This Western series transformed the old West into a playground for twilight zone style twists and turns

In the American west, a cursed pistol brings a misfortune to those who own it. The origins of the pistol are unknown, but its dark legend suggests that the weapon is not artificial. (Spoiler: this is not the case.) This is the concept behind “Dead Man’s Gun”, a series of Western anthology which was broadcast on Showtime for two seasons in the late 90s. But it is not an ordinary Western series, because strange places and moralist endings of episodes recall more those of the franchise “Twilight Zone” than your medium horses opera.

The horror and Western genres constitute strangely convincing bed companions on “Dead Man’s Gun” – and it is much darker than, say: “The adventures of the county of Brisco, Jr.”, a strange Western series and horror with Bruce Campbell which was broadcast on Fox a few years ago. For example, in the episode entitled “The Ripper”, a detective by Yard Scotland goes to the old West to investigate a series of murders who point to the most notorious serial killer in British history being the culprit. (I am sure you can guess which one.) Meanwhile, “the trapper” is more openly scary because it deals with spirits, but most viewers will be rooted for the supernatural entity because the real bad guy is a human flipper. The list continues.

Other episodes are more earth-to-terre, which testifies to the offers of the “Dead Man’s Gun” variety. “The Twilight Zone” also provides a diverse range of stories, and fans of Western episodes of the classic Rod Serling show will find a lot to appreciate here. In addition, “Dead Man’s Gun” and “The Twilight Zone” have something else in common – a large cast.

“The Twilight Zone” offers many legendary actors, including Robert Reddford, Peter Falk, Dennis Hopper, Burt Reynolds and many former “Star Trek”. Likewise, “Dead Man’s Gun” is a who’s who of some of the best Hollywood, with most episodes featuring recognizable faces of other films and television shows that you have already seen.

For a start, “Dead Man’s Gun” was told by the actor who became a country star Kris Kristofferson, whose mostly famous flop at the box office has almost killed the Western genre, ironically. However, if his role on “Dead Man’s Gun” tells us something, it is because he cannot kill the genre because the westerns are never really dead – not even in the 1990s, when they were definitely far from the hip. Of course, Kristofferson also remembers “Blade” (one of the best superhero films), which struck the big screen while “Dead Man’s Shoes” was always on the air.

Elsewhere, some of the other stars of the show of the show include John Ritter, Henry Winkler, Meat Loaf, Stephen Lang and Michael Moriarty, who all have a serious pedigree. In addition, the series was co-created by Ed Spielman, the showrunner behind the little screen of the 1970s “Kung Fu” and the “The Young Riders” nominated at the Emmy. Needless to say, “Dead Man’s Gun” has a lot of talent in front and behind the camera, and it’s a shame that the series is not better known.