Encyclopedia of Weird Westerns
Page 20
Pearl meets John Boot the outlaw. But is he real or a spectre from her imagination?
The story was reprinted in Best American Short Stories: 2005 and in the Tim Pratt anthology Hart and Boot and Other Stories (2007).
Haunted Gold
(1932) [Film; WMW]
Premiere: December 17, 1932; Main Cast: John Wayne as John Mason, Sheila Terry as Janet Carter, Harry Woods as Joe Ryan, Blue Washington as Clarence Washington Brown; Producer: Leon Schlesinger; Story: Adele Buffington; Director: Mack V. Wright; 58 min.; Warner Bros. b/w.
A 25-year-old John Wayne stars in a story about hidden gold in the abandoned Sally Ann mine. Joe Ryan and his gang's attempts to make a bogus claim on the gold are under scrutiny from a mysterious cloaked phantom who roams the secret passages of the mine shaft. This movie, a remake of The Phantom City (1928), utilizes footage from the original film including distant shots of Ken Maynard.
The Haunted Horseman
[Comic book character; WW]
See: Ghost Rider, Phantom Rider, Night Rider, The Haunter
Haunted Horseman. Art: Dick Ayers. © 2009 AC Comics/Nightveil Media, Inc. Used with permission.
Haunted Horseman in “The Ghost of Longhair John.” Reprinted in Best of the West #11; Art: Dick Ayers. Adapted from Best of the West #10 (October 1953). © 2009 AC Comics/Nightveil Media, Inc. Used with permission.
The Haunted Mesa
[Novel; WW]
Author: Louis L'Amour; First publication: Bantam Books, 1987.
Modern Western with horror and science fiction themes involving an enigmatic race of cliff dwellers known to the Navajo Indians as the Anasazi.
Haunted Ranch
(1943) [Film; WMW]
Premiere: February 19, 1943; Main Cast: John “Dusty” King as “Dusty” King, David Sharpe as Davy Sharpe, Max “Alibi” Terhune as “Alibi” Terhune, Julie Duncan as Helen Weston, Glenn Strange as Rance Austin, Rex Lease as Deputy Rex Lease, Steve Clark as Marshal Hammond; Producer: George W. Weeks; Story: Arthur Hoerl; Screenplay: Harriett Beecher; Director: Robert Tansey; 57 min.; Range Busters, Monogram Pictures Corporation; b/w.
Rance Austin and his outlaw gang search for stolen gold bullion on a supposedly haunted ranch.
The Haunter
[Comic book character; WW]
First appearance: Femforce #28; Creator: Bill Black; Publisher: AC Comics.
When Haunted Horseman is killed by the touch of the Mystick Cloak, Rex Fury becomes the supernatural Haunter, lawman of the Limbo Realm. He ultimately assumes the identity of Randall Fury, psychic investigator, as he battles supernatural evil on Earth.
Have a Good Funeral, My Friend ... Sartana Will Pay
(1970) [Film; Italy; WW]
U.S. release title for Buon funerale, amigos! ... paga Sartana.
Hawk Carse
[Pulp fiction character; SW]
Authors: Anthony Gilmore (Harry Bates with Desmond W. Hall); First appearance: Astounding Stories (November 1931).
Space Western with 22nd century adventurer Hawk Carse traveling in his rocket ship the Star Devil. Evil Oriental scientist Dr. Ku Sui and his space pirate cohorts provide the opposition. The fast-draw skills of Carse as he shoots the bad guys cannot disguise the fact this is essentially a Western pulp hero with a ray gun.
Other Hawk Carse stories published in Astounding Stories: The Affair of the Brains (March 1932); The Bluff of the Hawk (May 1932); The Passing of Ku Sui (November 1932); The Return of Hawk Carse (July 1942).
Hawkgirl
[Comic book character; WW]
First appearance: Flash Comics #1 (January 1940); Creators: Gardner Fox, Dennis Neville; Publisher: DC Comics.
The Golden Age Hawkgirl, Shiera Sanders-Hall has been reborn throughout the centuries in many incarnations, including the Egyptian Princess Chay-Ara and Old West gunslinger Cinnamon alias Kate Manser. She is connected in her incarnations to Hawkman, Carter Hall, whom she first met as Egyptian Prince Khufu and later in the Old West as Hannibal Hawkes alias Nighthawk.
The Hawkline Monster: A Gothic Western
[Novel; WW]
Author: Richard Brautigan; First publication: New York: Simon and Schuster, 1974.
