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The Science Fiction Horror and Fantasy Film Review

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Theme: Westerns

Westerns refer to the genre of films that take as their setting the American West (also known as the Wild West), historically located between 1865-1895 during the period when the North American frontier was being settled.

Cinema of the 20th Century turned the six-gun toting cowboy into a hero. By the 1920s and 30s, the Western had become a major film genre and continued that way for several decades, branching out into television in the 1960s. The genre largely died away in the 1980s, although there have been sporadic revivals, notably the revisionist Westerns of the 1990s/2000s.

Westerns featured simple horse adventures on the frontier, black-and-white heroes saving the damsel, tracking down the outlaws, fighting off incursions of the Indians, the quickdraw shootout on the main street.

There have been numerous genre crosshatches with the Western including cowboys vs vampires, werewolves, aliens and zombies; Westerns relocated into outer space and the post-apocalyptic terrain; time travellers going back to the West; and Western ghost stories, among others.

For more detail and an overview of the genre see the Theme Essay Weird Westerns.


The American Astronaut (2001)

6 October 200115 August 2019

Rating: ★★

Gonzo Musical Space Western

Director: Cory McAbee
Actors: Cory McAbee, Rocco Sisto, Gregory Russell Cook, Annie Golden, …
Category: Science Fiction

An American Tail: Fievel Goes West (1991)

1 August 20004 September 2019

Rating: ★★★

Animation/Talking Mice Adventures

Director: Phil Nibbelink, Simon Wells
Actors: Phillip Glasser, Dom DeLuise, John Cleese, James Stewart, …
Category: Fantasy

The Aurora Encounter (1985)

1 August 199929 September 2019

Rating: ★★

UFO Encounter in the Old West

Director: Jim McCullough Sr
Actors: Carol Bagdasarian, Jack Elam, Mindy Smith, Mickey Hays, …
Category: Science Fiction

Back to the Future Part III (1990)

6 August 19996 November 2020

Rating: ★★★½

Time Travel

Director: Robert Zemeckis
Actors: Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Mary Steenburgen, Thomas F. Wilson, …
Category: Science Fiction

Battle Beyond the Stars (1980)

15 January 20116 January 2024

Rating: ★★★

Space Opera

Director: Jimmy T. Murakami
Actors: Richard Thomas, George Peppard, Sybil Danning, John Saxon, …
Category: Science Fiction

Bells of Innocence (2003)

1 January 20251 January 2025

Rating: ★½

Christian Film/Sinister Small Town

Director: Alin Bijan
Actors: Mike Norris, David A.R. White, Chuck Norris, Carey Scott, …
Category: Fantasy

Billy the Kid Versus Dracula (1966)

2 January 200316 November 2019

Rating: ★

Dracula Out West

Director: William Beaudine
Actors: John Carradine, Roy Barcroft
Category: Horror

Black Noon (1971)

18 July 201720 August 2020

Rating: ★★

Horror Western/Sinister Town Where No-One Can Leave

Director: Bernard L. Kowalski
Actors: Roy Thinnes, Yvette Mimieux, Ray Milland, Lyn Loring, …
Category: Horror

Bloodrayne: Deliverance (2007)

19 October 20087 February 2020

Rating: ★★

Videogame Adaptation/Vampire Western

Director: Uwe Boll
Actors: Natassia Malthe, Zack Ward, Michael ParĂ©, Chris Coppola, …
Category: Horror

Bone Tomahawk (2015)

19 December 201512 August 2020

Rating: ★★★½

Horror Western/Wilderness Cannibal Tribe

Director: S. Craig Zahler
Actors: Kurt Russell, Patrick Wilson, Matthew Fox, Richard Jenkins, …
Category: Horror

Cowboys & Aliens (2011)

9 July 201126 February 2025

Rating: ★★

Western/Alien Invasion

Director: Jon Favreau
Actors: Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Olivia Wilde, Sam Rockwell, …
Category: Science Fiction

Cowboys vs Vampires (2010)

3 December 20209 September 2024

Rating: ★★

Vampires Haunt a Western Recreation Town

Director: Douglas S. Myers
Actors: Jasen Wade, Angelica Celaya, Shannon Whirry
Category: Horror

