Archive for the ‘western movies’ Category

I’m very honored to be inducted into the Arrow in the Head at JoBlo.com Horror Hall of Fame!

Wednesday, December 23rd, 2020

Watch the YouTube video at: https://bit.ly/3po8uAX

The Ultimate Genre

Friday, September 25th, 2020

The Western, I believe, is the ultimate genre.

The epic nomenclature of tough, strong cowboys in big hats with guns and horses pitted in physical and psychological contests of good versus evil fought on rugged frontier landscapes that externally mirror their own jagged internal natures is mythic and timeless. But while the entire world loves westerns, the U.S. owns the brand, and westerns remain our own uniquely American mythology and true contribution to pop culture. Westerns are the American Arthurian Legend.

Born from the harsh realities of the Old West, bred through a century of thrilling popular culture in novels and film that fired the public imagination, imprinted by books and movies that cross-pollinated each other to create a grand mythology that remains popular as ever today; it’s hard to tell now where the reality ends and myth begins with westerns, but cowboy good guys and bad guys are baked into our collective consciousness.

While there is a certain mystery to the mystique of the western, some things are certain: it’s a heroic genre, full of honor and nobility with bigger-than-life heroes and villains; it’s a physical genre, action-packed on the purest level with riding and fistfights and shooting; and it’s a cathartic genre, where morality tales about good versus evil end in a decisive, satisfying showdown at the climax that gives us a vicarious sense of triumph we rarely achieve in our complicated real world where right and wrong is not always clear.

Some part of us needs this as human beings on the deepest level, which is the appeal of all heroic mythologies going back forever. Reading or watching a western, however briefly, we experience the wish fulfillment of becoming the cowboys we played at being as kids and heroes we want to be as adults if only real life were as simple as saddling your horse, grabbing your guns, and riding to the rescue.

One of the things as a screenwriter and novelist I appreciate most about westerns is the genre can absorb every other genre into the storytelling; elements of other genres like thriller, mystery, crime, even horror, all can be injected into a western story. There is even a thriving genre of romance westerns! The classic template of cowboys and guns and horses and landscapes is a canvas that can be painted with many brushes; this very adaptability makes it such an exciting genre for a writer to explore.

While many folks know me for my horror and thriller films and books, in actuality westerns are my favorite genre and the genre I’ve worked the most in, having written and produced western movies, written western novels and even created a western comic book. The movie was an HBO film called The Last Outlaw starring Mickey Rourke, a gritty, bloody adventure about a gang of outlaws pursued by a posse led by their leader who they had left for dead.

Mixing the horror and western literary genres became the inspiration for my novels The Guns Of Santa Sangre and its sequel The Wolves Of El Diablo from SST Publications, about three tough American gunfighters battling several generations of werewolves who are bandits by day in Old Mexico.

My bestselling current western book series, the Joe Noose Westerns from Pinnacle Books & Kensington Books, revolves around the adventures of a tough and complex bounty hunter in 1800s Wyoming. With Noose, Hanging Fire, Branded and The Crimson Trail, the Noose series is on its fourth book with more to come.

My lifelong love of the Western genre continues to inspire me endlessly as a creative open range of possibilities always offering new frontiers in storytelling.

Saddle up.

“If this isn’t exactly the way the Old West was, it should have been.” – John Farris, author of The Fury and Son of the Endless Night.

Sunday, April 7th, 2019

“Meet Joe Noose.  A good bounty hunter with a bad attitude.  In the cutthroat world of bounty hunters, Joe Noose is as honest as they come. Which isn’t saying much. Just look at his less-than-honest colleagues. They framed Joe for a murder they committed. They made sure Joe’s face wound up on a wanted poster. Now they’re gonna hunt Joe down and collect the reward money. There’s just one problem: Joe Noose thinks it’s his bounty. It’s his reward. And it’s their funeral.”

“Exceptionally fast-paced and blood-spattered. Full of action, overflowing with defiant characters and deadly gunplay.” – Ray Walsh, Lansing State Journal.

