There is nothing very original here. A gang high jack a train and find something unexpected. The cast is a joy and there are some neat ideas here and there. But sadly, it is a slow and slightly boring movie, that never lives up to the premise of cowboys vs witches. You could do worse, but if you want good Wild West horror, watch Bone Tomahawk instead.
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faolanredwolf21 August 2020
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frankblack-799615 October 2021While plagiarism abounds in this film, its not terrible. Not good either. The acting is not great. Its something to watch if you have nothing else.
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nebk22 August 2020The Pale Door has a somewhat cool poster and had a decent idea or two. Unfortunately that's about it in terms of the positives of the review. The negatives far outweigh them. The story takes close to 40 minutes to actually get going and is mostly boring. It's about a group of western outlaws who end up trapped in a cursed town inhabited by witches. They want to capture the youngest gang member who is the brother of the wounded leader and had only joined the rest of the gang in a heist for the first time. He is apparently pure hearted and would sustain the witches for a long time.
The acting is nothing to write home about even though most of the main cast has worked on some very good movies in the past so the problem must be with the bad story, script and dialogue none of which are engaging or exciting. The action is kind of funny at times and so are the effects but not in a good way. More in a cringeworthy way. The sets look very fake and as someone already pointed out the clothes are all too clean. The story has a few similarities to From Dusk Till Dawn but that movie is superior in every possible way. It would be better to watch that instead. Overall this is best avoided or forgotten as soon as possible. -
susieqeisus21 August 2020The trailer made it look like it was going to be interesting but this movie is not good at all. The acting is wooden, the story isn't interesting even though it could have been, the costumes look brand new and there is nothing scary or funny or thrilling or moving about it at all. Is it impossible to find a good low budget horror these days? i know small budgets come with limitations but that shouldn't have an effect on creativity. As somebody else said, watch Bone Tomahawk instead if you want a good western set horror movie.
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head4space21 August 2020Why would you trust RLJE Films to begin with is the obvious question as this is clearly a low budget horror western. How this movie is above 4 stars, makes you wonder if it could pass as a mystery as well. Don't bother watching, you've likely seen the type alreadyI
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jwilsop16 May 2021This could have been a really great, creepy little b-movie with just a few minor tweaks. The first 20 or so minutes really had me drawn in. The acting was a little inconsistent but passable. Wardrobes and sets felt pretty cheap but I can usually overlook that. But then the witches show up. And I mean cartoonish, pointy-nosed, cackling Wizard of Oz witches. But they're also zombies sort of? Spraying blood everywhere and just ruining the good occult horror vibe the film had going. Some other reviewers have drawn comparisons to From Dusk Til Dawn and yeah that does come to mind but Pale Door had absolutely none of the self aware, self deprecating humor which made that work. It's like there was one idiot producer involved who at the last minute decided, "it needs monsters, though." And they just shoe-horned in these absurd witch-zombies that I cannot get past. Shame on whoever thought that those noses had any place in a horror movie that was trying to take itself at all seriously.
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Horror_Flick_Fanatic25 August 2020How bad does this film stinks? Think of piles of trash filled with restaurant leftovers after three days of a 98-F heatwave in New Jersey bad. It might make you angry enough to smash your remote against your new TV bad.
I wish I could give it a -10 -
samjfarrand26 August 2020PROS: The story was original. Cinemaphotography Special Effects grossed you out Iconic Imagery is Original Nice set design.
CONS: Graphic Design/Intro at beginning should have been more research. The intro is clunky and not what the film is like. They could have set a different tone by choosing different typefaces.
Music is too modern for the time period, the music director should have payed more attention. It felt like a Tarantino tone minus the action
All in all this is above average even though you could tell the budget was minimal. The producer used what resources available to his advantage. The producer is not horrible as people are saying if this was the producers first movie I'd say A+ for effort. There is not another movie out there with this tone & setting, so its worth watching for that reason alone. -
jfgibson7318 July 2021Maybe I'm just not into genre mashups. I really didn't care for the western theming in my horror film. Some outlaws face off against some witches. I barely remember what happens. It was a chore to sit through. I think even if the setting had been different, I still wouldn't be that impressed by the story or the scares. I would say skip it.
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Fella_shibby18 October 2020A gang of outlaws successfully pulls off a train heist, but instead of gold, the chest they steal reveals a young woman inside. Now it looks suspicious why wud somebody put a girl inside a trunk n lock it, chain it n guard it but the girl claims she was taken from her home n says that there would be a handsome reward for the gang if they return her home.