Cowgirls vs Pterodactyls (2021)

30 January 202224 June 2025

Rating: 0­

Western With Dinosaurs

Director: Joshua Kennedy
Actors: Madelyn Wiley, Carmen Vienhage, Haley Zega, Dani Thompson, …
Category: Science Fiction

Curse of the Undead (1959)

30 January 20153 December 2020

Rating: ★★½

Vampire Western

Director: Edward Dein
Actors: Michael Pate, Eric Fleming, Kathleen Crowley, Bruce Gordon, …
Category: Horror

The Dead and the Damned (2010)

9 August 201115 September 2020

Rating: ★★½

Cowboys vs Zombies

Director: Rene Perez
Actors: David Lockhart, Camille Montgomery, Rick Mora, Robert Amstler, …
Category: Horror

Death Rider in the House of Vampires (2021)

9 September 20249 September 2024

Rating: ★★

Vampire Western

Director: Glenn Danzig
Actors: Devon Sawa, Julian Sands, Glenn Danzig, Eli Roth, …
Category: Horror

Dudes (1987)

16 October 199928 September 2020

Rating: ★★½

Punk Road Movie/Modern Western/Ghost Cowboy

Director: Penelope Spheeris
Actors: Jon Cryer, Daniel Roebuck, Catherine Mary Stewart, Lee Ving, …
Category: Fantasy

From Dusk Till Dawn 3: The Hangman’s Daughter (2000)

27 April 200329 March 2021

Rating: ★★★

Western Outlaws/Vampire Saloon

Director: P.J. Pesce
Actors: Marco Leonardi, Michael Parks, Rebecca Gayheart, Temura Morrison, …
Category: Horror

From Hell to the Wild West (2017)

11 March 202411 March 2024

Rating: ★★

Jack the Ripper Out West

Director: Rene Perez
Actors: Robert Kovacs, Charlie Glackin, Alanna Forte, Nicole Stark, …
Category: Horror

Gentlemen Explorers (2013)

3 October 20233 October 2023

Rating: ★★

Steampunk Film

Director: Matt Snead
Actors: Tom Gurnee, Darren Kendrick, Vianney Tepper, James Bentley, …
Category: Fantasy

Ghostriders (1987)

9 March 20109 December 2024

Rating: ½

Undead Western Outlaws

Director: Alan Stewart
Category: Horror

Greaser’s Palace (1972)

7 May 20247 May 2024

Rating: ★★

Acid Western/Christ-like Visitor

Director: Robert Downey
Actors: Allan Arbus, Albert Henderson, Luana Anders, George Morgan, …
Category: Fantasy

Grim Prairie Tales (1990)

10 March 200120 January 2023

Rating: ★★★

Anthology of Wild West Horror Tales

Director: Wayne Coe
Actors: Brad Doruif, James Earl Jones, Marc McClure, Michelle Joyner, …
Category: Horror

Heaven Only Knows (1947)

2 February 200312 October 2022

Rating: ★★½

Angel Visits Out West

Director: Albert S. Rogell
Actors: Robert Cummings, Brian Donlevy, Marjorie Reynolds, Bill Goodwin, …
Category: Fantasy

High Plains Drifter (1973)

17 February 200311 February 2020

Rating: ★★★★

Western/Supernatural Retribution

Director: Clint Eastwood
Actors: Clint Eastwood, Verna Bloom, Billy Curtis, Walter Barnes, …
Category: Fantasy

High Plains Invaders (2009)

29 July 201012 December 2024

Rating: ★★★

Western/Alien Invasion

Director: Kristoffer Tabori
Actors: James Marsters, Cindy Sampson, Sebastian Knapp, Angus MacInnes
Category: Science Fiction

Home on the Range (2004)

4 October 200423 August 2021

Rating: ★★★

Disney Animation/Talking Cattle

Director: Will Finn, John Sanford
Actors: Roseanne Barr, Judi Dench, Jennifer Tilly, Cuba Gooding Jr, …
Category: Fantasy

House II: The Second Story (1987)

