Grim Prairie Tales

Brad Dourif (the voice of Chucky) and James Earl Jones (the voice of Darth Vader) play two heavily contrasted travelers in the nineteenth century who end up camping together and telling scary stories. Dourif Plays Farley Deeds, a naive clerk who is on his way to see his wife who is visiting his ill mother-in-law. Jones plays a gruff bounty hunter who is attempting to cash in on the corpse that hangs off the end of his horse. Together, they are a priceless pair with some of the most humorous and interesting exchanges in film lore. The tales are overshadowed by the two star's immense talent and their unusually great chemistry.

GRIM PRAIRIE TALES: HIT THE TRAIL TO TERROR is a mixed genre western / horror anthology film. Two strangers (Brad Dourif and James Earl Jones) meet in the open prairie, antagonize each other, and Jones' character begins to spin spooky tales.

Tale #1- A man decides to ride through an Indian "burial ground". This turns out to be a big mistake.

Tale #2- A traveling man happens upon a mysterious woman. They set up camp, one thing leads to another, and bizarre horror ensues.

Tale #3- A family of homesteaders arrive at their new property, where the young daughter learns a very dark secret about her parents.

Tale #4- A gunslinger competes for the top position in a small town. He just might be too perfect for his own good. This tale is the better of the four, and includes a creepy animated dream sequence.

The wraparound story closes with some nice humor. Mr. Dourif and Mr. Jones are great together, making their interactions fun to watch. The tales are enjoyable, with the last one being the best.

An obscure movie worth a viewing...

The pleasure of the horror anthology is that of brevity. No story can really out-stay its welcome or be forced into unnecessary padding. And if one episode fails to work, never mind, there will be another one along in a minute.

James Earl Jones and Brad Dourif are both excellent as the contrasting storytellers and make the linking storyline into a highlight itself. Their tales are a mixed bunch. The opener about an Indian curse is rather slight. However the second tale about a helpful young man and a mysterious pregnant girl finishes on such a disturbing, horrific note that the viewer might not recover for the rest of the film! Especially if they're male. Definitely it is the moment that will be talked about afterwards. Deliberately, the third story concerns a more cerebal horror. A girl discovers a shocking truth about the father she idolises. Yet it emerges as probably the most satisfying tale of the night with a haunting punchline. Finally the concluding tale of vengeance beyond the grave is fair, its highlight being an animated nightmare sequence.

The Western trappings bring a welcome original atmosphere to these Tales from the Crypt refugees, making this a worthwhile diversion for the jaded horror fan.

'Grim Prairie Tales' is a weird and curious hybrid of combining the horror anthology format wrapped in a Western setting making for an interesting set up, but its execution is uneven, with the framing narrative far outshining the tales themselves. Directed and written by Wayne Coe, this is an okay and gentle horror oddity that features plenty of atmosphere but lacks any scares, tension or thrills.

The Plot = An anthology film composed of four short stories set in the Old Western told by two travellers around a prairie campfire. Morrison (James Earl Jones), a cynical old bounty hunter carrying a body, while Farley Deeds (Brad Dourif) a store clerk who's on his way to a romantic reunion with his wife.

The four short stories range from creepy to fairly dull as they lean more toward moral fables or just plain oddities than genuine horror, with none of them really standing out or delivering the promised chills. Each of the tales feels too short and slight, failing to build any sort of momentum or payoff which makes this a sore disappointment, especially for a horror anthology.

The only good thing this movie has going for is the wraparound segments with James Earl Jones and Brad Douriff an unlikely pairing but are simply magnetic together and the only reason why I haven't given this rating lower than a 5. Their chemistry and combined charisma together are sharp, funny and oddly poignant, which makes this a somewhat worthwhile viewing experience. The direction by Wayne Coe is another highlight here as he gives the production plenty of atmosphere and an eerie isolated vibe that perfectly suits the moody tone of the film, but apart from the scenes with James Earl Jones and Brad Dourif, there's not much to recommend here.

Overall 'Grim Prairie Tales' has a good idea with its horror western anthology structure, but the film is undone by a quartet of lousy stories and is only worth watching because of the fun campfire wraparound scenes.

This is a western which is also a horror anthology. In it, two strangers meet in the middle of the desert one night and tell each other creepy stories, which make up the horror segments here. The two storytellers are played by Brad Dourif and James Earl Jones, and it has to be said that their scenes constitute the highlights of the movie, as the mini stories are disappointing on the whole. Still, the format ensures that the pacing is good and we return to Dourif and Jones often enough to ensure the quality level rises again.