Venture into the shadowy side of the West with Pale Rider (1985). Blending the grandeur of the classic Western with the eerie atmosphere of a ghost story, Clint Eastwood's haunting tale of a mysterious preacher is the perfect way to usher in the Halloween season—where justice arrives like an apparition and legends refuse to stay buried.

A defining Western of the 1980s, the film helped revive the genre at a pivotal moment, drawing on classics like Shane while introducing an uncanny edge that continues to make it one of Eastwood's most distinctive works.

Introduced by Brad Sykes, filmmaker and author of Terror in the Desert: Dark Cinema of the American Southwest

Directed by Clint Eastwood | Starring Clint Eastwood, Michael Moriarty, and Carrie Snodgrass

Rated R | Runtime: 116 mins

The What Is a Western? Film Series explores the wide range of movies that can be considered Westerns, and the ways in which they shape our understanding of the American West. Each screening features a guest lecturer who introduces the film and explains its significance within the genre.