21 November 200330 August 2021

Rating: ★★½

Haunted House/Horror Comedy

Director: Ethan Wiley
Actors: Arye Gross, Royal Dano, Jonathan Stark, John Ratzenberger, …
Category: Horror

The Indian in the Cupboard (1995)

25 August 20028 November 2021

Rating: ★★★★

Toy Indian Comes to Life

Director: Frank Oz
Actors: Hal Scardino, Litefoot, David Keith, Richard Jenkins, …
Category: Fantasy

Jesse James Meets Frankenstein’s Daughter (1966)

10 March 200120 January 2023

Rating: ★★

Frankenstein Out West

Director: William Beaudine
Actors: Narda Onyx, Cal Bolder, Jim Davis, Steven Geray, …
Category: Horror

Jonah Hex (2010)

19 June 201018 October 2024

Rating: ★★

Western Comic-Book Adaptation/Supernatural Bounty Hunter

Director: Jimmy Hayward
Actors: Josh Brolin, John Malkovich, Megan Fox, Michael Fassbender, …
Category: Fantasy

Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths Part Three (2024)

26 July 202422 August 2024

Rating: ★★½

Animation/Comic-Book Superheroes

Director: Jeff Wamester
Actors: Darren Criss, Jensen Ackles, Alexandra Daddario, Corey Stoll, …
Category: Science Fiction

Justice League: Warworld (2023)

13 August 202322 August 2024

Rating: ★★

Animation/Comic-Book Superheroes

Director: Jeff Wamester
Actors: Darren Criss, Stana Katic, Jensen Ackles, Ike Amadi, …
Category: Science Fiction

The Last Sharknado: It’s About Time (2018)

14 December 201814 June 2021

Rating: ★★

Storm of Sharks/Deliberately Bad Film

Director: Anthony C. Ferrante
Actors: Ian Ziering, Tara Reid, Cassandra Scerbo, Judah Friedlander, …
Category: Horror

The Lego Movie (2014)

7 February 20145 December 2024

Rating: ★★★½

Animation/Adventures in the Lego Universe

Director: Phil Lord, Christopher Miller
Actors: Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Will Ferrell, …
Category: Fantasy

Mad at the Moon (1992)

5 July 20225 July 2022

Rating: ★★

Werewolf Western

Director: Martin Donovan
Actors: Mary Stuart Masterson, Hart Bochner, Fionnula Flanagan, Cec Verrell
Category: Horror

The Missing (2003)

10 March 20038 January 2025

Rating: ★★

Western/American Indian Sorcerer

Director: Ron Howard
Actors: Tommy Lee Jones, Cate Blanchett, Evan Rachel Wood, Eric Schweig, …
Category: Fantasy

Moon Zero Two (1969)

6 May 20027 February 2020

Rating: ★★★

Lunar Adventures

Director: Roy Ward Baker
Actors: James Olson, Catherine Schell, Warren Mitchell, Adrienne Corri, …
Category: Science Fiction

Oblivion (1994)

2 April 201920 January 2023

Rating: ★★★

Western on an Alien Planet

Director: Sam Irvin
Actors: Richard Joseph Paul, Andrew Divoff, Jimmie F. Skaggs, Meg Foster, …
Category: Science Fiction

Outland (1981)

7 February 200124 November 2019

Rating: ★★★

Action Set on One of Jupiter’s Moons

Director: Peter Hyams
Actors: Sean Connery, Peter Boyle, Frances Sternhagen, James B. Sikking, …
Category: Science Fiction

The Pale Door (2020)

9 April 20249 April 2024

Rating: ★★

Western/Town of Witches

Director: Aaron B. Koontz
Actors: Zachary Knighton, Stan Shaw, Pat Healy, Bill Sage, …
Category: Horror

The Phantom Empire (1935)

1 May 200627 October 2022

Rating: ★★

Serial/Lost Underground City

Director: Otto Brower, B. Reeves Eason
Actors: Gene Autry, William Moore, Wheeler Oakman
Category: Science Fiction

Phantom Town (1999)

29 July 20028 October 2019

Rating: ★★★

Haunted Western Town

Director: Jeff Burr
Actors: Jim Metzler, Belinda Montgomery, Taylor Locke, John Patrick White, …
Category: Horror

