From Horror Movie To Horror Comic: Farmer Joe (2003)

Posted on June 13, 2026 by bloodlinematt

Welcome back to Rotten Ink and to another spooky “From Horror Movie To Horror Comic” update that will this time take us to the world of shot-on-video horror and the haunted barn and cursed land of Farmer Joe, a classic cult short film that is from Ohio that was released in 2003 on VHS and entertained and spooked viewers around the state of Ohio. In the late 90’s, a group of friends created a film production group called Independent B Movie and made horror, action and dark comedy films and did so for many years and released many amazing films like Werewolf Of Ohio, Who Keeps Feeding Grandpa, Teen Suicide, One Second To Late and Farmer Joe, to name a few. And with this update we will be talking about Farmer Joe and the Blood Scream Comic based on it, and like always due to my connection with both Blood Scream Comics and Farmer Joe I will not be giving this comic a star rating, as that would just be silly. So if you are ready, let’s make our way to the cursed land and barn of Farmer Joe and see what horrors await us.

Before we head too far into this update we need to take a look at the evil killing spirit of Farmer Joe, a farmer who was sold bad seeds that ruined his crop and poisoned his land and then who slaughtered his own cattle in a fit of rage before mysteriously dying and placing a curse on the land and those who trespass on it. Farmer Joe was a normal man who was sold bad seeds by a dealer that made his land toxic, and this made him snap and kill all his cattle and placed a curse on his farm, barn and land. Once dead, he became an urban legend in his small town and his evil ghostly spirit now wonders his curse land looking to kill, torture and haunt those living people that wonder on his land and scream his name and promise new seeds for him. Farmer Joe’s massive appearance as well as his booming voice puts fear into the hearts of his victims and cause them to panic and leave themselves open for the kill. He also has control of the weather around his land making night time sunny and even creating storms if he chooses. His main means of dealing death is his hoe that he swings into the skulls of his victims causing them a very quick, bloody and painful death. Being a ghost, Farmer Joe does not have many weaknesses as its only rumored that he will break his curse on you if you make a deal and plant seeds that come from the relatives of the dealer who sold him the toxic ones. The one main weakness for Farmer Joe is that he is stuck roaming his land and cannot leave it making it hard for him to rack up a body count as he has to wait for people that are foolish enough to enter his land. Over all while Farmer Joe might not be the deadliest killer ghost spirit we have covered here on a “From Horror Movie To Horror Comic” update, he still is one mean and evil being that loves to kill.

Now that we have chatted about the sinister Ghost of Farmer Joe, I think it is time we take a look at the shot on video short film he is from! And like always I will be getting the film’s write up from our friends at IMDB and after that I will write about the film’s production and then will also write a little about my thoughts on the film. So if you are ready, let’s grab some seeds for Joe the plant and chat about this cult SOV film from Ohio.

Farmer Joe (2003)

“Danny is a young boy who is looking to fit in and the local bullies dare him to go to the haunted farm of Farmer Joe and call on his evil spirit in order to join their gang, but what was suppose to be a prank goes wrong when the spirit of the killer farmer comes back from the grave and is looking for blood and revenge on those who did him wrong and spoke his name. Now Danny’s Dad must find a way to save his son and the bullies from becoming victims to the curse of Farmer Joe.”

Farmer Joe was a short horror film from 2003 that was the brain child of writer Mike Ritchie who wrote a short story about a haunted farm and a murderous farmer after being inspired when reading books like “Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark & “Haunted Ohio” and a short time latter Mike would start developing the story to be made into a film and would do so with Independent B Movie, a small production company based out of Dayton, Ohio under the Dark Soul Productions banner that had released the Werewolf Of Ohio films as well as Wolf Hunter. The film went from being a short story to a script in a very short amount of time and then location scouting started to take place with Beavercreek, Ohio being the main location for the run down barn and haunted field that sat beside a church, and other shots being filmed around the Kettering and Dayton area. When casting the film names like Henrique Couto, Matt Hoffman, Josh Weinberg, Misty Altick and Zac Prater were brought on and John Phaneuf would be hired to play the part of Farmer Joe. The film would take around a month to film as this was the first film Mike ever directed so some issues would come up on set with one actor even leaving the production over Mike’s inexperience. The film would be released on VHS in 2003 and make its debut at the October Cinema Wasteland Convention and would be a good seller for Independent B Movie at the time as Mike Ritchie and Misty Altick were on hand to sign copies. The short film would make it rounds at several conventions over the years both being sold on physical media as well as being shown in screenings. It would later also be released on DVD by both Independent B Movie and later SOV Horror and its mirco-cult statues is still growing to this day. The film would also get a comic book in 2017 and would be hosted by both Baron Von Porkchop and The Creeper on their shows respectively. The short film was meet with mixed reviews from critics and fans with most of the reviews being positive, but the one thing people would say is that they wanted more Farmer Joe and wanted more kills from him. The film in 2003 was released alongside such other films as Bloody Giblets: The Legend Of Lady Vandalay, Mummy Sleepover Massacre, Escape From The Dead, The Bonesetter, Black Sun, Hatchetman, Killer Rats, Beyond Re-Animator and Darkness Falls to name a few.

