have a good and safe Labor Day!

EDIT: The videos I had here were taken down from Youtube and I haven't been able to find anything to replace them. So until I do HERE is a comprehensive synopsis of the episode and some other things.

The Wasted West

I found this on Youtube, its called The Wasted West and the filmmakers describe it as no budget zombie western, but the story is tight (if not sparse) and they use their resources very well. That is one of the things Ive always loved about Westerns, grab some period clothes, strap on a six gun, some odds and ends, and you can tell a fairly good western story on a very limited budget. This one does it very well.

Jon Favreau, Robert Downey Jr. making 'Cowboys & Aliens'

If you've read my previous post about Cowboys and Aliens, you know that I wasn't a fan of the comic, and with a movie in the works I was skeptical that it would be any good.....but The Hollywood Reporter has just released info that may very well change my mind. According to the industry paper, Jon Favreau has just signed on to direct the film with Robert Downey, Jr starring.

You can read the full story here

Very exciting news, I like both of them very much; and who knows, with this team and a good script writer, maybe a movie will improved the story!

A Spaghetti Western....with Ghosts!

Directed by Albert Pyun, Left for Dead is the story of Revenge as a dish served cold.

This is what IMDB has to say about it:

MEAN GUNS director Albert Pyun teams with producer Michael Najjar for the second installment of the explosive mayhem trilogy, this time concerning a desperate man and a merciless posse who become trapped in a remote Mexican ghost town in 1895 by a vengeful demon. The beleaguered man must fend off a trio of bounty hunters, his estranged wife, and his nine-months pregnant lover (not to mention the vicious madame "Lord Mary" who is his lover's mother, leading a pack of a dozen former whores). As if all this was not enough to worry about, the man risks cancer by sharing cigarettes with a former preacher's spirit who has made a pact with the devil to stay around as a corporeal ghost within the limits of the slaughtered Amnesty gold mining town cemetery. In the 15 years since the "Massacre by the Whores," the preacher has rubbed out enough fortune-seeking passers-by to plant corpses all over town, leaving him free to hunt his prey anywhere except inside his former church. Throw in a whore intent on extracting any gram of gold--including dental fillings--from the dead, even as they are breathing their last, and the stage is set for a classic western ghost story drenched in buckets of blood.

If you go onto IMDB, you won't find very many good reviews for this film, and while not perfect, it wasn't as bad as I expected....in fact I actually enjoyed myself quite a bit and even.....GASP....didn't want it to end! Yes I enjoyed it, I was even rooting for the main characters to survive! Was it made on a budget? Yes...Did it look like it was shot on Digital Video? Definitely yes....But the difference between this and Uninvited or Legend of the Phantom Rider (Two of the worst Weird Westerns I've ever seen) is that Left for Dead may have felt like it was made on a budget, but it felt competent....it felt like there was definite skill behind the camera.

It isn't perfect, some of it is down right silly...in fact one of the "stylish" devices that I found somewhat annoying was, every once in a while, a shot would freeze frame, and then the scene would continue. I thought it would only last until the opening credits were over....but it continued throughout the entire film....To be fair though, it DID became part of the films language, and stopped being annoying fairly quickly.

Left for Dead was shot entirely in Argentina, with an entire Argentinian cast. One of the stand outs, Victoria Maurette...who has the lead role of Clementine Templeton does a Southern Accent so well, I thought she was an American actress.

I do want to make a comment about the town they shot in, I don't remember the name (It was mentioned in the commentary), but it was great looking. Its a real place....if memory serves me correctly, it was built by one man, and it was a life long passion project for him.....now it is used for movies and as a filming location...Basically the town looks like it was made up of a combination of spare doors, and wagon wheels, and plaster, and found objects....very art colony-esque....but also a perfect Spaghetti Western like location....which is what this movie is trying to channel.

This film isn't for everyone though, I should warn you....Like I said above, IMDB hasn't been kind to it. Some people will like it, others will LOATHE it. This is a definite renter.

4 out of 5 Bloody Spurs

Dead Birds

Directed by Alex Turner, Dead Birds is actually a very effective film. I will say this, the trailer makes it WAY scarier than it actually is. But that's not to say it doesn't have some fine moments.

After a botched bank Robbery where a teller is killed, a group of outlaws escape their pursuers by hiding out in an old abandoned Plantation house....where, systematically, they are picked off one by one by it's ghostly inhabitants.

The film is quite good, however it lacks in the scare department....there is lots of suspense, but the pay off isn't there. I found myself, about 2/3rds of the way through, getting a little bored and tuning out, and trying to figure out where it was going...however there is a great twist ending (Which I wont spoil) that, while not scary, was very interesting.

The film stars Henry Thomas (most famous for ET: The Extraterrestrial), Patrick Fugit (Which I knew mostly from Almost Famous and Wristcutters) and Michael Shannon, who is going to be in the new Jonah Hex movie next year.

If you are trying to expand or start your Weird Western film collection, I would say this is a definite renter, to check out first before you buy.

3 out of 5 Bloody Spurs

Darkwatch: The Dead will Rise!