The Postman (1997)

7 January 201130 October 2021

Rating: ★★★★

Post-Holocaust

Director: Kevin Costner
Actors: Kevin Costner, Will Patton, Olivia Williams, Larenz Tate, …
Category: Science Fiction

Priest (2011)

20 May 201124 August 2021

Rating: ★★

Future World of Vampires

Director: Scott Stewart
Actors: Paul Bettany, Karl Urban, Cam Gigandet, Maggie Q, …
Category: Horror

The Quick and the Undead (2006)

31 October 200816 May 2022

Rating: ★★½

Post-Holocaust Zombie Hunter

Director: Gerald Nott
Category: Horror

Rango (2011)

13 March 201121 February 2025

Rating: ★★★★

Animation/Talking Animal Western Homage

Director: Gore Verbinski
Actors: Johnny Depp, Isla Fisher, Ned Beatty, Alfred Molina, …
Category: Fantasy

Revelation Trail (2013)

3 November 20223 November 2022

Rating: ★★★

Zombie Western

Director: John Gibson
Actors: Daniel Van Thomas, Daniel Britt
Category: Horror

R.I.P.D. 2: Rise of the Damned (2022)

23 July 202323 July 2023

Rating: ★★

Afterlife Police Force

Director: Paul Leyden
Actors: Jeffrey Donovan, Penelope Mitchell, Richard Brake, Rachel Adedeji, …
Category: Fantasy

Serenity (2005)

13 November 200521 July 2021

Rating: ★★★

Firefly Film Spinoff/Space Opera

Director: Joss Whedon
Actors: Nathan Fillion, Gina Torres, Adam Baldwin, Summer Glau, …
Category: Science Fiction

Seven Mummies (2006)

19 January 200724 January 2023

Rating: ★★

Western Ghost Town

Director: Nick Quested
Actors: Billy Wirth, Cerina Vincent, Billy Drago, Matt Schulze, …
Category: Horror

Shadow of Chikara (1977)

9 March 200011 February 2020

Rating: ★★★

Western Quest/Cursed Mountain

Director: Earl E. Smith
Actors: Joe Don Baker, Sondra Locke, Ted Neeley, Grady Wyatt, …
Category: Horror

Silent Tongue (1994)

27 February 200212 July 2024

Rating: ★★½

Western/American Indian Ghost

Director: Sam Shepard
Actors: Richard Harris, Alan Bates, River Phoenix, Dermot Mulroney, …
Category: Fantasy

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023)

19 August 202314 March 2025

Rating: ★★★½

Animation/Comic-Book Superhero

Director: Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, Justin K. Thompson
Actors: Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, Brian Tyree Henry, Luna Lauren Velez, …
Category: Science Fiction

Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (2002)

15 July 200221 March 2025

Rating: ★★★

Animation/The Lives of Wild Horses

Director: Kelly Asbury, Lorna Cook
Actors: Matt Damon, Daniel Studi, James Cromwell
Category: Fantasy

Steel Dawn (1987)

20 August 200525 March 2025

Rating: ★★

Post-Holocaust Action

Director: Lance Hool
Actors: Patrick Swayze, Lisa Niemi, Brion James, Anthony Zerbe, …
Category: Science Fiction

Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat (1989)

17 August 20223 July 2025

Rating: ★★

Modern Vampires

Director: Anthony Hickox
Actors: David Carradine, Bruce Campbell, Jim Metzler, Maxwell Caulfield, …
Category: Horror

Tall Tale (1995)

23 September 20074 August 2020

Rating: ★★

Characters from Wild West Legends

Director: Jeremiah Chechik
Actors: Patrick Swayze, Oliver Platt, Nick Stahl, Scott Glenn, …
Category: Fantasy

Teardrop (2022)

11 December 202218 November 2024

Rating: ★

Haunted Western Town

Director: Steven R. Monroe
Actors: Jeff Branson, Murray Grey, Bradley Fisher, Michael Maclane, …
Category: Horror

The Time Machine (1978)

