What Is a Western? Interview Series: Desert Terror
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Autry curator Josh Garrett-Davis interviews Brad Sykes, author of Terror in the Desert: Dark Cinema of the American Southwest, about the genre of Western horror and its use of the desert landscape.
What Is a Western? Interview Series: Desert Terror
Learn More
To Read
Brad Sykes’s Terror in the Desert: Dark Cinema of the American Southwest (2018)
To Watch
The Sadist (1963) - Based on an actual killing spree, this is the original “desert terror” movie and still one of the best.
Duel (1971) - Steven Spielberg’s first feature is the ultimate road rage thriller.
The Hills Have Eyes (1977) - Horror-master Wes Craven’s tale of a nice American family vs. an inbred clan of cannibals.
The Hitcher (1986) - Hitchhiking horror doesn’t get any scarier than this.
Near Dark (1987) - The best vampire Western ever made.
White of the Eye (1988) - A brilliant psychological thriller about madness lurking within an average Arizona family.
Silent Tongue (1993) - Sam Shepard's spooky film is part Native American ghost story, part history lesson, and all terrifying.
Breakdown (1997) - The best road thriller since Duel, with Kurt Russell versus a malevolent trucker.
U-Turn (1997) - Oliver Stone's jet-black comedy is every stranded traveler's worst nightmare.
The Canyon (2009) - Survival horror in the Grand Canyon, featuring a strong lead performance by Yvonne Strahovski.