Real-life reports of unidentified flying objects, alien bodies and strange creatures are plentiful in historic accounts of the American West. Other gruesome notables in this genre include The Crossings by Jack Ketchum and Shadow on the Sun by Richard Matheson. Lansdale has written prolifically in this area, and his novel, Dead in the West, is one of the classic tales of zombies in the Old West.ĭeadlands: Ghostwalkers by New York Times bestseller Jonathan Maberry, tells the stories of monsters and mayhem in the setting of the well-known role-playing game (RPG). The adventures of anti-hero, hexslinger Jonah Hex is one prime example. Though far too many to name, several stories in the genre have stood the test of time. The Weird West blends easily with horror elements, with a glut of stories centered on cursed lands, haunted mines and other unsettling backdrops. Alternate history is also often seen in the Weird West (e.g., what if the Civil War outcome had turned out differently?). Weird West tales generally fall into the broad categories of horror, scifi and fantasy. What genre mashups make up the Weird West? Recently however, more writers and creators are embracing Weird West fiction and bringing a breadth of fresh perspectives. Landsale and Stephen King have both made indelible marks early in this genre.ĭespite the success of many of these tales, the Weird West has been a relatively unknown genre. Since, Weird West stories have appeared in popular culture in graphic novels, movies, TV shows and games, such as Deadlands, BraveStarr, The Goodbye Family, The Wild Wild West, Preacher Jonah Hex, Cowboys & Aliens and Doomtown. The term “Weird West” emerged in popular culture around the 1970s, when DC’s Weird Western Tales debuted. Where did the concept of the Weird West come from? In Weird Westerns, the supernatural emerges from the shadows and steps into the spotlight in the form of monsters, zombies and sorcerers.” Senior Librarian Tara Bannon Williamson in “ Wanted, Dead or Alive or Undead: The Weird Wild West“ Mystic forces have long lurked in the background of Westerns, often embodied by nature or native forces American tall tales and legends demonstrate this with their larger than life and otherworldly characters. “Set in the American West, or in a similar off-world environment, and written in the gritty yet descriptive language characteristic of the Western genre, what sets the Weird Western apart is the presence of supernatural and often mythic elements or forces. Stories of werewolves, demons, zombies, ghosts, aliens, magic and otherworldly elements seem right at home amidst wild mountains, endless desert and a vast, unforgiving landscape. It has been around as long as the “old west” aesthetic itself. Simply put, the Weird West genre mashes western elements with other genres ranging from horror, scifi and fantasy. Both readers and writers can tap into fresh perspectives and fantastical elements in a Old West that never fails to, in equal parts, inspire and terrify. Rather than another story romanticizing Wyatt Earp or the Lone Ranger (as fun as those can be), the Weird West offers a new frontier of exploration. In the deluge of today’s reboots and retellings, audiences hunger for original stories. The scene is all too familiar in old western stories, along with iconic characters ranging from outlaws, gunslingers and law-keepers.įor better or worse, the stoic cowboy hero archetype helped set the foundation for some of today’s superheroes and modern American fiction.īut the Weird West genre offers a fresh take on the iconic-and sometimes overused-imagery and caricatures of the Old West. Poker players and prostitutes scramble as the loner saunters in, steely eyes prepping for a showdown. A figure silhouetted in a hat and dusty jacket bursts into a bar.
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