1 April 201616 April 2025

Rating: ★

Time Travel/H.G. Wells Adaptation

Director: Henning Schellerup
Actors: John Beck, Priscilla Barnes, Andrew Duggan, Rosemary DeCamp, …
Category: Science Fiction

Timerider: The Adventure of Lyle Swann (1982)

9 March 200116 April 2025

Rating: ★★½

Motorcyclist Time Travels to the Old West

Director: William Dear
Actors: Fred Ward, Belinda Bauer, Peter Coyote, Ed Lauter, …
Category: Science Fiction

El Topo (1970)

21 July 20007 February 2024

Rating: ★★½

Surrealist Zen Western

Director: Alejandro Jodorowsky
Actors: Alejandro Jodorowsky, Robert John, Brontis Jodorowsky, David Silva
Category: Fantasy

Tremors 4: The Legend Begins (2004)

25 October 20136 November 2020

Rating: ★★½

Monster Movie

Director: S.S. Wilson
Actors: Michael Gross, Billy Drago, Brent Roam, Sara Botsford, …
Category: Science Fiction, Horror

The Valley of Gwangi (1969)

3 May 200112 September 2024

Rating: ★★★

Dinosaur Discovered

Director: James O'Connolly
Actors: James Franciscus, Lawrence Naismith, Richard Carlson, Freda Jackson, …
Category: Science Fiction

The Warrior’s Way (2010)

27 February 201324 January 2023

Rating: ★★½

South Korean Wu Xia/Western

Director: Sngmoo Lee
Actors: Jang Dong Gun, Kate Bosworth, Geoffrey Rush, Danny Huston, …
Category: Fantasy

Welcome to Blood City (1977)

31 July 20008 June 2025

Rating: ★★

Western Simulation in Virtual Reality

Director: Peter Sasdy
Actors: Keir Dullea, Jack Palance, Samantha Eggar, Chris Wiggins, …
Category: Science Fiction

Westworld (1973)

24 December 20011 October 2022

Rating: ★★★★

Android Amusement Park Amok

Director: Michael Crichton
Actors: Yul Brynner, James Brolin, Richard Benjamin, Alan Oppenheinmer
Category: Science Fiction

The White Buffalo (1977)

7 November 201826 June 2021

Rating: ★★★

Western/Hunt for a Mythic Buffalo

Director: J. Lee Thompson
Actors: Charles Bronson, Jack Warden, Will Sampson, Slim Pickens, …
Category: Fantasy

Wild Wild West (1999)

10 July 199930 September 2022

Rating: ★

Western Spy Film/TV Series Remake

Director: Barry Sonnenfeld
Actors: Will Smith, Kevin Kline, Kenneth Branagh, Salma Hayek, …
Category: Science Fiction

The Wind (2018)

11 October 20208 September 2024

Rating: ★★★½

Pioneer Woman Alone in a Cabin Haunted by Possibly Imagined Demons

Director: Emma Tammi
Actors: Caitlin Gerard, Julia Goldani Telles, Ashley Zukerman, Dylan McTee, …
Category: Horror

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Theme Essays

  • Films About Atlantis
  • Werewolf Films
  • Virtual Reality
  • Imprisonment Thrillers
  • Films Depicting NASA and the Space Program
  • Human Bloodsports and Death Games
  • Animals Attack Films
  • Films About Plague and Pandemic
  • Disaster Movies
  • Steampunk Films
  • Documentaries
  • Films About Halloween
  • Films About Prophecy
  • Magicians and Sorcerers
  • Secret Societies
  • Real-Life People in Fiction
  • Techno-Thrillers
  • Twins in Fantastic Cinema
  • Asylums
  • Possession Films
  • Films About Imaginary and Magical Lands
  • Religion in Fantastic Cinema
  • Romantic Comedies
  • Film Noir
  • Spy Films
  • Jekyll and Hyde Films
  • Films That Make Dubious Claims to Being True Stories
  • Coming of Age Stories in Fantastic Cinema
  • Films About Cryogenics and Suspended Animation
  • Alternate History Films
  • Disturbed Psychology as Portrayed on Film
  • Law Enforcement in Fantastic Cinema
  • Weird Westerns
∧

Copyright Richard Scheib 1999-2025

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