Farmer Joe is one of those short horror films that I was involved in that was a nightmare while filming and acting in as Mike was very new to film and was making many mistakes and causing delay, but once done became one of my favorites as I have lots of great memories of hanging with the cast and crew who were all my friends with one of them even being my fiancé at the time as she played the first victim in the film. And I can remember the world premiere of the film being done at a big meeting that was being held at a friend’s house and we had many friends over to check it out as later the film was slated to play at some conventions. I have always been a fan of this film from the old Independent B Movie days as while it has lots of flaws, it has a spooky charm that takes me back to the old days of telling ghost stories with friends late nights as well as the stories of ghosts, killers and monsters that were spoken about in the small village I am from. What also works for this film is that actor Matt Hoffman was known for playing two types of rolls in these indie films at the time with one being Matt a bullied kid who was beat up all the time and even when trying to fight back still was on the losing end of life and the other was The Wolf Hunter a macho hero who hunted and killed werewolves…so he had the two extremes a weak hero to a macho hero. But Hoffman’s role in Farmer Joe allowed him to be Bart a snarky leader of a gang who used his standing in the small town to push around those he looked at as weaker than him, and I have to say Hoffman really shines in the role. The other standout would be John Phaneuf who played Farmer Joe as his voice was booming and he looked like a crazy man as we filmed his rage scene. Farmer Joe was slated to get a sequel and had many different scripts and started filming twice, but always seemed to get cancelled by Mike Ritchie who had lots of going on in his personal life at the times. The sequels would have seen names like Plexi Starr and Bob Hinton (A. Ghastlee Ghoul) joining the cast with names like Matt Hoffman, Henrique Couto, Zach Prater and Josh Weinberg returning from the original. While Farmer Joe us a very small micro budgeted film that is mostly known for being a cult short film in Ohio it has made it mark on horror Ohio cinema.

I am sure many of you readers have never heard of Farmer Joe, but I do hope that this update has made you want to see it as if you like micro budget backyard style horror films with some actors that went on to star, direct and produce bigger well known films and shows this is one for you. And now we are at the part of the update that we talk about the comic book and like others that we have covered that were released by Blood Scream Comics we will not be doing any kind of star rating do to my connection to that publisher as well as my connection to the film Farmer Joe, so keep that in mind no stars will be given. I would like to thank Blood Scream Comics as well as the creative team of Juliet Fromholt, Jeff Potter and Jason Gilmore who made this comic and update possible. I would like to also thank Mike Ritchie for being the creator, director, writer and actor in the film Farmer Joe that this comic is based off of. So with that, let’s head into the barn of Farmer Joe and see what terrors he has in store for us.

Farmer Joe # 0
Released in 2017 Cover Price $1.99 Blood Scream # 0 of 0

Danny’s Dad is speaking into an old tape recorder as he is driving to a cursed barn alongside two of his sons bullies about the legend of Farmer Joe that had him being sold bad seeds that ruined his crops and drove him mad as he slaughtered all his livestock, plus even in death as his evil spirit haunts his old land and how he was after his son Danny and his bullies Bart, Gunner and Sam after they taunted the spirit of Joe on his own land. He tells of how the bully Bart has been chosen by Farmer Joe to help spread his curse outside his land and sends him to kidnap Danny and his mother, bringing them to Farmer Joe to lure Danny’s Dad to them. And that is why now Danny’s Dad is with Gunner and Sam heading toward the cursed barn in order to get them back. But as they get there and close to the barn Gunner is killed by a ghost bull that gores him with its massive horns and once inside they find the dead and rotted body of Bart as Farmer Joe had no need for him now! Sam is killed next as Farmer Joe uses his hoe to take off his head, and Danny’s Dad soon is shocked when he finds the bodies of his wife and son as they have as well be murdered! And after falling down in fright and shock he himself is killed and Farmer Joe has now got his revenge on them all and yet his evil spirit wants more bloodshed as he drags the body of Danny’s Dad away.

I first have to say that Farmer Joe makes for a very spooky horror comic book and this 12-page comic is able to bring the reader a quick look at the events from the short film and them bring its own twisted tale of supernatural murder and mayhem. The plot has Farmer Joe luring a father to his cursed barn by taking his wife and son hostage, only for the father to find it was a trap all along and that he and his family have been selected to be slaughtered for daring to cross the path of the evil spirit of Farmer Joe and his cursed land. Our hero of the comic is Danny’s Dad, a father who loves his family and who is willing to once more cross into the unknown in order to save the lives of his family and hopeful end the curse once and for all. But while Danny’s Dad is a hero, he also makes big mistakes as he allow his anger and fear to cause himself to rush in and find himself just another number in the body count of Farmer Joe. Danny himself is defenseless in this one as he finds himself being kidnapped and done away with all caused by a dare he took years back. The Bullies as well this time do not do well as Bart is used and then slaughtered and Sam and Gunner who are forced to return to the barn get their lives snuffed out. The evil spirit of Farmer Joe showcases why he and his cursed land are feared as he seems to truly have control over the land and the weather around it, has a heard of ghost cattle protecting his land and like always has his trusty hoe in order to end lives and send souls to the great beyond. And it’s clear that Farmer Joe is taking great pleasure in this issue of killing people as well as ending his feud with Danny’s family once and for all. The comic is filled with lots of spooky atmosphere as well as has its share of blood, gore and violence with the best kill for me being the death of Gunner as being killed by a ghost bull is pretty cool. The cover is very cool and super eye catching for fans of Indie Horror Comics as it shows a woman on the ground as coming out of the barn doors is Farmer Joe with his hoe in hand, and I have to say I think Jason Gilmore did a great job on the colors and making it pop. The interior artwork was done by Jeff Potter and is really cool as the characters look like the actors who played them and he truly captures the nature of the short film its based on. This issue zero of Farmer Joe is a really fun read and fans of the short horror film will truly enjoy this one as it feels like an urban legend story mixed with a slasher film wrapped together to deliver one heck of a spooky read. Check out the artwork below to see the style used by Jeff Potter for this comic.

