The Scarlet Worm (2011)

The Scarlet Worm: Directed by Michael Fredianelli. With Aaron Stielstra, Dan van Husen, Brett Halsey, Derek Hertig. An aging killer trains a young hired gun in a plot to assassinate a meek brothel owner performing barbaric abortion acts on his prostitutes.

“This effort by a band of six young cinephiles works well. Donu0026#39;t watch it expecting u0026quot;High Noonu0026quot; quality acting and scripting. But if youu0026#39;re looking for a highly original, yet true to genre Western, I recommend u0026quot;The Scarlet Worm.u0026quot;u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eIt was released by u0026quot;Unearthed Filmsu0026quot; so I expected a 30-or-more year old film, literally dug up out of old B movie archives. But this is a new effort, made in 2010 and released in 2011. The setting is the early 1900s, and plot is complex, including traditional cattle rustling, revenge killings and more. Itu0026#39;s dark, gritty style is evident in the gunfight sequences and in the sympathetic, non-sensationalist treatment of the girls in the brothel. It held my attention right to the last as it unfolded.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eA couple of things to note: First, it has some pretty violent scenes so I wouldnu0026#39;t make it a family-night movie. Second, it features some classic Western movie stars whose heyday was decades ago but whose names you might remember, like Montgomery Ford and Dan van Husen. They and their young compadres give this low-budget movie panache. Enjoy, pardner.”