In 1902 Oregon in, the twin Hawkline daughters hire professional gunmen Greer and Cameron to kill a monster that lives in the ice caves beneath their Victorian mansion. The monster has transformed its creator Professor Hawkline into an elephant-foot umbrella stand and shrunk their seven-foot butler into a 3-inch dwarf.
The novel came to the attention of director Hal Ashby, who purchased the screen play rights. Brautigan dropped out of the film project when asked to revise his first draft. Ultimately the novel never made the transition to film.
Hawkman
[Comic book character; WW]
First appearance: Flash Comics #1 (January 1940); Creators: Gardner Fox, Dennis Neville; Publisher: DC Comics.
The Golden Age Hawkman, archaeologist Carter Hall, was Old West vigilante Nighthawk alias Hannibal Hawkes in a previous incarnation, and boyfriend to Cinnamon, the future Hawkgirl.
Heart o' Darkness: Devil's Tower 2
[RPG book; WW]
Author: Hal Mangold; First publication: 1998; Setting: Deadlands: The Weird West; Publisher: Pinnacle Entertainment Group.
Trilogy of tales featuring Weird West villains Dr. Darious Hellstromme, Reverend Ezekiah Grimme, and the mysterious Stone as they seek to gain possession of the legendary 150-carat black diamond known as the Heart of Darkness. But major obstacles stand in their way: crossing shark-infested Prosperity Bay to reach and break into the impenetrable prison fortress of Rock Island where the diamond is being held.
Heaven in West Texas
[Novel; WWR]
Author: Susan Kay Law; First publication: New York: Harper Paperbacks, 1997.
Joshua West returns from the dead to guide his former love Abigail Grier as she struggles to run the Rolling G ranch amid continuing drought and her father's worsening Alzheimers.
Hector Plasm
[Comic book character; WW]
First appearance: April 2004; Creators: Benito Cereno, Nate Bellegarde; Publishers: Hoarse & Buggy Productions, Image.
Hector Plasm, a member of the ancient cult “the benandanti,” has been thrust into the world of the supernatural, acting as mediator between humans and spirits the help of colleagues Sinner and Saint.
Hector Plasm was introduced in a contemporary college campus setting in a four-part story beginning with in Invincible #10 and later appeared in two issues of Western Tales of Terror.
Heinlein, Robert A.
(1907-1988) [Author]
Born in Butler, Missouri, Robert Anson Heinlein showed an interest in astronomy from early childhood. This soon extended into science fiction and a fascination with the stories of Olaf Stapledon.
Heinlein graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland, in 1929 but was discharged out of active duty in 1934 due to pulmonary tuberculosis which he contracted the previous year. After struggling through various jobs including silver mining and real estate, Heinlein turned to writing and gained early recognition writing for Astounding Stories. The year 1947 saw the publication of Rocket Ship Galileo, the first of twelve juvenile science fiction novels for Scribner's.
His most widely acclaimed work remains his Hugo award-winning novel Stranger in a Strange Land (1961). Health problems curtailed his output in the later years of his life. He passed away during a morning nap on May 8, 1988. His ashes were cast into the Pacific from the deck of a warship.
Selected works: Farmer in the Sky (1950), The Puppet Masters (1951), Tunnel in the Sky (1955), Starship Troopers (1959), Stranger in a Strange Land (1961), Glory Road (1963), Time Enough for Love, The Lives of Lazarus Long (1973).
Hell or High Water
[RPG book; WW]
Author: John Goff; First publication: 1998; Setting: Deadlands: Hell on Earth; Publisher: Pinnacle Entertainment Group.
Hell or High Water finds the posse in a po
st-apocalyptic Baton Rouge confronting Mississippi River pirates and an evil presence in the surrounding swamplands.
Heroes Reborn: Rebel
[Comic book; SFW]
First publication: January 2000; Creators: Joe Kelly, Matt Haley; Publisher: Marvel Comics.
In a post-nuclear California, Rebel wears a cowboy hat, a poncho, shotgun and Iron Man's damaged armor suit. Paramilitary Pepper Potts, Guinness (a man-salamander) and Michka (a woman with a deadly voice) join him as they attempt to destroy Master Man, a fanatic who claims to be God.
Hex
[Comic book; Comic book character; SFW]
1. First appearance: September 1985; Creators: Michael Fleischer, Mark Texeira; Publisher: DC Comics
Jonah Hex finds himself trapped in a post-nuclear future of warring gangs.
