The myth of the bloodsucking creature of the night would seem to be an odd fit in the unforgiving, sun-baked land of the Old West. Then again, the American Frontier is as densely mythic as the tales of undead hordes that plagued European villages and gave rise to one of the quintessential monsters of the 19th century. The mixing of these myths conjures a breed of horror that thrives on the anachronistic, but also finds a terrible common ground in themes of violence, vengeance, greed, and damnation. More than anything, the mash-up makes for one hell of a good time.
Though a good amount of Weird Westerns abound (encompassing everything from Sci-Fi, Horror and Acid Westerns), Vampire Westerns are few and far between, and, of course, not all of them drive the stake through the heart all the way. With Ryan Coogler’s Sinners on its way to cinemas, a new take on the vampire myth set in 1930s Louisiana looks to make its place amongst the niche subgenre. There seems to be devilry, blues music, and old-school vampirism on display, with a Rio Bravo-like standoff taking up the crux of its story. Like many of the best Vampire Westerns, it may not be set in the plains and saloons of the Old West, but the set-up is unmistakably Western.
While we wait for more bloodsucking on the big screen, a decent helping of Old West vampiric cinema already exists to satiate the most hardened outlaw. Here are 5 offerings that blend the genres deliciously.
Curse of the Undead (1959)
It all starts here. This Universal Pictures production is the earliest example of the vampire wreaking havoc through the Old West, and it makes the most of mixing the classic Dracula structure with Western flavors. An all-black clad gunslinger prowls the land and young women are mysteriously dying from an unknown disease. When Dolores Carter (Kathleen Crowley) loses her father and brother, she is quick to blame a local rancher hellbent on claiming her land, a man called Buffer (Bruce Gordon). As she searches for a killer to avenge her family, Drake Robey (Michael Pate) takes the job. Thing is, Robey is the very same vampire taking the life of the young women of the small town, and also responsible for the death of her father. Now, he seeks to claim Dolores as his bride. But local Preacher, and Dolores’ suitor, Dan (Eric Fleming) sees into Robey’s dark soul, and sets out to prove that he is more than a simple killer-for-hire.
Curse of the Undead is a lean and moody Vampire Western that relies heavily on atmospherics and the traditional conflicts of Western cinema. It also takes full advantage of the unique imagery the melding of genres provides: a slow-motion shot of Robey’s dark horse rearing against the moonlit land, a duel in a saloon where Robey takes a bullet dead-on yet remains standing, and a marvelous climactic showdown where the shadow of the vampire traces the western town’s walls until he meets the shadow of the cross from the town church. It provides an interesting and idiosyncratic explanation for the vampire’s existence and introduces a way to dispose of the vampire that has been replicated more than a few times in other creature features. A solid B-movie that delivers on the promise of Western thrills and Horror chills.
Near Dark (1987)
Though Curse of the Undead combined vampires and cowboys before anyone else, the reality is that it remains mostly a forgotten gem of the genre. Thus, when searching for the best Vampire Westerns, Horror fans would, rightfully so, point enthusiastically to Kathryn Bigelow’s cult classic Near Dark. A box-office flop when it was first released, Near Dark’s basic set-up is pure Western pulp. Caleb (Adrian Pasdar) meets a beautiful young girl, Mae (Jenny Wright), who, after a pleasant night together, bites him and turns him into a vampire. As Caleb begins to feel the horrible effects of the transformation, Mae and her adoptive vampire family take him in, letting him live only if he is capable of taking care of himself. But hunting humans for food proves to be a difficult ordeal for Caleb, and more than a few of the group would rather see Caleb dead than thriving as a vampire.
The vampire group at the center of Near Dark, composed by James Cameron favorites Lance Henriksen, Bill Paxton, and Jenette Goldstein, with newcomer Joshua John Miller, is in essence the kind of outlaw gang from Westerns of yore. Living for the thrill of the kill, they represent the kind of lawless figures that would be distrustful of a new addition to the gang and would want to see him prove himself as a merciless killer such as themselves. But, like happens in many classic Westerns, the life of an outlaw proves to be too much for some. Bigelow uses the beautiful and desolate western landscape to drive her themes home, focusing on barren desert land and fields of oil pumps as backdrops to the lonely and violent life of the ageless outlaw vampires. Near Dark is also a terrifying and bloody good time, with Paxton and Henriksen’s threatening performances clear highlights. Paxton’s now classic bar slaughter offers the right amount of dark humor and horrifying violence the movie is known for.
From Dusk till Dawn (1996)
Another prime example of Western themes and conflicts taking place in the unlikeliest of places, From Dusk till Dawn just might be the wildest entry in the Vampire Western canon. Written by Quentin Tarantino and directed by Robert Rodriguez, the tale unfolds simply enough: bank robber brothers Seth and Richie Gecko (George Clooney and Tarantino, respectively) are looking for a way to escape to Mexico after holding up a bank and killing a few people along the way. They take a family hostage and, riding along in their RV, head towards the border to hopefully cross and meet their partners in a Mexican biker strip club called the “Titty Twister”. Former pastor Jacob (Harvey Keitel) with his son Scott (Ernest Liu) and daughter Kate (Juliette Lewis) make up the unwilling smugglers, and as trouble seems to follow the Gecko brothers, they must band together to fight an army of vampire strippers.
