The scene that freaked me out 25+ years ago

July 27, 2008 11:16 AM

Disturbing, graphic Western movie/ TV show from childhood...

Okay, my turn for a round of "Does anyone know what I'm half remembering?"

When I was a kid--late 70's, early 80's sometime--I watched part of a Western late at night. The scene that sticks with me--and freaked me out then--involved some vigilante cowboys who kidnapped a native American woman, tied her to a tree or a post and proceeded to skin her. That's really all I can reliably say--but I think it was out in a desert somewhere, and I think that they started by cutting off her eyelids so she couldn't blink in the sun. It's possible that it was a movie we rented. We had a Betamax back then. I can't imagine that could have been on broadcast TV. Or maybe I just had a nightmare. Does this sound like any pre-1983ish movie you've seen?

posted by Pater Aletheias to media & arts (6 comments total)

Soldier Blue?
posted by jamjam at 12:02 PM on July 27, 2008

That looks like a real possibility, although after surfing around, it seems that after the theatrical release the movie was only showed in a very expurgated PG version until recently. Still, maybe enough was left in for my imagination to fill in the blanks.
posted by Pater Aletheias at 12:53 PM on July 27, 2008

Sounds like something Sam Peckinpah would do although I'm not familiar with most of his films.
posted by mattholomew at 12:56 PM on July 27, 2008

After finding this Youtube clip of Soldier Blue [very NSFW], I'm thinking that's probably it, unless someone comes up with something even closer. It definitely has the feel of what I remember, and all the basic elements, although not quite how I remembered.
posted by Pater Aletheias at 1:09 PM on July 27, 2008

I think this is how Navajo Joe (with Burt Reynolds and Fernando Rey) opens... its been a couple of years since I have watched the film. It was recently released on dvd and has a really great Ennio Morricone soundtrack....
posted by cinemafiend at 2:09 PM on July 27, 2008

Thanks guys! I'll look at both of those in full and see if one definitely clicks.
posted by Pater Aletheias at 7:36 PM on July 28, 2008