Gothic Western
{{short description|Contemporary subculture}}
{{Westerns sidebar |Subgenres}}
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.
History
File:SinisterSeymour1973.jpg 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.{{Cite web|url=https://horrorfilmhistory.com/wp/1950s-horror/|title = 1950s Horror Movies}} 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",{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-country/flashback-see-johnny-cashs-style-defining-man-in-black-in-1971-167505/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CMan%20in%20Black%E2%80%9D%20was%20introduced,1971%2C%20at%20Nashville's%20Columbia%20Studios.|title = Flashback: See Johnny Cash's Style-Defining 'Man in Black'|magazine = Rolling Stone|date = 16 February 2016}} 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."{{Cite web|url=https://folsomcasharttrail.com/the-trail/blog/why-did-johnny-cash-always-wear-black-25-facts-about-americas-outlaw|title=Why Did Johnny Cash Always Wear Black? 25 Facts about America's Outlaw}}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.{{Cite web|url=https://www.micechat.com/308943-disneys-haunted-mansion-and-the-invention-of-halloween-as-you-know-it/|title=Disney's Haunted Mansion and the Invention of Halloween as You Know It|date=11 January 2022}}
==Literature==
In literature,{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RehaDAUqLAwC&q=%22Gothic+Western%22&pg=PA95|title=The Gothic World of Stephen King: Landscape of Nightmares|first1=Gary|last1=Hoppenstand|first2=Ray Broadus|last2=Browne|date=July 31, 1987|publisher=Popular Press|isbn=9780879724115|via=Google Books}}
- {{Cite journal|url=https://muse.jhu.edu/article/21508|title=Race, Labor, and the Gothic Western: Dispelling Frontier Myths in Dorothy Scarborough's The Wind|first=Susan|last=Kollin|date=September 1, 2000|journal=MFS Modern Fiction Studies|volume=46|issue=3|pages=675–694|via=Project MUSE|doi=10.1353/mfs.2000.0053|s2cid=162272027|url-access=subscription}} 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.{{cite web|url=https://cowboyandvampire.com/soapbox/what-is-western-gothic-hint-longmire-meets-preacher/#:~:text=Western%20Gothic%20is%20a%20style,or%20All%20the%20Pretty%20Horses).&text=We%20love%20writing%20in%20the%20Western%20Gothic%20genre|publisher=Cowboy and Vampire|title=The Cowboy and Vampire Collection|date=16 June 2016|access-date=October 18, 2020}}
- {{Cite web|url=https://sites.google.com/site/thegothicnetwork/home/collaborative-wiki-project/western-gothic|title=Western Gothic – The Gothic Network|website=Google|access-date=2020-07-14|archive-date=2020-10-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201025140921/https://sites.google.com/site/thegothicnetwork/home/collaborative-wiki-project/western-gothic|url-status=dead}}
- {{Cite web|url=https://screenrant.com/western-horror-weird-gothic-novels-wont-work-movie/|title=10 Western Books Too Twisted To Be Made Into Films|date=January 17, 2020|website=ScreenRant}}
- {{Cite web|url=https://www.indiewire.com/2020/05/yorgos-lanthimos-tony-mcnamara-hawkline-monster-1202232305/|title=Yorgos Lanthimos Set for 'Favourite' Reunion with New Gothic Western Monster Movie|website=Indiewire|first1=Zack|last1=Sharf|date=May 19, 2020}} The novel The Hawkline Monster: A Gothic Western by Richard Brautigan was one of the first to incorporate the term in its title,{{Cite web|url=https://www.slashfilm.com/the-hawkline-monster/|title='The Hawkline Monster' Will Be a Gothic Western from 'The Favourite' Director Yorgos Lanthimos|date=December 17, 2019|website=/Film}} 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.{{Cite web|url=https://authoranthonyavinablog.com/2020/06/19/author-interview-with-lorin-morgan-richards/|title=Author Interview with Lorin Morgan-Richards|date=June 19, 2020}}