I truly think that Farmer Joe made for a great comic book series and that creators Juliet and Potter did a great job of bringing horror comic readers a very spooky and bloody good read. And a few things I need to also say is that Farmer Joe was part of a fan vote event that Blood Scream Comics held in 2017 where three issue 0 comics were made by different creators all based around the Horror Movies of Independent B Movie and Farmer Joe was one of them as was the werewolf Scars from Bark At The Moon: Scars and The Sadness Killer from The Sadness who ended up winning the vote. And for those also wondering, the haunted barn location from the film has been torn down many, many years ago, making it impossible to revisit the filming location for those of you interested in doing so. And speaking of old barns I think out time here with Farmer Joe is over and with all that said, it’s time for this update to come to an end and for me to say that our next update of course will be another From Horror Movie To Horror Comic one as we take a look at the 1986 film The Abomination and the promo comic adaptation. So until next time, read a horror comic of three, watch a horror movie or two and as always support your local Horror Host. See you next update for a gross blood splattered good time.

Wild West Round Up: Lucky Boots (1935)

Posted on March 3, 2024 by bloodlinematt

Welcome back to the Rotten Ink Ranch. Pull yourself up a seat around the campfire as the chili is cooking and we’ll chat about classic Western Cinema while we bring it to a boil as talking classic western cinema is something that I enjoy. I am thinking that March 2024 will once more be Cowboy Month as we will not only chat about the 1935 film Lucky Boots in this update but we will also later in the month be talking about wrestler Tex McKenzie as well as the iconic cowboy Red Ryder! Oh and the chili we will be trying for this update sounds fantastic, and you will learn about it a little later in this update. So if you are ready and while the chili is still cooking over the campfire, let’s take a look at the history of the film Lucky Boots and its actor Big Boy Williams.

Lucky Boots, also known as Gun Play, was a cheaply shot western that was made to cash in on the craze that was sweeping cinemas at the time, as moviegoers loved western and horror movies during the time. The film was written by William L. Nolte and was produced by Arthur Alexander and Max Alexander, who were brothers that produced many movies during their long career. They followed many trends in their time, and their production company M & A Alexander Productions of course was involved with Hollywood Film Exchange being the distributor. When they needed a director, they brought in Al Herman, a man who was known for directing and writing B-Movies and has such titles as “The Whispering Shadow (1933)”, “Blazing Justice (1936)”, “Valley Of Terror (1937)” and “The Missing Corpse (1945)” to name a very few as he directed almost 200 films, shorts and shows. And it was clear that the Alexander Brothers hired Herman due to the fact that he could turn in fun films on a small budget that would turn profits. When casting the film, they brought in Guinn “Big Boy” Williams to be the star. He served in the military during World War I and originally had dreams to play baseball before becoming an actor thanks to Will Rogers who hooked him in the business. Big Boy would star in over 200 films and would be married three times all to actresses with one being Barbara Weeks who would star in the Ed Wood written film “The Violent Years” in 1956. Sadly Big Boy Williams would pass away in 1963 from uremic poisoning at the age of 63. Other names hired for the cast include Marion Shilling, Hal Taliaferro, Frank Yaconelli, Tom London, Helen Gibson and Charles K. French. The film would open in theaters on December 1, 1935 and was a modest hit that sadly over the ages has been lost in the shuffle of the western movies filmed at this time. And for those wondering and wanting to pay their respects to Guinn “Big Boy” Williams, he is buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park in California.

The chili for this Wild West Round Up review is called “Smokey Chorizo Chili” and is a recipe by Country Music Star Trisha Yearwood and was listed on the Food Network website. This one sounds good as I am a big fan of chorizo and it will be interesting as the recipe calls for red and orange bell peppers and I am not a big fan of them, but I do look forward to seeing how they taste in this chili. This Smokey Chorizo Chili has about 40-45 prep time and should cook for around 1hr 30min. And the smell of this chili cooking was very pleasant and filled the house, I even noticed my cat Jazzy sniffing the air. So below is a look at the chili with cheese and sour cream on the top once it was done.

