The Hills Run Red (1966)

The Hills Run Red (1966)

aka Un Fiume di dollari

Directed by Carlo Lizzani (using the pseudonym Lee W. Beaver for U.S. release) this Euro-Western revenge story stars Thomas Hunter as the lead with established American actors Henry Silva and Dan Duryea featured in prominent roles.

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Death Rides a Horse (1967)

Directed by Giulio Petroni, Death Rides a Horse (aka Da uomo a uomo) begins with a pummeling rain storm replete with copious thunder and lightning. A young boy watches as a gang rides in and murders his father and brutally assault his mother and sister. Most gang members have distinct characteristics, such as a specific tattoo, and he even sees the face of one. As fifteen years pass, the boy grows into a sharp shooter (John Phillip Law), now hell bent on avenging his slain family. In pursuit of the gang, he meets up with a crusty gunsman (Lee Van Cleef) who just served fifteen years in jail after being framed by the same gang of outlaws. Ennio Morricone supplies standout music to the proceedings. A recommended Euro-Western!

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Massacre Time (1966) aka Le colt cantarono la morte e fu... tempo di massacro

Massacre Time (1966) 

aka The Brute and the Beast

aka Le colt cantarono la morte e fu... tempo di massacro

An interesting and violent
Euro-Western 

directed by Lucio Fulci.

Starring Franco Nero
and George Hilton.

the trailer

the feature

Cut-Throats Nine (1972)

This grim and somewhat obscure Euro-Western from 1972 provided patrons with a terror mask upon admission to a showing, in case the on screen carnage proved too much to handle they could avert their gaze. Filmed entirely in Spain by director Joaquin Romero Marchent, Cut-Throats Nine shifts the action to the snowy mountain sides instead of the dusty desert local so often used as the backdrop for standard spaghetti westerns.

The story centers on Sgt. Brown, a tough hombre who has to transport seven severely nasty criminals from an active mine to Fort Green for sentencing/jail time. Also along for this ride is his daughter, Cathy, so the seven bad dudes (who are chained together for the voyage) plus the Sargent and his daughter make up the nine referenced in the films title. Further complicating matters, the Sargent eventually reveals to his daughter that he believes one of these seven reprobates was responsible for the rape and murder of her Mom, his wife. Shortly after the group leaves the mine, a gang of robbers over take the wagon in search of any gold being transported away from it's source. This violent confrontation leaves the wagon drive dead, the horses gone, and one of the group now sports a broken leg. Things go from very bad to worse quite quickly and the film has a few tricks up it's sleeve as well.


Extremely violent and gory for it's time, Cut-Throats Nine offers a tale of man versus man coupled with man versus nature that brings to mind the existential struggle of many a Werner Herzog film. Not easy to find, the film is presented below.

the trailer

the feature

Cut-Throats Nine 1972 full movie by ursula-strauss

The Hellbenders (1967)

Director Sergio Corbucci's The Hellbenders (1967)
is a favorite Euro-Western of mine. 

Joesph Cotten stars as ex-Confederate Colonel Jonas, a ruthless and still fanatical man. The plot revolves around a stolen shipment of U.S. Government banknotes stashed in a coffin that everyone from the United States Cavalry to a group of bandidos is actively pursuing.

The Hellbenders by crazedigitalmovies