Following the cancellation of his regular title with issue #92 (August 1985), this re-imagining of Jonah Hex saw him adopt a new costume, change timelines and cross into the science fiction genre.
2. First appearance: Superboy #54 (August 1998); Creator: Karl Kesel; Publisher: DC Comics.
Red-haired former supermodel Hex assumes the persona of Jonah Hex down to the scarred face, opaque eye and Southern drawl.
Hex: Escort to Hell
[Role-playing module; SFW]
First published: DC Heroes, 1986; Story: Matthew J. Costello; Art: Carlos Garzon, Ed Harrigan, Bob LeRose, Mark Texiera; Publisher: Mayfair Games.
In the 21st century you must survive in a hostile, alien environment as an Escort to Hell.
A DC Heroes solo role-playing module based on the science fiction comic book character Hex.
Hexarcana
[RPG book; WW]
Author: John Goff; First publication: 1999; Setting: Deadlands: The Weird West; Publisher: Pinnacle Entertainment Group.
Expanded and collected rules for hexes, miracles, magic, voodoo and martial arts.
High Moon
[Comic book; WW]
First publication: October 2007; Story: David Gallaher; Art: Steve Ellis; Publisher: Zuda.
Bounty hunter and former Pinkerton detective Matthew Macgregor investigates mysterious happenings in the Texan town of Blest. A supernatural detective Western from DC Comics' Zuda webcomic site.
High Plains Drifter
(1972) [Film; WW]
Premiere: August 22, 1973; Main Cast: Clint Eastwood as The Stranger, Verna Bloom as Sarah Belding; Executive Producer: Jennings Lang; Story: Ernest Tidyman; Director: Clint Eastwood; 105 min.; The Malpaso Company; Color.
A mysterious Stranger rides into the town of Largo and takes revenge on three outlaws and the townsfolk of Hell while keeping his own identity secret.
The film implies a supernatural origin for Eastwood's character but never explicitly states his real identity. Many critics feel the film was influenced by Sergio Garrone's Django il Bastardo (1969).
Highlander
[TV series; Canada-France]
Born in Scotland in 1592, Immortal Duncan MacLeod attempts to live the life of a normal mortal in the present day as other Immortals pursue him across time in the hope of destroying him.
Main Cast: Adrian Paul as Duncan MacLeod/ Highlander, Stan Kirsch as Richard H. Ryan, Jim Byrnes as Joe Dawson, Alexandra Vandernoot as Tessa Noel; Executive Producers: Peter S. Davis, William Panzer, Christian Charret, Marlia Ginsburg; 119 x 50 min.; Davis-Panzer Productions, Filmline International Inc., Gaumont Télévision; Color.
“UNDER COLOR OF AUTHORITY” (2:12) [WW]
Air date: February 7, 1994; Guest Cast: Jonathan Banks as Mako, Deanna Milligan as Laura Daniels, Lochlyn Munro as Tim, Howard Storey as Sheriff; Producer: Ken Gord; Story: Peter Mohan; Director: Clay Borris.
Duncan MacLeod recognizes the description of the man pursuing a young woman (Milligan) as Immortal Mako. In flashback we see when MacLeod previously encountered Marshal Mako in the Pacific Northwest of 1882. Despite Mako's methods, MacLeod knows he follows the rules of the law
“LINE OF FIRE” (3:02) [WW]
Air date: October 3, 1994; Guest Cast: Randall “Tex” Cobb as Kern, Chandra West as Donna, Michelle Thrush as Little Deer, Andrew Wheeler as Father Mathew, Peter Bob as Kahani, Richard Leacock as Jamal, James & Mathew Harrington as Jeremy; Producer: Ken Gord; Writer: David Tynan; Director: Clay Borris.
An encounter with Immortal Kern revives painful memories of the murder of the Highlander's Sioux lover and foster son in the Old West.
“SOMETHING WICKED” (4:13) [WW]
Air date: February 12, 1996; Guest Cast: Byron Chief-Moon as Jim Coltec, Benjamin Ratner as Bryce Korland, Darcy Laurie as Harry Kant, Carla Temple as Denise; Writer: David Tynan; Director: Dennis Berry.
Native American Immortal Jim Coltec, possessing the special powers of the Hayoka, protected his tribe from evil by absorbing it and taking the hatred from the world. But absorbing evil through the centuries has resulted in Coltec becoming evil himself. Duncan MacLeod must track Coltec and choose between the life or death for his friend.
