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Gothic Western (sometimes referred to as Western gothic and gothic prairie) is a subculture, artistically similar to gothic Americana, but blends goth and Western lifestyles that are notably visible in fashion, music, film and literature.
The post-war consciousness between 1940 and 1950 left consumers wanting less monster-related horror in favor of dark storytelling connected with reality. In other words, the monster, subject to relativism, survives in the shadows of the idealized American Dream. [1] Westerns were at their peak of popularity, but with the increase of technology, modernization and social changes, not without artistic commentary. An amalgamation of the two genres befitting this reflection was imminent. In 1971, Johnny Cash introduced the "Man in Black", [2] stating:
"I wear the black for the poor and the beaten down, livin' in the hopeless, hungry side of town, I wear it for the prisoner who has long paid for his crime, but is there because he's a victim of the times." [3]
Larry Vincent, a horror host named Sinister Seymour, established Knott's Halloween Haunt in 1973, one of the first Halloween related events on a large scale, blending gothic and Western aesthetics at Calico ghost town, and providing a first venue for the growing subculture. [4]
In literature, [5] the stereotype of the heroic cowboy gives way to a more complex antihero who has experienced trauma or is overcoming personal tragedy, and often associated to the darker side of Weird West monsters and villainy. [6] The novel The Hawkline Monster: A Gothic Western by Richard Brautigan was one of the first to incorporate the term in its title, [7] while Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy and The Dark Tower by Stephen King are also popular examples of the genre. The young adult series, The Goodbye Family by Lorin Morgan-Richards, has been considered gothic Western with an element of humor. [8]
The mixture of goth and Western music has brooding and dark motifs interwoven into cowboy culture while incorporating themes of death, occult and superstition. [9] Crossover elements are seen in gothic country, but are unique to experiences of the American frontier, including Northern Mexico. The music encompasses storytelling and the cultural diversity of instrumentation associated with the American frontier. [10] The spaghetti Western sound of Ennio Morricone is influential to the genre. [11] Pioneers of the genre include Johnny Cash, Jim Morrison, and Fields of the Nephilim. [12]
Curse of the Undead is the oldest example of a gothic Western film. Filmmaker John Carpenter spoke of the unique quality of the genre, noting it is not the same as a Western horror. [13] In television, Penny Dreadful season three is considered an example of gothic Western, with vampires invading the West. [14] At the box office, The Power of the Dog [15] and True History of the Kelly Gang [16] have also been referenced as being gothic Westerns.
Several games have been promoted as gothic Western, including Darkwatch , West of Dead, Hunt: Showdown , and Evil West .
Gothic Western fashion is a mix of Western wear with goth or Victorian era mourning attire, incorporating black and leather elements. [17]
Ennio Morricone was an Italian composer, orchestrator, conductor, trumpeter, and pianist who wrote music in a wide range of styles. With more than 400 scores for cinema and television, as well as more than 100 classical works, Morricone is widely considered one of the most prolific and greatest film composers of all time. He has received numerous accolades including two Academy Awards, three Grammy Awards, three Golden Globes, six BAFTAs, ten David di Donatello, eleven Nastro d'Argento, two European Film Awards, the Golden Lion Honorary Award, and the Polar Music Prize in 2010.
Gothic fiction, sometimes called Gothic horror, is a loose literary aesthetic of fear and haunting. The name refers to Gothic architecture of the European Middle Ages, which was characteristic of the settings of early Gothic novels.
Goth is a music-based subculture that began in the United Kingdom during the early 1980s. It was developed by fans of gothic rock, an offshoot of the post-punk music genre. Post-punk artists who presaged the gothic rock genre and helped develop and shape the subculture include Siouxsie and the Banshees, Bauhaus, the Cure, and Joy Division.
Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit fear or disgust in its audience for entertainment purposes.
Gothic rock is a style of rock music that emerged from post-punk in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s. The first post-punk bands which shifted toward dark music with gothic overtones include Siouxsie and the Banshees, Joy Division, Bauhaus, and the Cure.
Death rock is a rock music subgenre incorporating horror elements and gothic theatrics. It emerged from punk rock on the West Coast of the United States in the early 1980s and overlaps with the gothic rock and horror punk genres. Notable death rock acts include Christian Death, Kommunity FK, 45 Grave, and Super Heroines.
Gothic fashion is a clothing style marked by dark, mysterious, antiquated, homogeneous, and often genderless features. It is worn by members of the goth subculture. Typical gothic fashion includes dyed black hair, exotic hairstyles, dark lipstick and dark clothing. Both male and female goths can wear dark eyeliner, dark nail polish and lipstick for a dramatic effect. Male goths use cosmetics at a higher rate than other men. Styles are often borrowed from the punk fashion and can also draw influence from Victorians and Elizabethan fashion. Goth fashion is sometimes confused with heavy metal fashion and emo fashion.
