Modern Day Western + ghost story

September 1, 2021 2:50 PM

I've been trying to find examples of Westerns (movies only) that are also ghost stories. I've found a number of Old West ghost story movies, but nothing set in the present day. Do you know any?
posted by egeanin to Media & Arts (10 answers total)

There's a series of 3 novels by Deborah Coates, starting with (IIRC) Wide Open, which are ghost story/supernatural mysteries set in modern rural South Dakota. It's about as close as I can think of. They're quite good.
posted by suelac at 3:01 PM on September 1, 2021 [3 favorites]

Response by poster: @suelac were any movie adaptations made of the Coates books? Looking for films only.
posted by egeanin at 3:04 PM on September 1, 2021

How do you define a Western set in the present day? Can you give some examples? Once you strip out Old West trappings like cowboys, horses, saloons, etc., what is a Western?
posted by Ursula Hitler at 3:08 PM on September 1, 2021

Response by poster: @ursula I guess I mean the kind of genre that the tv series "Yellowstone," and the films "Hell or High Water," "No Country for Old Men," " The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada," and "Wind River" inhabit.
posted by egeanin at 3:12 PM on September 1, 2021 [1 favorite]

Ah, so sorry, I missed the "movies only" requirement. Good luck!
posted by suelac at 3:20 PM on September 1, 2021

Best answer: There's Ghost Town, which is set in a ghost town in Arizona. It's more of a horror movie than a ghost story. Reviews don't seem to be great, but maybe it fits.
posted by pipeski at 3:54 PM on September 1, 2021 [2 favorites]

Best answer: OK, there's Curse of the Forty-Niner, Devil Rider and Ghost Town. Also, maybe, House II, if you squint. Now, as payment for the time I wasted Googling, I insist that you tell me why you need to know this!
posted by Ursula Hitler at 12:24 AM on September 2, 2021

Best answer: It's set in the Northeast, but ghosts feature prominently in Mi'kmaq filmmaker Jeff Barnaby's Rhymes for Young Ghouls.
posted by Morpeth at 9:11 AM on September 2, 2021

My "insisting" was a joke that didn't land, but I really am curious. Is this for an essay or a movie night, or what?
posted by Ursula Hitler at 2:08 PM on September 4, 2021

Response by poster: @ursulahitler -- just sprung from a conversation about genre mash-ups!
posted by egeanin at 7:20 PM on September 4, 2021