For a low budget, the director did a decent job. It is a nice genre mash up n fans of western n horror films will enjoy it. I am generous with an 8 cos i enjoyed it. Simple, aint no wannabe critic. It has good effects, lots of demonic witches, a lil nudity (blink n u miss some good busty boobs) n one of the best scene involving boots with spurs. -
jonny-2659431 August 2020I like the plot even though it slightly mirrors the same plot of Robert Rodriguez' 1996 film called From Dusk til Dawn but with witches. Plus acting was pretty fair.
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Draysan-Jennings25 August 2020Could of been a decent film if it had a higher budget. The story isn't bad, it was just hard to watch. The camera work and sets looked too low budget. I turned the movie off about half way in. Pass on this one unless you like low budget horror films.
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srajry11 October 2020Why just why would anyone do this. Will someone please start making good movies again because this is an abomination to cinema.
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jorgito200112 January 2021A bunch of cowboy tough guys on a heist job, now on the run, encounter a brothel with sexy ladies that are more then what they appear...sound familiar? In my opinion, the cast was great. Several B-Listers you may recognize from other films. Its weakest link is the direction, it is amateur at best! I understand this is low budget, so no CGI, and the makeup is not bad, it is just shown WAY too much, and WAY too close...making it laughable and not scary. The very first reveal of the "witches"...why did the witch have to "talk" if the actress can barely move her mouth in the makeup? Come ooon! The old adage "less is more" is prevalent here...keeping the witches in the shadows, barely shown, would've worked better. The pacing is not the best either, a lot of panning "fluff" shots to pad the runtime. At best this film is "average" due to the capable cast, music, SFX, sets, and production value. Where it fails is with the filmmaker. Given the resources seen on-screen, a capable filmmaker would've knocked it out of the park!
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mosesea5 March 2021This movie looks like someone borrowed some costumes from the local high school and shot it in their backyard. The Pale Door High School Presents: From Dusk Til Yawn. The only reason this wasn't 1 star was because it looked like someone genuinely cared and wanted to make a decent movie. Don't believe me? Watch 5 minutes...
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jonathanjbrookover23 August 2020So, right of the start, there is no explanation to what happens in the beginning, then there is no further explanation. I laughed out loud when one gentleman is wearing a bright,turquoise bandana in the bar. I couldn't even place what time period this was supposed to be in. I watched this and Unhinged. God help me.
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Stanlee1073 September 2020This is one strange film that could have done with much needed exposition rather than allowing/forcing the viewer to solve a metaphorical rubik's cube with missing sides and no guidance on where anything fits.
This is set in 1800s and the first scene involves a family that is about to be home invaded. However, the family has strangely prepared the whole family for such a scenario & they execute the escape and children find their hiding place and guns & ready themselves to use them against the intruders. One of their parents does not survive this ordeal..
Next scene is the children all grown up with Duncan (Zachary Knighton) & Truman (Noah Argan) and are part of some Western outlaw group that plans to hijack a train for loot but instead they open a box containing a live, chained teenage girl & Duncan is injured during all of this. She promises them that they'll get their rewards & also they can help Duncan if they take her back to her home. The group agrees, mostly thinking they will receive a cash rewards, and makes the journey there. But they get more than they bargain for...
It felt like 2 films haphazardly combined into one. It doesn't work as a film. This is done better as a TV series in particular Wynonna Earp which has everything devoid in this film: likely characters, great humorous dialogue & action scenes that fit well in its storyline. -
jackofnathan21 August 2020The western/horror genre probably isn't utilized as often as it should be and when it is it's rare that it delivers anything worthwhile. That is not the case with The Pale Door by writer/director Aaron B. Koontz.
The film does leave a little to be desired when it's over but that doesn't stop it from being an entertaining thrill ride, especially when you consider the limited locations available to spread it out and make that interest easily maintainable. I think this movie shows a director with real promise in the future. There's a handful of good scares and the performances are great.
Ultimately, this probably won't go down in history as a classic but it's very much worth the watch. -
tcehouseproductions22 August 2020I was disappointed after seeing the trailer at the start of the month. A western horror with devil worshipping occult witches? My kinda film. However there is a serious lack of creativity here. The dialogue is clunky, the acting is wooden and the clean clothes bugged the life out of me. Im not looking for high art but the film makers clearly didnt care about an engaging story here. Avoid if you dont want to be bored and frustrated.