NOOSE, the first novel in the Joe Noose Western book series, is available in from Kensington Publishing Corp. in Mass Market Paperback, Large Print and Kindle editions on Amazon at: https://amzn.to/2MIVTWZ

“Joe Noose is back.  The Devil Is A Woman.  In all his days as a bounty hunter, Joe Noose never met an outlaw like Bonny Kate Valence. The notorious female gunslinger has the kind of beauty that drives men wild—and a criminal record longer than the Snake River. She also has a date with the gallows. But before anyone can put a rope around that pretty neck, Joe Noose has to bring her in alive. On the way, he’ll have to protect his prisoner from a vile ex-lover and a vengeance-seeking posse. Which puts Noose’s neck on the line, too. Especially when this female of the species is deadlier than the male…”

“This is an edge-of-your-seat novel with plenty of action from start to finish. You wonder how Noose will escape each trial he is faced. It’s well-written, with great characterization throughout. This book is a Western lover’s dream read…A writer of several blockbuster films, Eric Red is a welcome addition to the Western genre.” - Historical Novels Review.

“Red is a writer who deserves to have his stories told on his own terms, and his latest is a treat…Hanging Fire’s world is populated with compelling characters, boasts danger at every turn, and contains an abundance action-packed mayhem with a bloody punch that begins swiftly and never lets up throughout the story. Additionally, Red’s writing style is breezy, fun, hard as nails and punctuated with lively dialogue, making for a leisurely read and an addictive page turner. You really can’t ask for more from a book of this ilk, and those readers who find themselves constantly searching for new badass heroes will find a new one in Joe Noose should they decide to give Hanging Fire a chance.” - Scream Magazine.

HANGING FIRE is available from Kensington Books in Mass Market Paperback and Kindle Editions on Amazon at: https://amzn.to/2G0d2Lx

My western novel NOOSE makes Wiki’s “11 Wonderful Westerns That Make History Come Alive.”

Thursday, March 14th, 2019

“If you love tales of the great outdoors and stories of rough-and-tumble folks living in a harsh environment without the conveniences of the modern world, you’re probably already a fan of westerns.  If you’re looking for some new adventures featuring ranchers, outlaws, and lawmen to add to your collection, check out these eleven wonderful books that make America’s frontier come alive…”

To view the full Wiki article and the video go to: https://bit.ly/2TMQpAI

NOOSE, the first novel in the Joe Noose book series, is available in Mass Market Paperback, Large Print and Kindle editions on Amazon at: https://amzn.to/2MIVTWZ

The sequel HANGING FIRE is available from Kensington Books in Mass Market Paperback and Kindle Editions on Amazon at: https://amzn.to/2G0d2Lx


I made the Arrow In The Head at JoBlo.com list of Top 10 Horror Celebs to Follow on Instagram.

Friday, December 14th, 2018

Thanks, guys!

Check out the article at: http://bit.ly/2BkFqD8

1800s Wyoming Comes Alive in New Western Book Series Entirely Set In Jackson Hole, By Filmmaker & Novelist Eric Red

Monday, August 20th, 2018

JACKSON HOLE, WYO. (PRWEB) AUGUST 20, 2018

NOOSE, the first in a series of Western novels set entirely in Jackson Hole by acclaimed author and horror filmmaker Eric Red, has been released by Kensington Publishing in Mass Market Paperback and Kindle editions. Due to high reader demand from advance orders, NOOSE was already in its second printing before its official publication date.

An action-packed chase set along the Snake River from Hoback to Jackson in the last years of the old west, NOOSE is the story of Joe Noose, a bounty hunter, who is framed by a violent gang as the killer of the U.S. Marshal in Hoback. He sets out to clear his name and is chasing the gang as is new U.S. Marshal Bess Sugarland, determined to bring her father’s murderer to justice.

“Jackson’s history of women in positions of influence led me to have compelling women characters like Marshal Bess who is a key player throughout the series,” said Red, a part-time resident of Wilson, Wy. He noted that Jackson’s first all female city council is featured in NOOSE. “The balance of strong women characters with men in the book is drawing many more women readers than the typical Western novel,” he added.