With my bowl filled with some Smokey Chorizo Chili and a nice tall class of ice water ready to be drunk, I think it’s time we munch down and take a look at the film Lucky Boots starring Big Boy Williams. And I want to remind you that I will be grading both the film and the chili on a classic 1-4 star scale, and would also like to thank Alpha Video and Game Swap Kettering for making this update possible. Well I am ready to eat and watch classic Western cinema, so with that let’s dig into both the chili and this Wild West Round Up film!

Lucky Boots
Starring: Big Boy Williams and Tom London Directed: Al Herman
Not Rated 1935 59min Alpha Video DVD Full Frame

A massive gun fight is breaking out between two groups when General Tirado is shot and is taken away by friends to the nearby ranch ran by the Holt family for help as well as away form the massive amounts of gold he is caring to be safe. His men are loyal and his friendship with the Holts is true as they rush him into a room for rest, but sadly that night he dies. Meanwhile many years later at a shady saloon, Pedro is telling Meeker over drinks the story of the death of the General and the gold that was buried on the Holt ranch as he was a witness to this and was blindfolded before they got to the spot and now he is the only surviving member of those who buried it. Meeker then enters his office and reads a letter from George Holt about he and his sister Madge coming west for their fathers estate. He steals apart of the letter and then gets his men ready to head to the Holt ranch.

Meeker and his men get to the ranch and he gives orders to not let anyone get too close to the house as he and his right hand man Cal enter the home looking for a trunk that is talked about in the stolen section of the letter. Meanwhile Billy Williams and his friend Frank Gorman are riding near and having a good time when they are threatened and chased off by some of Meeker’s men who tell them that it’s private property, and this causes a big chase to take place as Meeker’s men ride after Frank and behind his men is Williams. When Frank is thrown from his horse, Meeker’s men catch up to him and start to rough him up, that is until Billy Williams arrives and uses his fists to floor the goons with big punches and chases them off. Williams and Frank decide to camp there for the night, while back at the Holt ranch Meeker and Cal have found the trunk and ride off with it to open away from the ranch as George and Madge are on their way to the family ranch.

Williams and Frank are at their night camp removing their boots and settling in for the evening as Frank is complaining about nothing going their way as Williams tells him to look at the brighter side of things and who knows luck just might fall out of the sky, as the two start to take a nap. Meanwhile Meeker and Cal search the trunk and just find some papers, hats and boots and when they see that the Holt siblings are coming they toss the trunk and boots over a small ledge and leave the scene. The boots land near the sleeping Billy Williams who ends up putting them on and thinks it’s a sign from heaven as his boots had holes in them. Meeker and his men make it back to the ranch on time to great George and Madge Holt and deliver the letter that now makes them the full owner of Holt ranch, he even tries to trick them into selling it to him as he talks about the ranch needing lots or repair as well as the taxes and up keep. But Madge and George Holt are tired and do not want to talk business so Meeker leaves for the night as the siblings soak in their new home.

Williams and Frank come across The Holt Ranch and come up with the idea of seeing if they could get jobs at the ranch to earn a little money, and they arrive just in time to save Madge from a charging bull as Williams is able to rope it and then wrestle it to the ground. After talking with the Holts they are hired to work the ranch as hands. Back at the office of Meeker he can not figure out the hiding meaning of the trunk and the stolen part of the letter and Cal and he try their best to crack the secret and they finally do as the heat from Meeker’s cigar brings out the invisible ink that tells them the location of treasure can be found in the heel of the boots that are now being warn by Williams. Meeker gets his men together and the head to the location of the dumped trunk only to find the boots missing and know that some one has them when they find the old warn out boots of Williams. Meeker does not give up and has a plan that will help them find the boots and the clue to find the buried gold.

Meeker is sponsoring a dance that will allow any cowboy from town to bring their old pair of boots in for a brand new pair, as he hopes this will get him the boots quick and easy. And when news of the dance to the Holt Ranch excitement fills the air as George says that all of them should go and all agree and are ready for a fun night of gathering and dancing and of course boots! The dance is going well and many people are trading in their old boots for new ones, but when Williams and his friends arrive none trade in their boots as when Frank tries they are out of his size. Meeker sits the Holts at a reserved table and reminds them that he made an offer to buy the ranch before talking to Cal who is boot watching seeing if anyone entering the dance and not trading in their boots don’t fit the description of the boots they are looking for. As Meeker heads back to the Holts’ he notices the boots on the feet of Williams and knows he has finally found them! Williams asks Madge to dance as Meeker alerts Cal who as well heads to the dance floor with a lady and after rudely bumping into Madge he and Williams get into a fight on the dance floor as the towns people watch. Williams is getting the upper hand so Meeker signals for more of his men to enter the fight and Williams is holding them all off by himself, and Meeker even tries to cheat by turning off the lights and scaring the people at the dance. Once the fight is over Williams, Frank, Madge and George all head home to the ranch as Meeker yells at Cal for failing to get the boots.

