Save your money for something good and enjoyable

Best movie of this year hands down!

A lot more amusing than I thought it would be.

It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

A clerk (played by horror vet Brad Dourif) sets down in the old west for the night, but a bounty hunter (played by James Earl Jones) visits him wondering if he can join him for the night. We soon begin to get to know the two characters and some of their strong differences. They in turn share four "scary" stories to each other.Scary is in quotations, but because that is what they ain't. The first one is about an old man (Will Hare) who stumbles across a Native-American burial ground and a dying Native and its repercussions of doing so. The second one is about a traveling store clerk (Marc McClure) who comes across a pregnant woman who has been thrown out of her town. The third is about a man (William Atherton) who relocates to some new land with his family, only for them to find out a secret about him. The fourth and final story is about a hired gunman who experiences a haunting after his latest killing. Unfortunately for me none of these stories really work. They are either too short or fall off the cliff at the end.The best part of the movie and what does really work is the interaction between Dourif and Jones. If only the stories were a level above what they were I would recommend this one. I think they need more terror. I would recommend it though to any Brad Dourif or James Earl Jones fans. For perhaps they will see more in the movie than I did and maybe enough to make it an enjoyable experience for them.

This anthology set up is quite good with a colorful wrap around and Dourif and Jones shine as the storytellers. The first story is of an old man (Will Hare) who travels through a forbidden Indian graveyard and is buried alive while he sleeps. The next story is of a man (McClure) who meets a woman (Michelle Joyner) who tricks him into a deadly surprise while they make love. Finally, there is a man named Arthur (Atherton,) who appears to be a good family man until his daughter Eva (Wendy J. Cooke) sees him brutally murdering some innocent people one night. Writer / Director Wayne Coe mix the Horror and Western genres together and it has a great set up. The problem comes when the stories don't deliver any horror. One quick shock is delivered when the man making love is sucked into and through the woman he is making love with but even this is bloodless. The tales are interesting and even amusing they just don't lead to any terror. Well made with nice cinematography from future Academy Award winner and Steven Spielberg collaborator Janusz Kaminski. Unfortunately, the best stuff in this film is the go between with story tellers Dourif and Jones.

This movie managed to sneak up on me and I have never forgotten it. Brad Dourif was his usual superb and James Earl Jones absolutely masterful (one of his best performances). Its just too bad cable providers and show selectors have not seen fit to provide it to subscribers and viewers looking for compelling film. Brad Dourif's acting prowess was confirmed in his role as "Doc" on HBO's Deadwood series. Do yourself a solid and chase this one down. The dark humor in GPT is golden and is frequently profound. I wish this was the pilot to a series but sadly it was a one off. Praise should also go to the writer and producer.

Grim Prairie Tales is an acclaimed film of bizarre anthology and spellbinding horror featuring an all star cast. Academy Award nominees James Earl Jones and Brad Dourif lead a cast including Scott Paulin (Turner & Hooch), Will Hare (Back to the Future), Marc McClure (Superman), Lisa Eichhorn (The Talent Mr. Ripley), William Atherton (Die Hard) and Michelle Joyner (Cliffhanger) to star in a tale of two pioneers who cross paths in a Western desert land and tell tales of both ghastly hauntings and supernatural tragedies. It's a low-buget film, but has some good quality of directing and acting. I especially liked the first and last stories the most.