Noite de histórias e de Terror

Brad Dourif and James Earl Jones get together for this horror western omnibus to snarl at each other over a campfire, pausing now and then to mouth off subtext about storytelling (Jones plays the brutish bounty hunter who knows a scary story or three, Dourif is the learned schoolteacher who asks him if stories can be vehicles for more than just thrills). Every time the movie strays from the campfire into a story it becomes tedious because the only kind of deadly these short stories are is deadly dull. Thankfully they're all pretty short so it's never dull for long. Watching two actors who like to chew scenery and spit it back out have at it makes me feel a little warm. I don't want to be too harsh onthis because, truth be told, horror anthology type films are never really meant to be cutting edge horrifying. Their primary means of expression is quiet spooks about something everyone understands is made up around the fire or comes from hearsay, and there's something nostalgic involved, the rosy glow of it, like one hankers down close to a fire and listens to others exchange stories not only for the stories told but also the pleasure of listening to them next to a fire. Horror westerns are few and far between and like most of them, this is mainly a horror film, until the last segment where sixshooters are drawn out and we get shootouts in dusty empty streets.

This movie managed to sneak up on me and I have never forgotten it. Brad Dourif was his usual superb and James Earl Jones absolutely masterful (one of his best performances). Its just too bad cable providers and show selectors have not seen fit to provide it to subscribers and viewers looking for compelling film. Brad Dourif's acting prowess was confirmed in his role as "Doc" on HBO's Deadwood series. Do yourself a solid and chase this one down. The dark humor in GPT is golden and is frequently profound. I wish this was the pilot to a series but sadly it was a one off. Praise should also go to the writer and producer.

It's true, none of the stories told in this strange campfire chat are particularly scary. Jones' tales of vengeful Indians, mysterious pregnant drifters, and undead gunslingers fail to chill the marrow, with only the middle tale of the three providing a certain "gross-out" factor. Dourif's single tale of family and bigotry shows true horror can lie not in the supernatural but in everyday life.

However, it's the play-off between these two great actors that gives the greatest joy in this film. The contrast (and unlikely rapport) between prim clerk Dourif and grizzled bounty hunter Jones - the latter playing against type in a way that'll surprise those used to his supporting roles in, say, the Jack Ryan films - makes them a "buddy" pairing to rival Riggs and Murtaugh. Give them their own series!

This is a western which is also a horror anthology. In it, two strangers meet in the middle of the desert one night and tell each other creepy stories, which make up the horror segments here. The two storytellers are played by Brad Dourif and James Earl Jones, and it has to be said that their scenes constitute the highlights of the movie, as the mini stories are disappointing on the whole. Still, the format ensures that the pacing is good and we return to Dourif and Jones often enough to ensure the quality level rises again.

Brad Dourif (the voice of Chucky) and James Earl Jones (the voice of Darth Vader) play two heavily contrasted travelers in the nineteenth century who end up camping together and telling scary stories. Dourif Plays Farley Deeds, a naive clerk who is on his way to see his wife who is visiting his ill mother-in-law. Jones plays a gruff bounty hunter who is attempting to cash in on the corpse that hangs off the end of his horse. Together, they are a priceless pair with some of the most humorous and interesting exchanges in film lore. The tales are overshadowed by the two star's immense talent and their unusually great chemistry.