The House of the Devil, The Innkeepers, and The Sacrament are all very different films. Some may argue that they are among the best that modern horror has to offer, but they all have one thing in common; Ti West. Since around 2009, West has been on a roll; releasing masterful examples of tension, storytelling. comedy, and what could be considered the greatest Found Footage title of all time. At age 34, West seems to be in his prime – so where does he go from here? Well, he finds himself In a Valley of Violence. Here’s what we know so far:
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It’s an 1890’s Western
That’s right. The official plot is laid out like this: A revenge Western film set in the 1890s, where a man arrives in a small town seeking vengeance for his murdered friend. Not a lot to go off of on that alone, but it’s certainly bold new territory for West – and any other horror filmmaker for that matter.
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The Cast
Here’s where things get nuts. No disrespect to anyone that has appeared in any of West’s previous films, but this cast is on another level. Stars such as Karen Gillan (Oculus, Doctor Who), Ethan Hawke (Sinister, The Purge), John Travolta (Pulp Fiction, From Paris with Love), and Taissa Farmiga (American Horror Story) top out an extremely capable list of actors and actresses. West’s writing is sharp, so I can’t to see what these folks do with his work.
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The Sound
Now more than ever, audiences are beginning to pay more and more attention to the musical composition of a film. That’s why it should come as great news to some that Jeff Grace has reportedly signed on to handle the composition for In a Valley of Violence. He has worked with West previously on both The Innkeepers and The House of the Devil.
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The Release
In association with Blumhouse Productions and Universal Pictures, In a Valley of Violence is set to be released on December 4th, 2015. For what it’s worth, it has been given an R rating by the MPAA for violence and language.
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It’s Not a Horror Movie
Lastly, West has stated on numerous occasions that this is not a horror film. It is “a Western from frame one to the end frame, so there’s no ‘and then it became a Western’ ” The rules of horror are certainly lax here on ModernHorrors. I mean, could we really call The Sacrament a “horror” film? I dunno, but we did. The point is that you shouldn’t jump into In a Valley of Violence expecting some supernatural twist or a serial killer on the loose. Go in expecting Ti West’s take on a genre that is already notoriously violent enough without the horror ties.
April 19, 2015
Too bad it’s not a Western horror movie, there are not enough of them out there.
April 19, 2015
Agreed. But who knows – there may be more horror elements involved than we think.