Back at The Holt Ranch, both George and Frank turn in for the night while Williams and Madge chat about the fight and how unprovoked it was that so many others would jump in like that, they also talk about the death and hidden treasure of General Tirado, spurs and Williams even sings for Madge while Frank plays the harmonica outside, but George puts a stop to the singing as he is wanting to sleep and so everyone starts to get ready for bed. While outside Cal and another man watch and wait for everyone to be asleep so they can steal the boots, the goon climbs into Williams’s window but is punched in the face and falls out the window for his effort and as he and Cal make a run for it Williams fires his gun at them. The noise wakes everyone in the house and Williams tells them of the prowler and how it looks like it was two of them, he then says he thinks something is up and that he is keeping guard all night and everyone else should get some sleep.

The next morning Williams and Frank starting working and when the separate to complete some jobs Meeker’s men once more attack and give chase to Williams who falls from his horse and acts as if he has been hit by one of their bullets, this of course was a trick as he lures them close to him and when they try and take his boots he then puts up a big fight. After taking out two of Meeker’s men, more show up with Meeker being one of them and start shooting at them and this causes him to once more get on his horse and try to out run them and is able to hide from them. Williams ends up finding the hidden message in the heel of his boot and unlucky for him Meeker and Cal seem him discover it and decided to follow him to learn the location for themselves. Williams takes the location paper to George and Madge and they now know that Meeker is a bad man and that the treasure is there and theirs.

Williams leads George, Frank and Madge to the location of the buried treasure and they all start digging hoping to find it, and after awhile they find the gold! But across the way Meeker, Cal and the others are watching and plotting to rob them of their newly found riches and they make their move by shooting at them! George and Madge try to make their escape in a wagon that the gold is on board while Williams and Frank on horseback try and keep Meeker and his gang at bay. The Holts are able to make it back home to the ranch and get the gold inside just as Williams and Frank arrive with Meeker and his goons right behind them, Williams gets them to all hold up in the house and have a stand off with Meeker and his men who are outside firing in. After a few minutes two of Meeker’s men are dead and only he and Cal remain to try and get the gold, but in the end with two unloaded guns Williams is able to get Meeker and Cal to surrender and they are arrested. Williams and Frank also find themselves now as part owners of The Holt Ranch for all their help and Madge and Williams start up a relationship.

Review: Lucky Boots is a very slow moving and for the most part lackluster western film that is about hidden treasure, a con man who runs the town and two strangers that befriend the new ranch owners of the town and help them uncover the riches that is theirs…oh yeah and lots of talk about boots as the whole film revolves around the directions to the hidden treasure that is hidden in the heel of an old pair of them…just silly stuff. And to be honest while most of these westerns were made very cheaply this one seems to be more lacking in the script department than the budget one as it just seems like it never truly starts and much of the “action” parts are two few and far between and in some cases brag on and almost seem like filler with the opening gun battle and the fist fight at the dance both coming to mind. The final gun fight between the good guys and the bad guys comes off very generic and standard as it’s just back and fourth shots of guns being fired with lots of smoke and no real danger being felt as for the longest time both sides are as bad of shots as Stormtroopers from Star Wars and Cobra Guards from G.I. Joe with just blindly firing lots of bullets and hitting nothing. The film’s main hero is Billy Williams who is played by Big Boy Williams and is kind of a goofy hero who thinks his found boots have brought him luck, and well they kind of do as the lead him to a job, gold and the love of a lady…but I also think he is kind of two goofy as I just can not take him serious as a gun slinging hero. His sidekick Frank Gorman is played for laughs and cheesy slapstick comedy his way through the film and has a over the top laugh and even at one point is creepily looking around a door, he as well is not a hero you can believe in. The beauty of the film is Madge Holt and she is your typical city woman who now is in the west and trying to run a ranch, the best part for her is when she has to run from the bull as it made me laugh out loud. Meeker and his men are the baddies and besides being greedy, wanting to steal gold and try to kill some people they are pretty lame and just ride around shooting and hitting nothing, loosing fist fights and just kind of being lame. The film is a total miss for me as the action is drawn out and boring, the story is bland and over all this is a classic western you should skip. I will say that the Alpha Video DVD print is pretty good and has only a few audio issues but nothing that distracted me from the movie.

Now let’s talk about the Smokey Chorizo Chili and if it was a hit or a miss for me. I am here to say that it was a HIT as I found it to be very good and hearty. I have to point out that this chili has many ingredients that I do not like at all like Red Peppers, Butternut Squash and Orange Peppers…but it also has Chorizo that I really like and what is shocking is all these things along with the tomatoes, spices, onions and black beans blend really well together. The chili packs a little heat that is not over bearing and again I have to really push that all these flavors just blend together really well. So really if you enjoy chili and are looking for something warm and comforting during a cold evening give this chili a try as both Juliet and I really liked it. I should say I would suggest that if you try this recipe to do a pound and a half of the chorizo

Movie: **
Chili: ***1/2

So as you can see, we had a great tasty bowl of chili and watched an entertaining yet kind of bland classic western film and I have to stress for me no matter how good or bad these Western Films released by Alpha Video I still very much enjoy sitting down and watching them as again they make me think of my Grandpa who loved these types of films and because watching them with him I found myself as well loving them. Also I have to say that Big Boy Williams had that Hollywood Cowboy look, I just wish he was a little more rough and tough in this film and way less silly and goofy. And The Wild West Round Up updates have been lots of fun to do and while I am not sure if they will be an every year theme, they will be a main stay update here at Rotten Ink. Cowboy Month is still going strong and out next update will take is to the squared circle as we talk about The Texas Hangmen, a masked tag team that worked from the 80’s to 90’s. So until next time, read a western comic or three, watch a western film or two and as always support your local chili makers! See you next update as the R.I.W Wrestling Legend update event should be a brawling one.

