Terra Maldita

It's not very often that you come across an horror western, but this effort from Michael Butts and an almost entirely unknown (to me anyway) cast tries quite hard to mix the two genres. That blending has only limited success, to be honest, but the production looks good and there is a degree of grittiness that fits well with the lively, occasionally violent, plot. That centres around "Sully" (Isaiah Stratton) who tries after the end of the American Civil War to settle down in Texas with his wife and young daughter. It isn't that simple, though. He is trying to convince his youngster that monsters don't hide under her bed when he is slugged, and we find ourselves taken back in time to a discovery he made with his colleagues of some Aztec gold - and that may well have it's own accompanying curse! This is very much an hybrid of themes, and the direction frequently struggles to find it's feet. The acting and writing are competent, no more, but on second viewing I got slightly more from it than first time around. Clearly, it's been made on a small-ish budget, and that hinders the aspirations of the director who obviously had more of a vision than could be delivered - but it's not dreadful. It's just a bit of a mess with a cast still learning the ropes.