Kensington describes the book as “Louis L’ Amour meets Pulp Fiction ” with Red bringing his trademark volatile action and bloody violence to the popular genre. Early reviews have termed it a fresh take on the classic Western and a fast-moving, gritty tale.

Said Net Galley review: “This book was a fresh, new look into Westerns. Today’s westerns have become very stale, and pretty much the same across the board. It was so very refreshing to read a story that brings a brand new perspective to this genre. I absolutely LOVED Joe Noose. The way he turns the tables on those who tried to wrong him was a fascinating and exciting ride. I hope there are more books to come with this MC! Anyone who has become bored with the Western genre, give this one a try!”

Red is the writer of such blockbuster films as The Hitcher, Near Dark, and Blue Steel, and writer/director of Cohen & Tate, Body Parts and 100 Feet. This is his sixth novel and first Western but has contracted with Kensington for at least three Joe Noose Westerns, all of which will be set in Wyoming.

NOOSE is available from Kensington Books at your favorite bookseller or on Amazon at https://amzn.to/2GdAFwD

For review copies, please contact: Vida Engstrand 212.407.1573 vengstrand@kensingtonbooks.com

My new Joe Noose Western series, NOOSE and HANGING FIRE, from Pinnacle Books and Kensington Books are now available for preorder in Mass Market Paperback and Kindle editions on Amazon.

Monday, May 21st, 2018

Preorder in Mass Market Paperback and Kindle editions on Amazon at https://amzn.to/2GdAFwD and https://amzn.to/2kf78JA

NOOSE publisher’s description: “MEET JOE NOOSE. A GOOD BOUNTY HUNTER WITH A BAD ATTITUDE. In the cutthroat world of bounty hunters, Joe Noose is as honest as they come. Which isn’t saying much. Just look at his less-than-honest colleagues. They framed Joe for a murder they committed. They made sure Joe’s face wound up on a wanted poster. Now they’re gonna hunt Joe down and collect the reward money. There’s just one problem: Joe Noose thinks it’s his bounty. It’s his reward. And it’s their funeral . . . “

HANGING FIRE publisher’s description: ”THE DEVIL IS A WOMAN…In all his days as a bounty hunter, Joe Noose never met an outlaw like Bonny Kate Valance. The notorious female gunslinger has the kind of beauty that drives men wild—and a criminal record longer than the Snake River. She also has a date with the gallows. But before anyone can put a rope around that pretty neck, Joe Noose has to bring her in alive. On the way, he’ll have to protect his prisoner from a vile ex-lover and a vengeance-seeking posse. Which puts Noose’s neck on the line, too. Especially when this female of the species is deadlier than the male…”

Praise for my previous novels THE GUNS OF SANTA SANGRE and THE WOLVES OF EL DIABLO:

“Blood-soaked weird west story….Red places a premium on action. Readers will enjoy.” —Publishers Weekly

“Bloody fights, desert vistas [and] a touch of romance make this a fast-paced adventure…” —Library Journal

“Readers will rediscover an Old West genre.”—True West

“In the Old West, there are bad guys and even badder guys. But Eric Red’s are the biggest baddest of all.”—Jack Ketchum, author of Off Season

My new western novel NOOSE from Pinnacle Books is available for pre-order in Mass Market Paperback and Kindle editions on Amazon.

Monday, March 26th, 2018

“Introducing a bold new Western series from Eric Red, the acclaimed author and writer of such blockbuster films as The Hitcher, Near Dark, and Blue Steel.

MEET JOE NOOSE. A GOOD BOUNTY HUNTER WITH A BAD ATTITUDE.  In the cutthroat world of bounty hunters, Joe Noose is as honest as they come. Which isn’t saying much. Just look at his less-than-honest colleagues. They framed Joe for a murder they committed. They made sure Joe’s face wound up on a wanted poster. Now they’re gonna hunt Joe down and collect the reward money. There’s just one problem: Joe Noose thinks it’s his bounty. It’s his reward. And it’s their funeral . . . “
NOOSE is available for pre-order at: https://amzn.to/2GdAFwD