Midnight Syndicate is an American musical duo that has been working primarily in the genre of neoclassical dark ambient music since 1997 and is based in Chardon, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland.
Cybergoth is a subculture that derives from elements of goth, raver, rivethead and cyberpunk fashion.
Dark fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy literary, artistic, and cinematic works that incorporate disturbing and frightening themes of fantasy. It often combines fantasy with elements of horror, possessing a dark and gloomy tone or an atmosphere of horror and dread.
"Bela Lugosi's Dead" is the debut single by the English post-punk band Bauhaus, released on 6 August 1979 on the Small Wonder label. It is often considered the first gothic rock record.
Weird West is a term used for the hybrid genres of fantasy Western, horror Western and science fiction Western. The term originated with DC's Weird Western Tales in 1972, but the idea is older as the genres have been blended since the 1930s, possibly earlier, in B-movie Westerns, comic books, movie serials and pulp magazines. Individually, the hybrid genres combine elements of the Western genre with those of fantasy, horror and science fiction respectively.
Gothic metal is a fusion genre combining the aggression of heavy metal with the dark atmospheres of gothic rock. The music of gothic metal is diverse with bands known to adopt the gothic approach to different styles of heavy metal music. The genre originated during the early 1990s in the United Kingdom originally as an outgrowth of death-doom, a fusion of death metal and doom metal. Lyrics are generally dark and introspective with inspiration from gothic fiction as well as personal experiences.
The Toronto goth scene, the cultural locus of the goth subculture in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and the associated music and fashion scene, has distinct origins from goth scenes of other goth subcultural centres, such as the UK or Germany. Originally known as the "Batcavers", the term "goth" appeared only after 1988, when it was applied to the pre-existent subculture. Distinctive features included internationally recognized gothic and vampiric fashion store 'Siren', a goth-industrial bar named 'Sanctuary: The Vampire Sex Bar', and Forever Knight, a television series about an 800-year-old vampire living in Toronto. In Toronto, the goths did not seek to reject mainstream status, and achieved partial acceptance throughout the mid to late 1990s.
Bats Day in the Fun Park, also known as Bats Day, Goth Day, Goth Day at Disneyland, The Spooky Trip to Disneyland Resort, CA., Bats Day in the Park and Bats Day Out, started in August 1999 as a joint effort between the promoters of the goth, industrial, and deathrock clubs Absynthe and Release the Bats. It has become an annual three-day event taking place in Anaheim, CA, United States near Disneyland. In previous years, the events commenced on the weekend before Labor Day. Since about 2008, Bats Day event weekends have usually happened on the first or third weekend in May.
David John Skal was an American historian, critic, writer, and on-camera commentator known for his research and analysis of horror films, horror history and horror culture.
Elvira's Movie Macabre, or simply Movie Macabre, is an American hosted horror movie television program that originally aired locally from 1981 to 1986. The show features B movies, particularly those in the horror and science fiction genres, and is hosted by Elvira, a character with a black dress and heaven bump hairstyle, played by Cassandra Peterson. Elvira occasionally interrupts the films with comments and jokes, and in some episodes receives phone calls from a character called "the Breather".
Urban Gothic is a subgenre of Gothic fiction, film horror and television dealing with industrial and post-industrial urban society. It was pioneered in the mid-19th century in Britain, Ireland and the United States and developed in British novels such as Robert Louis Stevenson's Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1886), and Irish novels such as Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray (1890), and Bram Stoker's Dracula (1897). In the twentieth century, urban Gothic influenced the creation of the subgenres of Southern Gothic and suburban Gothic. From the 1980s, interest in the urban Gothic revived with books like Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles and a number of graphic novels that drew on dark city landscapes, leading to adaptations in film including Batman (1989), The Crow (1994) and From Hell (2001), as well as influencing films like Seven (1995).
Penny Dreadful XIII is a television horror host based in New England. She is portrayed by actress, writer, and comedian Danielle Gelehrter.
Jeffrey Andrew Weinstock is an American literature, film, and media scholar who has been teaching in the Department of English Language and Literature at Central Michigan University since 2001. He has authored or edited twenty-nine books and a range of articles focusing on the American Gothic tradition, monsters, cult film and television, popular culture, weird fiction, pedagogy, and goth music. He is the associate editor in charge of horror for the Los Angeles Review of Books.