Wild West Round Up: War Of The Range (1933)

Posted on March 2, 2022 by bloodlinematt

Welcome to the first ever “Wild West Round Up” update. Now I am sure many of you are wondering what the heck have you gotten yourself into and what this update is all about…well let me tell you what this new themed update is all about! First thing, these updates will be a way to celebrate classic Western films of the past and I will be taking a look at films from the 1920’s through early 1970’s, and will only be covering films that are released by Alpha Video as I feel they are a company that holds the charm of the films that I want to cover, plus I am a fan of Alpha Video as they have released many amazing Silent Horror Films that other companies have ignored. I am sure many of you friends and readers did not know that I am a big fan of old western films and this is my way of sharing my love for this classic film genre. Each update will only have one film that I will breakdown and talk about the plot of the film and will also use pictures to do so. I will also very quickly talk about the films production as well as the lead star of the film, and sometimes even the director, as they are very important to the film as well. Also for these updates I will find a chili recipe online and cook up a batch and watch the movie while eating a bowl or two…and the chili and the film will be graded on a 1-4 star scale! This should be a fun time as Rotten Ink Ranch has been kind enough to allow us to sit around a campfire and cook some chili and chat about good old western films. So if you are ready, let’s start this first ever Wild West Round Up themed update and take a look at the film War On The Range. Also want to thank my friend Jason Young for the logo that will be used on all the Wild West Round Up updates.

War Of The Range was created in 1933 and was a B-Movie that was quickly made by Producer Burton King and Monarch Film Corporation in order to cash in on the American Western boom with the birth of talkie films. Director J.P. McGowan was brought in after a very long history of directing western films and was selected cause he knew how to make a film on a budget and make them entertaining. The leading man for the film was Tom Tyler who was a super popular western superstar who thrilled audience in the silent era and was still a draw in the world of talkies. And let’s take a moment to talk about Tom Tyler who really was a very iconic actor! Tom Tyler’s real name is Vincent Markowski and was born in Port Henry, New York on August 9, 1903 and had many amazing jobs in his life time from as he was a seaman, a coal miner, lumberjack, prizefighter, amateur weightlifter and finally landed on being a actor! Some of his none western roles that have made an impact in Hollywood are “Adventures Of Captain Marvel” as he played Captain Marvel, “The Phantom” as he played The Phantom and the Universal Monster movie “The Mummy’s Hand” where he played The Mummy! Tom passed away from complications of scleroderma and heart failure on May 3, 1954 at the age of 50. Other actors brought into the film included Charles K. French, Ted Adams, Caryl Lincoln, Lane Chandler, Slim Whitaker and Lafe Mckee to name a few. The film when released was a minor hit, but sadly over time it has been mostly forgotten and even has fallen into the Public Domain and has a middle of the road user rating on IMDB.

For this first Wild West Round Up review I looked for a film that I have never seen and one that had a star that I have heard of and enjoyed in other films and that’s why War Of The Range was selected! And for the first meal of chili we decided on “Creamy Italian Sausage Chili” a recipe by Emily Walker that sounded oh so fantastic! So I am going to eat a bowl of this chili and watch this classic western film and after talking about the films plot I will of course give both the film and the chili star ratings! But before we start the review I would first like to show you all what the Creamy Italian Sausage Chili looks like in a bowl with some cheese on top with a dash of sour cream.

This is going to be so much fun and something I have been thinking about doing for a few years now! And I will be grading both the film and the chili on a classic 1-4 star scale. I also want to say on my film ratings I am basing it on a scale that is for this era of classic westerns. So pull up a rock and gather by the campfire as its time to eat some home cooked chili and watch a western flick brought to us from the folks at Alpha Video.

War Of The Range
Starring: Tom Tyler and Caryl Lincoln Directed: J.P. McGowan
Not Rated 1933 58min Alpha Video DVD Full Frame

Tom Bradley and Tony head to the end of the ranch and see a group of workers putting up a fence, and Tom goes down to question them why they are doing so and is told that is own father Duke gave the orders. He is not happy with this and heads to Box Ranch to talk to his dad as he is upset that by putting the fence up it will hurt other ranchers who need to move their herd as it keeps them away from water and makes them go a longer route. Tom also says this could start the War Of The Range again as Bull Harris a fellow rancher is itching to go to war with the Bradley family. Duke yells at his son to go back to work and Tom and Tony ride off, just as this happens from the other side of the ranch comes Bull Harris and several of his men, and they are not happy and Bull threatens Duke with death, the only witness is James Warren who is a worker of Dukes…but when Duke walks away we find out that Bull really works for James and they are stealing cattle!

