To me horror is not just in horror films, it encompasses a lot of stuff in every genre,and this is an excellent example.
Monte Hellman directed this gem about three cowboys who are mistaken for outlaw and relentlessly pursued by a vigilante posse.
The three men heading for a job in Waco stop for food and sleep at a cabin where some outlaws are hiding out, and that is their downfall. The men, Vern (Cameron Mitchell), Wes (Jack Nicholson), and Otis (Tom Filer) are forced to become horse thieves and killers in a desperate effort to survive.
This minimalist western is available from Criterion and the print I saw on TCM is the best I have ever seen the film looking. It was shot back to back with another Hellman western called "The Shooting".
I include this in the 31 Days of Halloween because the terror of the three men who have been thrown into something they have no control over is a gripping as anything in a horror film. The performances by everyone in the cast is perfect. When first released the film got hardly any play until 1972, which is a shame, but better late than never.
The rest of the cast for this "noir-western" includes Millie Perkins, Harry Dean Stanton, katherine Squire, and Rupert Crosse. Another HighlyRecommended film!!
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