The Western influence is quite clear, as the small band of heroes vs. an army of evildoers is a tale as old as time. However, vampiric female strippers luring bikers and truckers for feeding purposes is a truly unique approach. From Dusk till Dawn benefits largely from Tarantino’s tight script and boundless dark and quirky humor. Clooney’s twitchy badass Seth is without a doubt one of his greatest contributions to the performing arts, and Harvey Keitel’s pastor with a crisis of faith ranks among his best characters alongside other iconic Tarantino creations. Rodriguez’s bombastic action choreography alongside Robert Kurtzman, Greg Nicotero, and Howard Berger’s gore and makeup effects are reason alone to catch this cult classic. Taking a page from Howard Hawks’ Río Bravo and Fred Zinnemann’s High Noon, From Dusk till Dawn is perhaps the most referential Vampire Western, proudly making use of the dread and tension of those classic Western classics and taking it all several bloody footsteps farther. No film this crazy deserves the attention to detail and character work that From Dusk till Dawn possesses. And of course, Salma Hayek’s dance alone warrants a watch.
John Carpenter’s Vampires (1998)
Speaking of Howard Hawks and Río Bravo, John Carpenter is no stranger to the director and his tension-filled opus. Having essentially modernized the classic Western with his breakthrough film Assault on Precinct 13 (1976), it was only natural that Carpenter would return to the Western genre while adding some supernatural elements to the mix. Vampires, adapted from a novel by John Steakley, tells the story of a group of Vatican-approved vampire hunters who, after a night of hard vampire-slaying, are almost entirely wiped out by an extremely powerful vampire named Valek (Thomas Ian Griffith). It’s up to survivors Jack Crow (James Woods) and Tony Montoya (Daniel Baldwin) to track down Valek and get revenge, in the process also looking to thwart Valek’s unholy final plan.
Crude, mean, violent, gory, and all-around badass, Vampires is one of the last great Carpenter films. The director is in full command of his craft and takes full advantage of the budget allocated. The makeup effects are disgustingly gory, with Valek slicing people in half with his bare hand and vampires taking full chunks of necks rather than politely sucking. It’s a visceral film whose action has weight, despite the simplicity of the characters’ motivations. It is macho to a fault, but this machismo does pave the way for a heartfelt and brotherly relationship between Woods and Baldwin. Twin Peaks’ Sheryl Lee has a small but important role, though one wishes she were a stronger character throughout. Nevertheless, Carpenter pulls no punches when it comes to showcasing the vampires’ power, with set pieces in which people fly away from a single hit and necks are slit with ease. Western-style towns and standoffs abound, with a particularly bloody first-person massacre at a church a standout. It’s a classic good vs. evil Western romp with plenty of bite.
From Dusk till Dawn 3: The Hangman’s Daughter (1999)
This one might be a controversial selection, but as mentioned before, successful Vampire Westerns are unfortunately rare, and the third entry in the From Dusk till Dawn series is not only a worthy follow-up to the original, but a fun and unabashedly weird Western in its own right. Not to mention that it also takes the vampiric action back to the Old West itself. As if the franchise couldn’t get crazier, this one starts off with true-life writer Ambrose Bierce (played with devilish wit by Michael Parks) in Mexico as he searches for Pancho Villa to follow and report on his exploits in the Mexican Revolution. At the same time, outlaw Johnny Madrid (Marco Leonardi) is set to be hanged but is saved at the last minute. He takes with him the hangman’s daughter Esmeralda (Ara Celi), which prompts the Hangman himself (Temuera Morrison) to set off and hunt down Madrid and his daughter. They all converge at a secluded brothel in the middle of the desert called “La Tetilla del Diablo” (“The Devil’s Tit”) and vampire mayhem ensues.
Clearly not as successful as the original From Dusk till Dawn but miles above the second installment (From Dusk till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money), this prequel brings back everything that people loved from the original: copious amount of blood and gore, characters with huge personalities, baroque action set pieces, and of course, a bar filled with naked female vampires. One could say, “what more could you want?”, but The Hangman’s Daughter thankfully goes a bit farther and adds some genuine character work, specifically with Leonardi’s Johnny Madrid, who seems rattled when a fangirl wanting to follow in his footsteps (Jordana Spiro) lays out all the horrendous things he has done. Rebecca Gayheart and Lennie Loftin are also fully committed to their performances as newlywed Christian missionaries forced to experience the extremes of Western violence. Sônia Braga’s presence is always a boon to any film, and she relishes playing a snakelike vampire temptress. And of course, could it be From Dusk till Dawn if Danny Trejo isn’t being his badass self behind the bar. The quality of the plotting and makeup effects (as well as some shoddy CGI) do hurt the movie overall, but there is enough creepy production design, solid vampire action, and even a delightfully macabre twist for fans of the original to make it all worthwhile.
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