Tom and Tony while working the ranch see Bull and his men trying to steal the cattle and some of Bull’s men open fire on them! Tom tells Tony to head to the ranch and warn his father as he goes after them. Tony ends up capturing one of the thieves who before he can tell Tom who the leader of the gang is takes a bullet from Bull who is hiding up on a hill and does not what the secret out. Tom in turn opens fire and kills Bull’s horse who is forced to run away on foot, but Tom does not get a look at Bull so the mystery of who is stealing the cattle is unsolved. They are able to save the heard, run off the thieves and turn the cows over to the Cartwright Packing Company. They also get news that nesters have taken shelter on the old ranch house on the land and Duke sends Tom and others to run them off, Tom does not like this but does what his Dad tells him and rides off to the old ranch house.

The Carlysle family (Father George, Daughter Grace and son Jimmy) with a wagon full of stuff is at the old ranch home at Bradley Pass as the Box Ranch hands show up they tell the family they are no welcome and start bulling them as well as knocking around their belongings. Grace tries her best to stand her ground as she tells them that they now own this ranch house, but they men get them on a wagon and send them packing as the wagon is out of control, due to the men scaring the horses. Tom sees the wagon out of control and leaps from his horse onto the wagon and is able to bring it to a stop. Grace then shows Tom the deed to the house and land as his father Duke was not the owner of that land and it’s now the Carlysle family. Tom takes the family back to their home and tells his fathers men that this family is here to stay and to tell his father they own the land proper. As the men leave Tom stays to help the family move in, and Grace is shocked that he went against the wishes of his own father. Later in the day Duke shows up at the Carlysle home and he and Tom scuffle and Duke even punches his son in the face as the ranch hands watch on, and James is loving every second of this family meltdown. Tom shows his Dad the legal papers and this angers Duke so much that he threatens his son that he will find a way to get the land and run the Carlysle Family and Tom out of the state! He disowns his son in front of everyone and Grace is upset that her family has causes such a rift. And Tom is happy to see that Tony has decided to stay and help the family as well as he and Tom are friends. James on the way back to the Box Ranch questions Duke about if he is wrong on owning the land, and Duke says he is never wrong and tells James to go get the sheriff as he thinks the law might be able to fix this mess and get “his” land back.

Back at the Carlysle house Tony is trying to teach Jimmy how to mount a horse fast, and is goofily failing at his task. While Tom is also helping with chores around the house and its clear that love is blooming between he and Grace as they share glances and smiles. Bull Harris then shows up and talks with Grace and George and says he is there to give them a big welcome to the area as well as give them a proposition. Tom and Tony head to the house to see what’s going on, while inside Bulls deal is that he will give the family a herd of cattle if they do not allow other ranchers to move cattle through the area unless they get permission from Bull. And just before George signs the agreement Tom enters and punches Bull out the door and by gunpoint Tony runs him off the property. And Grace says she trusts the word of Tom who wants to alert all ranchers that they have permission to use the land when moving their cattle, and wants to also try and patch things up with his father with this news. And Tom takes young Jimmy with him to deliver the news.

Duke has just got paid for his shipment of cattle and James watches were he hides the money, as Tom and Jimmy show up to the ranch its untrustworthy James who informs Duke they are coming. Once inside Duke does not want to hear the deal that could end this war on the range as James has his ear and yells at his son. Tom and Jimmy head to a room to rest for a moment as well as gather Tom’s stuff, but Tom has faith in his father and Jimmy thinks Duke is a hardass. As Tom is getting his stuff the Sheriff shows up and Duke goes outside to explain the situation of the land deed, as James rushes to steal the hidden money he is caught red handed by Jimmy! James knocks out Jimmy and then as Tom comes in looking for his young friend James grabs him from behind and screams for help and acts as if Tom was going to steal the money! James acts as if Tom had Jimmy run away with the cash and now Tom is under arrest but breaks free and gets to his horse and rides away and the law is on his trail. Duke is heart broken over this all and once back inside hears the moans of the injured Jimmy and finds him and takes him to a room to get better, as he thinks the youngster can tell him the truth of what happened to his money and who is the thief, James agrees and is also very worried.

Tom has a good lead on the law that is tracking him for the crime he did not commit, he jumps from his horse and hides in a tree as the officers ride past him and follow the tracks of his horse. He does how ever drop down on the last lawman and knocks him from his horse and then punches him out, steals his horse and heads back to his dad’s ranch. Meanwhile back at the ranch Duke is sitting with the knocked out Jimmy, and is feeling bad for the youngster as well as is making him think of his own son Tom. James is peeking in on them and pulls his gun out and takes aim as he is going to clearly kill the youngster as well as his boss to get away with the crime, but he is stopped by Tom who has arrived just in time, but James is able to smash Tom with a chair and then escape. James meets up with Bull Harris and his men and alerts them they are all heading north and that they need to steal all of Duke’s cattle as they leave.

