Well, to make a long story short, take a Western and mix it with Science Fiction, or Horror, or basically any element that doesn't fit into a "normal" western, and you have Weird West. Its straight definition is Horror....Most Weird Western movies, comics, or TV shows tend to be horror films, or horror comics, or horror TV shows......but not everything.
There are plenty of great Weird West entertainments that are Sci Fi as well, and loosening the definition opens the playing field a lot wider for exploration. Now "Loosening" doesn't mean changing the definition, just opening the interpretation from straight horror to Western mixed with something else.
The Wild Wild West movie, while Steampunk, is also a Weird Western. In fact the Weird Western can also be called Old West Steampunk in some of its forms, Although Old West Steampunk is more Weird West than Weird West is Old West Steampunk.....That's because the Horror elements don't fit as nicely into the Steampunk genre.
I'm going to stay away from posting about films, comics, music, or TV shows that don't fit into my one strict rule for this website: The entertainment MUST take place in the Old West. What I mean by that is, after searching for different movies in the genre, Ive found a lot of films that have modern day kids being chased by the ghost of an old cowboy.....or some element of a curse, or whatever, that started in the 1800s...but the entertainment takes place in the modern day...That isn't Weird West, not to me at least...that's a modern day slasher where the "boogie man" is a throw back to the Victorian Age.
Other than that, though, all bets are off.....and let me tell you there is a LOT of pure Weird West goodness (and SUPER crap) waiting to be reviewed. I hope by the end of this to have an Encyclopedic Compendium meant mostly for reference but also for enjoyment....
Wikipedia has a great page devoted to the subject with a thorough list of Weird West entertainments you should definitely check out!
I hope you enjoy my site!
Adios :D
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1 comment:
That's because the Horror elements don't fit as nicely into the Steampunk genre.
I'm not so sure about this one- Wouldn't Lovecraft fit into the Steampunk Genre quite nicely? And First Men in the Moon would be considered horror by some and it's decidedly Steampunk.
I could be smoking crack, though.
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