Music
File:Fields of the Nephilim.jpg The mixture of goth and Western music has brooding and dark motifs interwoven into cowboy culture while incorporating themes of death, occult and superstition.{{Cite web|url=http://gothicwestern.com/site/welcome-gothic-western-website/|title=Welcome to the Gothic Western Collective Website|date=January 1, 2018}} 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.{{Cite web|url=https://www.gothiccountry.se/lists/albums/10-essential-gothic-western-albums.html|title=10 essential gothic western albums|website=Gothic country}} The spaghetti Western sound of Ennio Morricone is influential to the genre.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nme.com/features/ennio-morricone-obituary-film-scores-composer-2702080|title=Ennio Morricone obituary: 1928–2020|work=NME|date=July 6, 2020}} Tom Waits, Johnny Cash, Steve Earle, The Handsome Family and Richard Marx have written Gothic Western songs.{{cite web |url=https://crimereads.com/the-western-gothic-in-film-music-and-literature-a-primer/ |title=The Western Gothic In Film, Music, And Literature: A Primer |last=Bassoff |first=Jon |date=June 20, 2023 |website=crimereads.com |publisher=Lithub |access-date=June 25, 2024 }}
Film and television
Filmmaker John Carpenter spoke of the unique quality of the genre, noting it is not the same as a Western horror.{{Cite web|url=https://www.indiewire.com/2011/09/john-carpenter-wants-amy-adams-to-star-in-his-gothic-western-in-his-dreams-116548/|title=John Carpenter Wants Amy Adams To Star In His "Gothic Western" (In His Dreams)|first1=Drew|last1=Taylor|website=Indiewire|date=September 5, 2011}} In television, Penny Dreadful season three is considered an example of Gothic Western, with vampires invading the West.{{Cite web|url=https://www.inverse.com/article/14771-enny-dreadful-season-3-premiere-heads-to-the-wild-west-in-the-day-tennyson-died|title=Penny Dreadful' Premiers Season 3 as a Gothic Western|first=Lauren|last=Sarner|website=Inverse|date=2 May 2016 }} And God Said to Cain,{{cite web |url=https://collider.com/and-god-said-to-cain-horror-western/ |title=This Spaghetti Horror-Western Gave Us One of the Best Showdowns |last=Todoruk |first=Jordan |date=March 1, 2024 |website=collider.com |publisher=Valnet Publishing Group |access-date=June 25, 2024 }} True History of the Kelly Gang{{Cite web|url=https://dailydead.com/review-true-history-of-the-kelly-gang-is-a-play-on-the-mythicism-of-legends/|title = Review: TRUE HISTORY OF THE KELLY GANG is a Play on the Mythicism of Legends|date = 20 April 2020}} and The Power of the Dog{{Cite web|url=https://apnews.com/article/film-reviews-entertainment-reviews-arts-and-entertainment-jane-campion-b03ab22da222bcab8caf3f06085555f1|title = Review: 'The Power of the Dog' is a sublime gothic Western|website = Associated Press|date = 17 November 2021}} have also been referenced as being Gothic Westerns.
Gaming
Several games have been promoted as Gothic Western, including Darkwatch, West of Dead, Hunt: Showdown, and Evil West.
Fashion
Gothic Western fashion is a mix of Western wear with goth or Victorian era mourning attire, incorporating black and leather elements.{{Cite web|url=http://gothicamericana.com/2019/08/10/gothic-western-fashion-part-i-cowgirl-goth/|title=Gothic Western Fashion Part I – Cowgirl Goth|website=Gothic Americana|date=August 10, 2019|access-date=July 15, 2020|archive-date=July 15, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200715231905/http://gothicamericana.com/2019/08/10/gothic-western-fashion-part-i-cowgirl-goth/|url-status=dead}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Authority control}}
{{American frontier}}
{{Country music}}
{{Gothic}}
{{Western (genre)}}
{{Goth subculture}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gothic Western}}