Not a new game, but definitely something worth checking out when you have the chance. Darkwatch, is a first person shooter that takes place in the Old West...and its a VERY dark version of the era.

Wikipedia describes it as this:

The game follows the exploits of Jericho Cross, an outlaw-turned-vampire, and his employment in the titular organization, an ancient vampire-hunting order known as The Darkwatch. After unwittingly releasing the Darkwatch's greatest enemy, a vampire lord named Lazarus Malkoth, Jericho is conscripted into the Darkwatch as an elite operative.

Jericho, however, is slowly turning into a vampire himself, after being bitten by Lazarus. The game outlines either Jericho's struggle for humanity or his descent into darkness, depending on the player's actions; the player's actions will unlock new powers. Along with the arrival of these powers, one meets many enemies and a discovers a wide variety of weaponry from the Redeemer to the Coyote Steam-Wagon.

Its actually a lot of fun, and at rock bottom prices on Amazon, it's completely worth picking up a used $5 copy for the PS2 or Xbox. Here is a really fun trailer I found on Youtube.



GAH! I LOVE Heavy Old West Revolvers! Sigh.... :LOVE:

Spoooooky Town!

You've seen them before, in your local Michael's or other craft store...they are the Halloween displays, featuring Spooky Carnivals, Haunted Houses, Undead Diners, Crumbling Castles, and Old West Ghost Towns...they usually have their own aisle, or at least part of one.....and you can always tell they are around because of their repetitive audio. You pull them out each year to put onto the fireplace mantle, They are called the Spooky Town Collection, from Lemax and last year they had a few Weird West displays to add to your collection of haunted pyramids and carnival rides. This one is called the Dry Gulch County Jail, but they also have the Deadwood Water Tower and the Boot Hill Undertaker Figure and the Dead Cowboy Blues.....Plus lots of non-Western Themed goodness.

If this is your type of thing you should check out the official site, there is lots of new stuff coming out this year.

Priest!

The Official Site for the new Weird Western "Priest" has just opened...there isn't a lot there yet since they haven't started filming...but it gives us a first look at the character of Ivan Isaacs, AKA The Priest played by Paul Bettany .

Based on the popular Korean Manhwa series, "Priest" focuses on Ivan Isaacs, an enigmatic warrior priest who hunts down vampires, ghouls and other assorted creatures in an Old west ravaged by humanity's battle against 12 fallen angels.

For more about Priest and the movie, Check out Wikipedia...and I'll update as more information becomes available.

With Jonah Hex and now this film, It looks like 2010 maybe the year for Weird Westerns!

The New Jonah Hex Poster!

Straight from the San Diego Comic Convention 2009, Warner Brothers Pictures has released the first official art work for the upcoming weird western JONAH HEX. Its a great looking poster, You don't see too much right off the bat, you kind of get the color scheme they are planning with it, and you see Jonah's scar....my only problem is the font they used for the title...it feels a bit too modern, sort of like its a Transformers movie. I was kind of hoping for a more period feeling one....but maybe this is just a pre-release thing they put together for Comic Con...In fact I'm sure it is.

I hate to be so picky, I'm a big fan of Jonah Hex and I just want everything to be right for the first film, Ive been thinking of a Jonah Hex movie for years now (since the 90s at least) but I will put my trust in Jimmy Hayward (the director) and the rest of the people working on this.

Jonah Hex, for those who don't know, is one of the great DC Comics Western characters. He's in the position of not only being in straight up westerns, but also in Weird Westerns as well....So this film has the very real possibility of being either one or the other. This is the official press release detailing the films plot:

In the Wild West, a scarred bounty hunter tracks down a voodoo practitioner bent on liberating the South by raising an army of the undead.

Hmm, sounds decidedly "Weird" to me. And yes, Jonah has a very distinct scar on his face that somewhat colors his character and the attitudes of people around him.
I'm going to be writing more about Jonah in the future, and Ill also be reporting more about this movie as information becomes available.

Here is the Wikipedia bio of him and, go HERE for a little taste of Jonah as he has been portrayed in animation recently.

There is much more about Jonah to be had, and more animation goodness, Ill revisit him periodically in the weeks and months leading up to the film.

"Mah Pistols, They Tell a Story...."

So Lionsgate released this, which makes me think it could be, if not good, at least fun....because they did release the superior film, The Burrowers (Which I will get to reviewing soon) I will say this about the Burrowers, Its probably one of the best Weird Westerns Ive seen in a LONG time, very serious, but with interesting characters you actually care about, and full of human horrors; not just the monster kind. Its a very unusual film in a world where a GOOD Horror Western movie is so rare.

Now THIS film, which I haven't yet seen, looks either really bad, or really.....I hesitate to use the work good. The trailer is fast paced, and it has a driving Latin beat, and reading about the film, I know that it was shot in Argentina.....but the selling point for me is the strong female lead, a gunslinger named Clementine Templeton, who seems to be a girl monster hunter, maybe? Or maybe just a gunslinger trying to escape her past.....

Ugh, who am I trying to fool, this movie is going to suck, but that's just my own opinion, I'll reserve judgment until I see it.

Until then, check out the trailer to see what I'm talking about: