The Scarlet Worm

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The Scarlet Worm
The Scarlet Worm Poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed byMichael Fredianelli
Written byDavid Lambert
Produced byMichael Fredianelli
David Lambert
StarringAaron Stielstra
Dan van Husen
Montgomery Ford
Brett Halsey
CinematographyMichael A. Martinez
Edited byMichael Fredianelli
Music byAaron Stielstra
Production
company
Wild Dogs Productions
Distributed by Unearthed Films
Release date
  • January 7, 2011 (2011-01-07)(Riot Cinema Film Festival)
Running time
93 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The Scarlet Worm is a 2011 American Revisionist Western film directed by Michael Fredianelli. [1] The film was first released on January 7, 2011 at the Riot Cinema Film Festival. It stars Aaron Stielstra as a young mercenary who is sent to assassinate a cruel brothel owner. Funding for The Scarlet Worm was partially accomplished through a successful Kickstarter campaign. [2]

Contents

Plot

Print Harris works as a bounty hunter in early 1900s America. He has a flair for conducting his killings in a theatrical or "poetic" fashion to give his profession more meaning and legitimacy. A wealthy ranch owner Mr. Paul hires Print to eliminate a Dutch immigrant brothel owner Heinrich Kley who allegedly aborts the unborn children of his prostitutes, as well as to train a young ranch hand named Lee in the art of killing. Print decides to use Lee to infiltrate Kley's business and work for Kley as protection, purposefully luring a posse of cowboys into the brothel in order to murder them, and show off his usefulness. Kley immediately enlists Print to cover a wide variety of duties while entrusting him with his unique philosophy regarding business, religion, and the necessity of prostitution. Matters become complicated when Lee falls in love with one of Kley's prostitutes and informs her of the plan to murder him.

Cast

Release

Home media

The film was released on DVD and Blu-ray on April 24, 2012 by Unearthed. [3]

Reception

Bill Gibron from DVD Talk wrote, "While a bit long-winded in the exposition department and in need of a few dollars more, production-wise, The Scarlet Worm is still an intelligent and entertaining fringe experience." [4] Adrian Halen of HorrorNews.net praised the film's direction, script, and Stielstra's performance, calling it "a shining achievement". [5]

References

  1. "Abortion Meets the Wild West in THE SCARLET WORM". Twitch Film. Archived from the original on September 15, 2012. Retrieved December 29, 2013.
  2. "FEATURE-LENGTH WESTERN: THE SCARLET WORM". Kickstarter. Retrieved December 29, 2013.
  3. "The Scarlet Worm (2011) - Michael Fredianelli". Allmovie.com. RhythmOne. Archived from the original on September 9, 2016. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
  4. Gibron, Bill (April 9, 2012). "The Scarlet Worm (Blu-ray) : DVD Talk Review of the Blu-ray". DVDTalk.com. DVD Talk. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
  5. Halen, Adrian (2012). "Film Review: The Scarlet Worm (2011)". HorrorNews.net. Retrieved May 16, 2020.