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flitz35-633-62765030 August 2020I watched The Pale Door first then looked at the reviews and was utterly shocked at such low and dishonest reviews. I like westerns and I am a huge fan of horror. There was nothing on this movie that disappointed me. I understand it's not a 10 but under a 4? Never!
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Intermissionman_24 August 2020As the characters develop and you get that Bond, makes it tough to watch the Church scene but I was impressed with the Cast and the Story. Western Horror combo has punch. The Brothers Bond and Love is strong ! Stan Shaw plays Lester. Witch Costume Design Very Cool. Eery Sounds. on Amazon Prime.
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paul_haakonsen19 September 2020Well, initially all I knew about "The Pale Door" was that it was allegedly some sort of horror movie. And truth be told, that was essentially all that was needed to have my interest. But I must also say that the movie's cover/poster definitely had caught my attention as well.
So I sat down to watch the 2020 movie titled "The Pale Door", not really knowing what to expect from it, so writers Cameron Burns, Aaron B. Koontz and Keith Lansdale had all the possibilities to impress me with this movie.
Sadly, they didn't really manage to do so. Sure, I will admit that "The Pale Door" definitely had potential, but director Aaron B. Koontz just dropped the ball before the movie hit the halfway marker, and the movie never regained its momentum after that. And it ended up being a less than mediocre movie, actually.
The storyline told in "The Pale Door" started out adequately, but it was fast sliding downhill before hitting the halfway milestone, and director Aaron B. Koontz didn't manage to bring the movie back on track. And then suddenly there were crisp and burnt women milling about, just to add to an already befuddled storyline.
It should be said that the acting in the movie was adequate, but it was a real shame that the actors and actresses had precious little to work with in terms of a proper script and storyline. And it reflected poorly on the overall impression of the movie.
I am rating this western horror a less than mediocre four out of ten stars. This was a movie that came quietly in under the radar, and it will leave just as quietly as well, never to be seen a second time. I suppose if you have absolutely nothing else to watch, "The Pale Door" can suffice. But don't get your hopes up for a grand moment in cinematic history. -
tygerslsu-3000324 August 2020Extremely disappointing! Jake the little brother literally killed the movie! The movie could have been much better than what it is. Cheap movie even though the idea was good. You could tell that the producer is not good. I am very disappointed to have wasted time watching this movie.
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HarmzWayHarmz21 August 2020And that's a shame because I actually had some expectations for it.
I won't bother to leave a long review for this one. Just know that it's better avoided. -
TuesdayThe17th16 October 2020As a film lover and a horror freak, I give every horror movie a chance. I love indie and b horror just the same as the rest and I usually appreciate lowly rated films more than most people. However, sometimes there are true stinkers released and it's sad to me when i see a director with potential release a bad film because it leaves a slight stain on their name and typically removes them from my radar. An example of this would be Corin Hardy, who, directed the suspenseful and action packed "The Hallow" but then went on the release the AWFUL single location flop "The Nun" in 2016. Id imagine studios are hesitant to work woth Hardy after his last epic failure. The same goes for this film, "The Pale Door" directed by Aaron Koontz who previously made the decently conceived "Camera Obscura". "The Pale Door" is a western horror film that follows a group of outlaws sometime in the early 1900s as they attempt to execute a high stakes train robbery one dark and foggy night. One of the main characters are injured during the robbery and from there we are lead to a brothel inhabitated by a coven of witches where suspicions arise and and demises befall. The plot has been dome numerous times but this is still MY type of plot in a film. I love that creepy ambiguous sense of dread in a film. Often what you don't see is the scariest part of a film. However, there was something afoul since the title credits began. The movie has a very hokey vibe to it. A vibe very similar to Ted Geoghan's films but I actually truly love Geoghan's two films so this movie still doesn't even hold a candle to them. The clothing worn here is all freshly pressed and uber clean as if they were just taken out of the wardrobe bags minutes before filming began. There was no dirt, no dust, and no sweat on any of the characters clothing through out the entirety of the film. There was also no grit or rawness here. Everything felt so..b polished. The "witch creatures" we're awful looking and were more funny than scary. Their big long noses were a joke. The director is clearly an airhead and has awful taste. There are several iconic names involved in this movie and I feel quite bad for them that they now have to add this film to their resumes. In my opinion, every cast and crew member should "Alan Smithee" themselves from this piece of garbage so it doesn't affect their future careers. Itd be funny to see a movie with a complete cast of "Alan Smithee"s. Overall I feel bad for the director, cast, and crew of this movie because you'd have to be an idiot to actually like the turn out here.