The Sheriff and his lawman give up the chase on Tom, as James leads his men into the pasture to start stealing the herd and lucky for Duke the Sheriff takes notice of them doing so and head back to get Duke and his men to stop the steal. Meanwhile at the Box Ranch Jimmy is awake and tells Duke that it was James who stole the cash and with that Duke has a change of heart about the Carlysle Family as well as his son as they patch things up. The Sheriff arrives and Duke goes to get his men as Tom heads to the Carlysle house as its in the path of the cattle rustlers and he has to make sure Grace is alright and unharmed. While at the Carlysle house Bull and one other man arrive and Bull enters the home and roughs up Tony as well as George, but Tony tries to fight back against Bull and by accident Bull even knocks out his own man! As Tom arrives Bull tries to shoot him, but Tony is able to yank the rug from under Bull’s feet and causes his aim to be off. Tom and Bull exchanged punches as the Tom finally knocks out Bull and Grace, George and Tony tie the knocked out bandits up Tom heads out to meet up with his dad to stop the rest.

James has his men take down the newly built barbwire fence so they can sneak the cattle out and across the Carlysle land, but James sees the posse lead by Duke is coming and they try and get away, but the posse does not stop the chase even with the cattle safe. Both sides have a shoot out in a wooded area, and The Sheriff is hit by a bullet and is injured badly. James’s men are loosing the gunfight and he gets on a horse and tries to run away, but Tom sees him and gets his horse and gives chase. Tom and James meet near a cliff and have a fight still while on horseback, and James ends up falling over the cliff to his death. Later at the Box Ranch Jimmy is still injured in bed and is visited by Tom, Duke, Grace, George, The Sheriff and Tony and they declare this is the end of the Range War. In the end its shown that Tom and Grace are getting married and that Duke has truly grown to love the Carlysle family like they are his own.

Review: War Of The Range is a good very cheaply and poorly shot western that uses an epic sounding title that promises big gun fights between feuding ranches but delivers a way slower paced story that is about a father and sons differences on how to protect their ranch and how to treat strangers. I really enjoyed the film over all and feel that while it was not very action packed the story was a familiar tale of bad guys never win and you are never to old to change. Tom Tyler does a great job in the role of Tom Bradley who is a good hearted man who just wants to be fair and do the right thing for all, its crazy to think this smiling cowboy would be wrapped up and play the Mummy for Universal seven years later. I was also a little puzzled by some of the camera angles used in the film as at times they are wide shots that just look awkward and lack the impact that they intended. It’s also very clear that the film had a very low budget as much of the film is shot outside and many sets that are used are clearly on sound stages. The worst part of this film has to be Tony the Box Ranch hand and close friend of Tom’s who was played by Billy Franey as this old man character is just so bad and brings comedy elements to the film that fall flat and most of his dialogue is just him saying “Not So Good” and that’s how I would sum up him in the film. But while that character was bad I did find Jim Warren to be a great cheesy classic western bad guy who smirked and hammed up the screen whenever he was on and Ted Adam was a perfect casting for that role. Caryl Lincoln who was the actress that played Grace Carlysle was also a prefect casting as she is super cute and plays the sweet girl next door who is also strong willed. I also love the over sold fist fights in this film that at times are so over done that it looks like when two friends are fake fighting in a combat sports event for the camera. Over all I have to say this is a good 30’s western film that is nothing special but does a good job of delivering an entertaining simple watch that has some fist fights, gun fights and has some really bad cowboy slapstick jokes. I should also note that the Alpha Video print is not great and has many flaws to it, but I loved it as the flaws brought back many memories of watching these type of western films at my Grandparents house growing up. Also the cover has Tom Bradley with a rifle and that never happens at all in this film.

Now lets talk about The Creamy Italian Sausage Chili and my thoughts on it! Making of the chili was easy and took Juliet 15 minutes of prep time and around 45 minutes of cook time! And first impression of the Creamy Italian Sausage Chili once cooked was that it looked really tasty and it smelled really good. And when adding some cheese and a little sour cream it looked even more tasty! When sitting down to watch the movie and I took the first bite of the chili it was a good creamy taste and the sausage really popped with the cream cheese flavor. And after eating a few more spoonful’s the flavor really kicked in and I found that I really liked the chili! It was not overly spicy nor hot and almost to be honest would have been a great dip for tortilla chips or even corn chips. In fact when we make this chili again as yes I would make another batch I might try it with corn chips. And the weather outside the day we ate this chili was slightly chilly and this chili was a great way to warm up and was a great meal to watch a western to.

Movie: **1/2

Chili: ***1/2

Well I hope you enjoyed this first ever “Wild West Round Up” update as it was really fun as well as tasty to do for me as not only did I get to watch a classic western film, but I also got to eat a bowl of chili that was a great meal. While War On The Range was not an amazing film I also really did enjoy it as well and to be honest while I was really hard on the Tony character in the review, he did serve a purpose in the film and his friendship with Tom was well done as the two were loyal to watching out for one another. And to be honest I am looking forward to doing another of these updates that I will say should happen sometime in 2023! So lets put out the old campfire and cover up the chili pot as the sun is setting here at Rotten Ink Ranch and it’s time for us to turn in for the night, but before we do I would like to tell you that the next update will be a “From Horror Movie To Horror Comic” update and will be about 2001 film The Mummy Returns! So until next time read a western comic or three, watch a western film or two and as always support your local Horror Host. See you next update for a horror filled adventure.