This episode includes a flashback to MacLeod's former life on Lakota Sioux tribal land in 1872, when he planned to marry Little Deer and adopt her son until the entire tribe was brutally slaughtered. A brief flashback following the slaughter of Little Deer was seen in the pilot episode “The Gathering” (1:01).
“COMES A HORSEMAN” (5:12) [WW]
Air date: February 3, 1997; Guest Cast: Peter Wingfield as Methos, Tracy Scoggins as Cassandra, Valentine Pelka as Kronos, Richard Ridings as Silas, Marcus Testory as Caspian, Greg Michaels as Tippet, David Longworth as Paxton, Sotigui Kouyate as Hijad; Story: David Tynan; Director: Gerard Hameline.
The Immortal known as Kronos, leader of the Bronze Age slaughterers known as the Four Horsemen, is hunted across time by Cassandra, who wants to avenge the death of her people. But Duncan MacLeod remembers Kronos as outlaw Melvin Koren, who blazed a path of death and destruction across the Old West.
His Brother's Ghost
(1945) [Film; WMW]
Premiere: February 3, 1945; Main Cast: Buster Crabbe as Billy Carson, Al “Fuzzy” St. John as Jonathan “Fuzzy” Q. Jones/Andy Jones, Charles King as Thorne, Karl Hackett as “Doc” Packard, Archie Hall as Deputy Bentley; Producer: Sigmund Neufeld; Story: George Wallace Sayre, Milton Raison; Director: Sam Newfield; 58 min.; Producers Releasing Corporation; b/w.
When bandits kill Fuzzy's twin brother Andy, he poses as his brother's ghost to get his revenge on Thorne and his gang.
Holliday
[Comic book; WW]
First publication: November 2002; Story: Dave Samuelson; Art: Jason Wright; Publisher: Saddle Tramp Press.
Doc Holliday deals with the supernatural in the Old West as he teams up with his enemy Johnny Ringo to put a stop to the Horsemen's spree of murder and mayhem.
“The Honey Jug”
[Pulp fiction; WW]
Author: Lon Williams; Character: Lee Winters: Real Western Stories (October 1955)
Was it just the after-effects of the slug that grazed his skull, or did Lee Winters really have an utterly strange encounter in ghostly Lowbow Canyon?
Hong on the Range
[Juvenile book; SFW]
1. Author: William F. Wu; First publication: New York: Walker, 1989. Juvenile; Illustrated by Phil Hale, Darrel Anderson and Richard Berry.
Cowboy Louie Hong lives in the American West of the future where people and animals are bionic and outlaws and bounty hunters are hot on his trail after his name becomes linked to a bank robbery. Based on the Hugo- and Nebula-nominated short story “Hong's Bluff.”
2. Comic book.
First publication: December 1997; Story: William F. Wu; Art: Jeff Lafferty; Three-part mini-series; Publisher: Flypaper Press-Image Comics.
The science fiction–Western adventure of Louie Hong and his companions, Prism Chisholm, Chuck, Rusty and Betsy, plus talking and singing cows. Based on the novel.
“The Horror from the Mound”
[Pulp fiction; WW]
Author:
Robert E. Howard; First publication: Weird Tales (May 1932).
A search for hidden gold leads West Texas farmer Steve Brill to the disinterment of a notorious Spanish vampire.
At the window a face glared and gibbered soundlessly at him. Two icy eyes pierced his very soul. A shriek burst from his throat and that ghastly visage vanished. But the very air was permeated by the foul scent that had hung about the ancient mound. And now the door creaked—bent slowly inward. Brill backed up against the wall, his gun shaking in his hand: It did not occur to him to fire through the door; in his chaotic brain he had but one thought that only that thin portal of wood separated him from some horror born out of the womb of night and gloom and the black past. His eyes were distended as he saw the door give, as he heard the staples of the bolt groan. The door burst inward. Brill did not scream.
Horrors o' the Weird West
[RPG book; WW]
Author: Christopher McGlothlin, Shane Lacy Hensey (compilation and editing); First publication: 2001; Setting: Deadlands: The Weird West; Publisher: Pinnacle Entertainment Group.
Bestiary and game statistics for the monsters of Deadlands d20 game system. Based on the Deadlands: The Weird West books Rascals, Varmints & Critters and Rascals, Varmints & Critters 2: The Book of Curses.