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Desert Monster Movies and Horror Westerns
320 pages, Paperback
Published March 23, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
April 4, 2026
Do you remember double creature features from the past with fondness? The prolific John LeMay has given us the equivalent with this engaging look at a multitude of Desert Monster Movies, as well as the little-explored subgenre of Horror Westerns.
First Feature: The desert + sci-fi = monsters (and a few aliens) galore! And LeMay sizes them up with sixteen entertaining movie reviews, ranging from the A-level “Them!” to the not-so-A-level “The Beast of Yucca Flats.” As LeMay notes, some, such as “It Came from Outer Space,” make discerning use of the desert, whereas others simply exploit it as an affordable setting. (And yes, a couple are horror but not sci-fi.)
Second Feature: Yes, there are Horror Westerns in them thar hills other than “Billy the Kid Versus Dracula”! For me, this section was intriguing, because I haven’t seen most of LeMay’s entries. I certainly wasn’t aware of any Horror Westerns before the 1950s, nor did I know about the three 1970s HWs LeMay explores.
For both features, LeMay’s book provides attractive layouts featuring a wealth of illustrations. Text-wise, LeMay gets your attention right away and keeps it throughout, providing interesting insights, background histories, and agreeable trivia. Plus, the book boasts a bibliography and index.
A nostalgic aside: LeMay’s Desert Monster Movies reviews took me back to the 1960s, when I saw almost every one of these films on TV. And I still retain a fondness for almost all fifties DMMs, even humbler items like “The Giant Gila Monster.” Thanks, John!
First Feature: The desert + sci-fi = monsters (and a few aliens) galore! And LeMay sizes them up with sixteen entertaining movie reviews, ranging from the A-level “Them!” to the not-so-A-level “The Beast of Yucca Flats.” As LeMay notes, some, such as “It Came from Outer Space,” make discerning use of the desert, whereas others simply exploit it as an affordable setting. (And yes, a couple are horror but not sci-fi.)
Second Feature: Yes, there are Horror Westerns in them thar hills other than “Billy the Kid Versus Dracula”! For me, this section was intriguing, because I haven’t seen most of LeMay’s entries. I certainly wasn’t aware of any Horror Westerns before the 1950s, nor did I know about the three 1970s HWs LeMay explores.
For both features, LeMay’s book provides attractive layouts featuring a wealth of illustrations. Text-wise, LeMay gets your attention right away and keeps it throughout, providing interesting insights, background histories, and agreeable trivia. Plus, the book boasts a bibliography and index.
A nostalgic aside: LeMay’s Desert Monster Movies reviews took me back to the 1960s, when I saw almost every one of these films on TV. And I still retain a fondness for almost all fifties DMMs, even humbler items like “The Giant Gila Monster.” Thanks, John!
May 14, 2026
This is a very entertaining and informative book about two very specific sub genres of film. Mixing plot descriptions, behind the scenes information and critical analysis, it kept my interest throughout, and was aided by many photos and interesting side bars. If I had one gripe, it’s that some of the white on black sidebars were a bit tough on my aging eyes.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews